At one point—while repacking yet again—I said to Eric, “I traveled in this country for a year with just a backpack, a backpacking tent, and a sleeping bag. I did the same in Europe a year later with the same minimal amount of belongings. What happened?” He said something to the effect of, “You’re spoiled.” It’s true. RV travel spoils you for any other kind of travel. I like my stuff. I like having a variety of clothing (including clothing that’s not just for hiking), my pillow, my special tea blends, my herbs and spices, my favorite omelet pan and Santoku knife, my Kindle, my laptop, my guitar. It’s a little embarrassing to my minimalist self. But it certainly makes life comfortable.
Anyway, enough about that. On to another chapter of our adventures in and around San Diego. Via Airbnb, we booked a week in a tiny studio on an avocado farm near Temecula. It was a very sweet place, about twice the size of our trailer, and in truth, not quite as well laid-out. We enjoyed a wealth of homegrown avocados, grapefruit, and blood oranges during our stay, courtesy of our hosts. Our little patio overlooked I-15, something I didn’t realize when I booked the accommodation. All of the reviews said, “Peaceful retreat…so wonderful to be in the country….” I said to Eric, “How can anyone think that listening to a background hum of traffic is peaceful?” He said, “They’re coming from LA. To them, this is the countryside.” Of course. I rummaged through one of our boxes and dug out the white noise machine.
We decided that for each place we stayed, we would concentrate on activities in the immediate vicinity so that we could avoid as much as possible the infamous and gnarly southern California traffic. It was a good plan. (For those of you who want to visit the area with your RV, Lake Skinner Recreation Area is just a few miles away.)
Temecula and the surrounding countryside are beautiful—in the Mediterranean-type climate, avocados, citrus, grapes, lavender, and olives thrive, and the hillsides are a pretty patchwork quilt of farms, orchards, and vineyards. Here, the fun things we discovered during our stay near Temecula:
• Old Town Temecula: The downtown area is very attractive, with lots of great shops for browsing. Don’t miss the Temecula Olive Oil Company and the complimentary olive oil tasting, all made from their locally grown olives. We ended up buying several bottles of gourmet olive oils and vinegars (just what we needed to add to the stuff we were hauling around). I must admit, their blood orange infused olive oil is amazing. I’m going to be very sad when it’s all gone.
• Temecula Farmers’ Market: Old Town hosts a terrific farmers’ market on Saturday mornings. Everything is locally grown and mostly organic, including pastured meats, eggs, beautiful vegetables and fruits, and handmade cheeses. We found everything we needed to stock our little kitchen for the week, including a delicious assortment of gourmet mushrooms from “Chef Fun Guy,” AKA Chef Fungi.
• Temecula Wineries: The cool mornings and hot, dry days of Temecula are perfect for growing grapes, and the countryside is blanketed with dozens of picturesque vineyards, wineries and tasting rooms. Stop by the Visitor Center in the Town Square Plaza and ask for a book of coupons for discounts on wine tastings—many of the wineries offer 2-for-1 tastings. While you’re there, admire the gorgeous mosaic fountain in the center of the plaza. It was inspired by the design of an ancient Luiseno woven grass basket (the Indian tribe native to Temecula) and represents the net used to cast the sun into the sky.
• San Luis Rey River Trail: This nine-mile multi-use paved path winds through a peaceful landscape and ends up at Oceanside Beach. We biked to the beach and back, stopping for a picnic on the beach and adding on a couple of miles to explore a bit of Oceanside, including a stop for iced tea at the lovely open air Succulent Café.
• Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve: This gorgeous 9,000-acre preserve protects a variety of unique ecosystems and the plants and creatures that live there. The 4-mile loop trail that meanders past the vernal pools to two old adobe houses is especially lovely—the picturesque structures were built in 1846 as bunkhouses for cowboys and are the two oldest buildings in Riverside County.
• Wilderness Gardens Preserve: Known as a great place for birding, the preserve is in the San Luis Rey River watershed, and offers four miles of hiking trails through a mixture of meadows, riparian areas, and oak woodlands.
Next up: Adventures in cool and colorful North Park, San Diego![portfolio_slideshow]
Love the chocolate lillies! We’ve hiked at Santa Rosa many times but never had the pleasure of seeing those lovely flowers.
The Succulent Cafe looks sweet.
I do believe RV travel is the perfect way to travel. I am spoiled with my own bed and kitchen and bathroom. I can just picture you two struggling with all the luggage in an effort to maintain the comfortable way of travel you are accustomed to!
Lisa, the ranger was surprised we saw the chocolate lilies, too. Santa Rosa is gorgeous! We’d love to return to explore more trails. And I agree, RV travel is perfect. I love having our little home with us wherever we go.
I feel your pain, Laurel. We lived out of our suitcases for four months when we arrived back here last year, sometimes not knowing where we were going next. I hope you are settled now. I like my stuff too!
Carol, I can’t imagine four months living out of suitcases! I somehow did it (and had a great time) when I was in my 30s, but I don’t want to give up the comforts of our trailer now. :-)
Hey you guys,
We are in Mission, TX finishing our spring migration jaunt. We are in the process of setting up some much needed love and repair for the trailer and truck. Both of us laughed out loud when we read your blog, specifically about living out of suitcases and the serenity of your I-15 view. There were a few parks we stayed in on I-10 this spring that had us yelling to be heard. We are facing giving our trailer to a repair shop for a week or so and are currently contemplating vacating once more our beloved home and having to decide what to bring. We look forward to seeing you guys sometime.
