A Hike in the Canyon, With Fudge

Hiking in the hills of Ortega Canyon

     I had been on Ortega Highway once, winding through the canyon from Lake Elsinore to the coast.  In spite of feeling carsick, I thought the scenery was very pretty. But until I kept hearing people talk about their weekend adventures, which seemed to always take place in Ortega Canyon, I didn't realize there was so much to discover off the road.

Ortega Oaks Candy Store and Goods, on Ortega Highway

     So the other day, when neither of us had work, I put my foot down for a trip to Ortega Canyon, which is part of the Cleveland National Forest. My husband was reluctant, as we had no idea where to go, where to park, if you needed a Park Pass to hike or how much that would cost, or how far we would have to drive before finding something - if anything.
     But I had heard about a good hiking trail behind the Candy Store on Ortega Highway. I figured that was enough information to go on, so I packed our lunch and waters, tossed Jordi the car keys and hopped in the front seat.  (Kind of like a dog holding his leash when it's time to go to the park....)
Being the good sport that he is, he followed suit and started driving us off to our adventure. The coastal fog receded as we drove into the Canyon, giving way to a beautiful sunny day. Houses became sparse, and eventually we found ourselves officially entering the National Forest.

Inside the candy shop

     We finally came across the Ortega Oaks Candy Store and Goods about 20 miles from the 5 Freeway and located on the South side of the Highway. Apparently this little store sells day use passes for $5 to park in the National Forest. You hang one in your car and it's good until 10 a.m. the next morning. We pulled into the little parking lot next to a simple blue building on the side of the road, with picnic tables and umbrellas outside. We walked through the screen door and into the shop, which felt more like the kitchen and living room of an old aunt with a bad sense of style, a welcoming heart and a talent for cooking fudge.
     With bins full of nostalgia-inducing candies (Andes mints and salt water taffy are my favs)
 and homemade chocolates, we couldn't simply walk off with our park pass, but picked out some dark chocolate almond bark as well.
     Trail heads go up from behind the candy shop, as well as from the parking lot across the street. Hiking and horseback riding are allowed on both sides, but mountain biking is only allowed on trails North of the highway.
     We opted for a trail that began behind the shop marked "Bear Canyon Trail". From that trail, we ended up doing a loop about five miles long. We stopped along the way to have our sack lunch - a typical meal of pb&j, carrots, fruit and BONUS: the almond chocolate bark we picked up at the candy store.

You can't see the bees, but they were there. The hive is
in the dark spot of the trunk.

     Walking back we heard a loud hum, and stopped to see a large swarm of bees who had taken over a tree trunk lying across the creek. I wished I could dip my hand into the fresh honey, but thought better of it and satisfied myself with a picture instead. I'm definitely going to buy some Ortega Canyon honey next chance I get, though!
     We finished the rest of the loop in no time, and were back at the car in a few hours, tired and content. Finding some homemade chocolate in the middle of nowhere, purchasing a pass for only $5, hiking in the woods with no one but the birds and bees, and a beautiful, relatively short drive to get there made a great success out of our uncertain outing!

Music Under the Stars

In a last minute, last ditch attempt to have a date on a Saturday night, after a long and hectic week, we were scouring our brains and the internet for something of interest. Through word of mouth, we stumbled upon something - a concert series at the Mission in San Juan Capistrano called Music Under the Stars, that happens on Saturdays throughout the summer. We couldn't get too much information off the internet, so we decided to just go over there and check it out.

    We hurriedly put together a ramshackle picnic consisting of half a bottle of wine and the crumbs of a bag of chips - it was the end of the week and we were obviously not prepared for a picnic. Anyways, we grabbed a blanket as well, and ran out the door. As we screeched up to the Mission an hour after the festivities had started, I ran up to the window and asked if there were any more tickets. There were, just lawn seating though. "That's fine, how much is it?" $25 a piece! I was a bit dismayed at this news - $50 for us to go sit on the grass? But I love the big Mission, and I could see through the gate to the magical lights and beautiful gardens, and hear the fun music inside. Besides, it would be the same cost if not less, than dinner and a movie - and it would be something new. So we decided to go for it. Walking in through the gardens into the lights and music,  I was instantly glad about our decision.

     For those of you who have never been to the Mission in San Juan Capistrano, it's one of the biggest and most beautiful missions I've ever seen. A huge plaza, brick walls showing through the cracked stucco, archways, rose gardens and fountains - it makes me wish I lived in an hacienda back in the day, with fresh tortillas and fiestas and chickens running around. But for that nights festivities it was the summer fresh watermelon, a steel drum band, and older people dancing around.

     I don't know where the people our age were, but they were not at this concert. Which is too bad, because along with the fun ambiance, the music was awesome and the dancing (by the professional dancers) was impressive. The dancing by the rest of the generation or two above us was pretty zealous and entertaining. During an intermission, we ended up running to a taco stand in a strip mall across the street (old chips and wine apparently did not suffice), bringing it back to enjoy with the second half of the show. Eating our picnic of the most delicious albeit lardy Mexican food ever, listening to reggae, watching the dancing, and exploring the mission - all under a balmy summer evening - was a fantastic way to spend an impromptu date night.

     Although there is only one more Music Under the Stars concert this summer, I definitely encourage you to go - if not Saturday, September 3 then next summer! If you buy tickets early enough, you can get a group of friends together and split the cost of a table. It can be a great deal for a talented concert in the Mission Plaza, with your friends and a fancy picnic. Of course, cheap Mexican food and lawn seating is pretty good too!

Los Rios

San Juan Capistrano reminds me a lot of my beloved alma mater town of San Luis Obispo - both are tucked away in the hills, blue skies overhead no matter what the coast is doing, and a big beautiful Mission to give life and history to the community.
Saturday was my sister's birthday, and I met up with my mom and two sisters to explore the Los Rios district of San Juan Capistrano for a girls morning outing. Los Rios is a historic street on the other side of the train tracks from the main downtown area. One you cross over the tracks to the shady lane, there are numerous shops and little restaurants, a park and even a petting zoo! And best of all, Los Rios Tea House, which was the perfect destination for four girls on a summer day. Although we didn't have floppy hats or English accents, everything about the 100-year-old Tea House was picture perfect. A rambling old wooden house turned into a restaurant and venue, with flowers and plants hanging and blooming everywhere, and even a bath tub with a sporadic shower-head that serves as a quirky fountain - all made for a perfect ambiance. They serve a regular menu as well as a tea menu, and of course an extensive list of teas. The huge pot of loose leaf English Breakfast and currant scones with cream and jam were just about as authentic as you can get on this side of the pond. My mom and sisters tried some more interesting varieties of tea that were absolutely delicious as well, but I always love English Breakfast. We could have spent the rest of the day tinkering about the adorable little shops and exploring the rest of the predominantly pedestrian street, but duties (aka a birthday party) called, and we weren't able to explore or shop to our hearts content. However, the weather was perfect, the tea was great (although don't expect small prices on victorian tea menus!) and we had a perfect morning. However, since we didn't even get to the actual downtown part of Camino Capistrano, the park, or the Mission, next time we'll allot ourselves the whole day!