SUMMER TIME ON A BUDGET

With gas prices soaring most of the summer La Mesa residents have to be creative.
Some still like to go out of town, even if few miles away, to have the feeling of a vacation time spend with the family.
With beaches too crowded to enjoy, some people have taken their adventure to the San Diego County near mountains.
A good day trip is hitting north on 67, pass Ramona, and make the first stop at Santa Ysabel. The small town was once home of one of many Mission in California. Now site of the Santa Ysabel chapel. Driving north-west there's a lake for breath taking pictures. Few miles down there's a brand new casino with a good restaurant.
After lunch, the trip follows towards Palomar Mountain. The scenery is awesome and hardly any traffic. Palomar Mountain is a very interesting place to visit, not for the possibility to be in contact with nature but because the Palomar Mountain Observatory is enclave there.
Instead of coming back the same way, going forward on 79 allows to enjoy the many orange trees along the road. from there people can either hit I15 South, or turn on Valley Center Road and still enjoy the scenery before hitting the freeways again.
Within 50 miles La Mesa residents can enjoy a day-away-home, and maximize their gas consumption, coming home feeling they, too, had a summer vacation.