With much love,
bob & bettina
Bob & Bettina, we hope you guys are having a great time birding in Mission! It’s a place we plan to return to in the next couple of years. Hope all of your repairs go quickly and that you’re back in your home-on-wheels soon. Would love to connect with you!
When you drove out to the plateau on Clinton Keith you passed near my former home. Spent many a weekend in Old Town and at the farmers’ market. Your photos are spectacular, really capturing the beauty and diversity of the area. It was a long commute for me so I was ultimately glad to leave, but I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I love seeing it through your eyes. Your spoiled lifestyle cracked me up – it’s all about having the right pan!
Jodee, you certainly lived in a gorgeous area! We had a great time in Temecula, and are looking forward to another visit — but next time in the comfort of our trailer. Haha, yes, it’s all about having the right pan! And even more, the right knife!!
We are so spoiled traveling with our house. The few times we have flown somewhere I am at a loss with how to take everything! We will be leaving the MH in PA this summer and driving up to NY to see my mother. This will be tough deciding what to take. Usually we park the MH around the corner at a friends and run back and forth to gather cooking supplies, food, and spices I like to use. I’ll have to pack boxes, as well, to take what I need:)
This is an area I really want to visit especially because of the olive farms. How wonderful your little cottage was despite the traffic! That grapefruit looks so sweet. Your patchwork view is amazing! I never miss an olive oil shop!! My favorite is always the vinegars.
Nice trails to keep you active. I’ve never heard of a chocolate lily…so cute:)
I had to laugh at the photo from the farmers market. Eric is taking the “John pose” at these places…patiently waiting away from the stall holding my purchases:) Remove the beard and you have John! Clever name Chef Fun Guy (fungi)!!
Pam, at least you’ll be driving and not flying — we had our truck fully packed with all of the stuff that we apparently can’t live without. I was hoping that you guys might make it up to Lopez Island to visit us this summer, but you’ll be on the east coast. Darn! So funny that you noticed Eric’s “patiently waiting” pose at the farmers’ market — yep, that’s a classic! :-)
Eric and Laurel…This town of Temecula: WOW. I know you guys have been to M A N Y places but I do have to say this looks like it would be on my top 10! Great wrought iron work over the entrance to Old Town Temecula…love the curved entrance way with what looked like horses, cows, a wagon, etc. Entrance to the Wilderness Gardens Preserve looked like possibly the same artist. Nice iron (?) with wildlife! You guys may be in Ashland by now. If so, welcome back to a little bit of rainy weather this week (we still need it). P.S. If those are ALL your suitcases, you could put a Garage Sale together: Grapes of Wrath at the Setterbergs! vz
Vince, we loved Temecula — so glad you enjoyed your preview tour! We’ll be back in Ashland later in the week and would love to get together with you. (Haha, yes, Grapes of Wrath, indeed!)
We lived near Temecula for 5 months but it took you two to show us some of the sights! My friend told us about Succulent Cafe but we haven’t gotten there yet so it is on the list for next winter. I must say that you two found the most interesting things to do and places to stay while waiting for your home to be repaired. And as for the blood orange infused olive oil, I happen to know someone who may be willing to ship you a bottle or two when you run out. :)
LuAnn, we really enjoyed Temecula, and would enjoy returning for more exploring. You made a great choice for a winter home! Hmmm….know anyone who might want to explore with us? (If you haven’t tried that olive oil, don’t, because nothing else will ever suffice. Makes the best salads ever.)
I don’t think I could live out if a suitcase anymore either…totally spoiled!
You guys have seen and done way more in the Temecula area than we ever did in our years living in San Diego. Great roundup of the area!
Nina
Nina, I’m happy to know that so many other adventurous travelers (such as yourself!) feel the same about RV travel. Glad you enjoyed the Temecula roundup — we would love to spend more time there.
My brother and his wife lived in Temecula for twenty years before moving to CO and we would occasionally visit. Cute community. Last week I had lunch with a non-RVing blogger and explained to her how wonderful RVing is…. I can bring plenty of clothes, shoes, hats and sleep in my own bed and cook in my own kitchen. Now it’s hard to travel any other way.
My sentiments exactly, Ingrid. I love being able to have all kinds of adventures and return to cook in our kitchen and sleep in our bed. It’s a great way to travel!
Other than the “soothing” sounds of the interstate, this looks like a great place to hang out while you wait. Love your patchwork view of the not interstate. And that chocolate lily…mmmm beautiful and good enough to eat. A farmer’s market with fabulous shrooms that would empty my wallet and a bike trail to the beach with an amazing picture of a unique kite. You sure do know how to pick em’.
Thanks, Sherry. It was a fun place to stay, and helped to take our minds off of our wrecked trailer. You guys would enjoy that bike trail to the beach.
I’m totally intrigued by Temecula–especially that bike trail! Where exactly is this place?
Gretchen, Temecula is about 45 miles north of San Diego, in Riverside County. The beginning of the Oceanside bike trail (San Luis Rey bike trail) is about 23 miles from Temecula. We were looking for a place to ride off of city streets, so that’s what we came up with. It was fun!