In other worlds

Inhabitants in urban centers are insulated from the world view of those outside such nuclei. Or is it the other way around? I visited a truly magnificent place in North San Diego county called Rainbow. It is a little rural hillside community near the Cleveland National forest situated approximately 30 minutes inland from Oceanside. I know there are oodles of conservatives beyond the boundaries of a metropolis but I never expected to see so many McCain/Palin, Yes on Prop 8 signs as I saw all along the route to Rainbow. After all Rainbow is still in liberal and progressive California. Within the first few minutes of being there we saw people riding horseback on the main road. Others traveled on foot, bicycle, tractor, motorcycle, and yes, tanks (it's military country). What a total time warp! And totally charming - (except for the McCain signs).

For years I've stared at a picture of Damon's Grandparents' home in Rainbow with the promise that we would visit someday. Since they had long since sold the property and are now both deceased there was no urgency. Damon's fondest childhood memories are of Rainbow where he would help his Grandfather build things in the workshop, fish and hunt for quail in the surrounding area, climb boulders, and tend garden vegetables with Grandma. I was overwhelmed with a sense of down home hospitality and incredible natural beauty. Damon immediately recognized some familiar landmarks though we arrived with no directions, no address and sporadic memories from 30 years ago. The foliage was overgrown and many new dwellings spotted the hills. At one point I thought he'd steer the car over a cliff if we didn't find the house. Traversing the same few miles over and over we finally spotted some hikers who appeared well into their 70's. We stopped and asked how long they had been living in the area and it turns out that Damon's grandpa remodeled their bathroom over 25 years ago! After a long chat they described exactly how to find the house. We pulled into the lane and decided to knock on the door. A gentleman answered and listened attentively to Damon's memoirs. Turns out he is a professor of Anthropology. He probably saw it as a case study in human evolution and behavior. He was very gratious even inviting us in to take a look around the house noting some of the changes. He allowed us to take our time meandering the nearly 2 acres of untended gardens - much of it original.

We hit the local grower's farm stand and picked up some yummy treats - Avocado capitol of the world that Rainbow, ya know. And though the rumor is that Fallbrook is home to some good restaurants we ended up at the one that served our meal with American cheese slices. Are you kidding? I didn't think I needed clarification on the cheese selection before ordering. Who knew they even made those disgusting processed grease squares anymore. Yick! That experience aside I highly recommend a trip to Rainbow. If you can spend the weekend stay at the Rainbow Inn B & B and if you feel the need to do something other than relax and smell the oranges while overseeing stunning vistas you can go wine tasting in Temecula, hike in Cleveland, pick avocados or go antiquing in Fallbrook. You'll be better than when you arrived if you avoid talking politics.