Traveling an hour east of San Diego and 4,450 feet above sea level, we found ourselves in Julian, a historic goldmining town famous for apple pies made from locally grown fruit. We came for the pie, but found a place rich in the history of the West.

The signs of the 2003 wildfires that for a time threatened Julian's Main Street can still be seen as you drive the two-lane road into town. We saw whole hillsides where the fires destroyed large swaths of forest, now tempered by the color green as trees and bushes return. Firefighters saved the downtown, where buildings bear the names "The Old Julian Garage, 1917," and "Thos. Bros. Bldg. 1872."

Our first stop on the trip up the mountain was at Lake Cuyamaca, about eight miles from Julian. The 110-acre lake is stocked year-round with trout — but also with small mouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill and sturgeon. A free fishing class is offered at 10 a.m. on Saturdays, but you also can rent a boat for a lazy afternoon on the water, feed the geese and ducks from the shoreline, picnic beside the lake or hike on the trail around it.

When we arrived in Julian, we headed for Mom's, a bakery and pie shop on Main Street, where 300 to 400 pies are sold daily on a slow weekend and up to 1,000 on a good one, said Peter Teaff, a former stockbroker turned baker. The baking starts as early as 2 a.m. daily and the apple pies are made from fruit grown in Julian and Washington state.

Teaff bakes the specialty pies, such as rhubarb strawberry, pumpkin, cherry and lemon meringue. But the apple pies with flaky crust are the most popular and he said it takes three to four hours each day just to peel the fruit. The line for Moms can snake out the door and down the street during Julian's Apple Days, which stretch from mid-September to mid-November.

As we headed out of the shop onto Main Street again, Renee Engel's horse-drawn carriage was going by pulled by Billy (or maybe it was Bobby, the twin Percherons she and her husband own). Highlights of the 15-minute historic tour include the Julian jail, the first building in town to have indoor plumbing, a Sears, Roebuck and Co. kit house built in 1884 and the cemetery with a gravesite dating to 1844.

Charles Spratley leads guided walking tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., or you can pick up a map at the Julian Town Hall on the corner of Main and Washington streets for a self-guided stroll. During the month of October on Saturday nights, Spratley takes visitors on a walking tour through the town cemetery.

The sound of gunfire drew us to the Julian Doves and Desperados show, a free event every Sunday at 1, 2 and 3 p.m., featuring Snake, whose day job is chef at the Santa Ysabel Casino 12 miles from downtown Julian, and Gypsy Davenporte, who works as the office manager for the Julian Chamber of Commerce, among the colorful cast of characters.

A short block off Main on B Street, we found Buffalo Bills Cafe. The Mountain Man Meal for $11.75 is a big seller and the buffalo meat comes from Colorado, according to server Jerry Edwards. If buffalo burgers aren't what you're looking for, Julian Tea and Cottage Arts is about a half-block away, serving afternoon tea, with sandwiches and scones.

Shopping includes the Julian Book House, with rare and used books, and The Warm Hearth on three levels, where you can buy wooden boxes from Poland, lace curtains and wrought iron wall hangings.

Our favorite place to stay in Julian is Big Cat Cabin, built in 1929. The cabin has a massive stone fireplace and a wide window seat, either spot perfect for curling up with a book. The back porch looks over the mountains and we've seen plenty of wild turkeys and deer from there. Once, in the early morning hours, a fox trotted by, stopping for a moment to turn and look straight at me before soundlessly disappearing into the brush.

IF YOU GO

From San Diego, take Interstate 8 East to state Route 79. From Los Angeles, take Interstate 15 South to state Route 78 East.

ACCOMODATIONS, RESTAURANTS, TOURS: Check www.julianca.com for Chamber of Commerce information.

PLACES MENTIONED: www.bigcatcabin.com; www.lakecuyamaca.org; julianwalks@aol.com; www.juliantea.com; Buffalo Bill's (760) 765-1560; Mom's Pies (760) 765-2472; Main Street Carriage Co. (760) 765-0438; Julian Doves and Desperados (760) 765-1857

Susan Gembrowski is a freelance travel writer. To find read more Travel and Adventure stories and features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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