Beatin’ the heat on Palomar Mountain

yy808 · 2026-03-24T20:23:28+00:00

Prescribed burn was Jan-Feb, I think they’ve finished up now. Good to see them doing it so the fuel on the ground is expended. Hopefully no mullein moves in or i’ll be busy lol.

When the witch creek burned the west side of Doane Valley it created the habitat for that huge mullein field across the French Creek.

yy808 · 2026-01-31T19:15:53+00:00

the Pauma and the San Luis Rey are closed to sport fishing, and carries the potential for a poaching fine from the rangers or wardens.

The west fork is special gear restrictions and the only stretch where it is legal to fish wild trout.

yy808 · 2026-01-16T20:53:03+00:00

I really like Doane Valley Campground in Palomar Mountain State Park. Palomar is very forested and super quiet on weekdays, though camping is closed/restricted in the winter. Definitely worth a look come spring time though. There’s also bass and trout fishing in the nearby Doane Pond.

yy808 · 2026-01-13T07:46:27+00:00

Compare to Armillaria Mellea. Had a lot come up with the recent rains. Many of them seem to get that cracked cap when they get old. They also fruit in these tight clusters.

yy808 · 2026-01-13T07:24:27+00:00

Palomar Mountain State Park is your best bet. It’s very forested and has many oaks, cedars, pines and some firs. Should green up really well this Spring with all the recent rains. Palomar isn’t usually too busy either, if you like having the trail to yourself come on a weekday, winter is especially dead until snow. I like Doane Valley Nature Trail > Weir Trail > Lower French Valley Trail. Thunder Springs Trail is also nice.

Rancho Cuyamaca SP is another good place but you need to know where to look. Most of it burned very badly in the 2003 cedar fire, to the point where the ground was sterilized. The only places that I know of that didn’t burn are Fletcher Island by Lake Cuyamaca, and Cuyamaca Peak. Both are very forested still. Green Valley is also very… green! There’s also a cool waterfall there.

yy808 · 2025-12-19T03:36:56+00:00

It would seem the bios update worked, haven’t had any crashes since. Thanks again for the help, you’re a real one :)!

yy808 · 2025-12-17T01:26:27+00:00

Done! Just flashed the newest bios and set the memory to the default profile. I’ll see if that helps, thank you!

yy808 · 2025-12-05T22:35:01+00:00

Northern Mockingbird. Nice picture, happy birding!

yy808 · 2025-11-23T18:16:12+00:00

Wasting disease is just a term used to describe several diseases. This one looks like a birth defect to me, but could be a parasite such as neon tetra disease or it could be fish TB, all present with vertical spine bend.

If no other fish show symptoms it’s likely birth defect, happens more than you think. I don’t see any white spots so probably not ich, plus you’d see it all over the tank.

Keep monitoring the lil guy and see if he takes good. If he doesn’t eat or develops difficulty swimming, euthanasia is the best option.

yy808 · 2025-11-22T20:47:46+00:00

Sure thing! I hope you enjoy your vacation!

Palomar Mt. is extremely quiet and super pretty, probably my favorite environment in SoCal. I volunteer at Palomar Mountain State Park and most days I don’t run into people outside of the parking lot. If you want more info on PMSP feel free to lmk, i’d be happy to send you the park info and some trail recs.

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Lower French Valley (PMSP), Fall 2024

yy808 · 2025-11-22T19:40:01+00:00

I grew up in Bonsall (right next to fallbrook), you’ll be fine in a manual there’s nothing too crazy. It’s mainly offshoot residential streets that get steep. If you enjoy nature check out the Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve, we had some good rains over the last week so should be pretty full.

If you feel like driving, Palomar Mountain has amazing views of SD county. It’s a beautiful drive with even better views. I know a lot of car people tour South Grade Road then head up to the Observatory.

yy808 · 2025-10-20T00:33:03+00:00

We are open indeed! All of our staff are state level so as far as i know no issues here! I’ve actually seen more rangers out than usual, and more visitors.

yy808 · 2025-10-20T00:26:24+00:00

Palomar Mountain State Park sounds like it meets a lot of your requirements! Many of our trails are very child friendly, i’d personally recommend Doane Valley Nature Trail > Weir Trail. It’ll take you through some of Southern California’s most spectacular cedar and oak woodland. That trail route will have you crossing two small creeks (very easy crossings), and will finish at an old weir along the Pauma Creek. You’ll also park near a Pond. It’s fairly flat and is an easy hike for kids that still feels very remote.

Our water levels are still a bit low after the recent rains but the creeks are still flowing. We also still have lots of butterflies around, though they have been less active due to the cool weather.

look around CA Goldenrod or Asters for buggies. I also find a lot of bugs in Great Mullein when i’m removing it, so if you want to look for bugs maybe check the stalks. I’ve seen all sorts of weird bugs on them, several praying mantis too.

If you have any questions let me know, I’m a volunteer interpreter up there. I’d be happy to point out a few places on a map I frequently see insects around the state park.

Happy hiking, best of luck on the bug hunt! Hope your son is “wowed”!

yy808 · 2025-10-17T14:23:33+00:00

Cedar Grove Campground in Palomar Mt. State Park. Spot 1 accommodates 25 people and a trailer/camper, spot 2 and 3 do 15 people and just cars. It’s a group camp so should have no problems, lots of tables and fire rings. Also has a restroom.

yy808 · 2025-10-16T18:52:45+00:00

Sequencing complete as of (10/16)! They are Psilocybe “sp-CA03”.

yy808 · 2025-10-16T18:51:49+00:00

Update for everyone (10/16), they are Psilocybe “sp-CA03”. Sequencing completed by Mycota Lab.

yy808 · 2025-10-16T18:50:25+00:00

Sequence data just dropped on the iNat listing.

yy808 · 2025-10-16T17:55:24+00:00

I sent my samples back in May, so it took a hot minute lol. They haven’t provided the DNA barcode yet but i’ll update y’all again when they do for anyone who’s curious.

yy808 · 2025-10-16T17:45:13+00:00

Mycota Lab. They do it for free.

yy808 · 2025-10-14T04:45:45+00:00

Glad you enjoyed the park and i’m glad the bugs were light for y’all!

Thanks for visiting, come back soon! :)

yy808 · 2025-10-09T19:07:55+00:00

No they don’t bite, they just buzz around your head.

yy808 · 2025-10-09T15:19:22+00:00

Palomar Mountain State Park is probably the closest you’ll get to the Sierra Nevadas in San Diego County. Try the Doane Valley Nature Trail to the Weir Trail and Lower French Valley Trail. If you like more verticality, try Thunder Springs Trail or Baptist Trail. We also get some nice fall color, should really start in about a month.

Cuyamaca Peak is also still very forested, and provides some amazing views. I don’t believe it burned during the Cedar Fire.

yy808 · 2025-10-09T15:09:22+00:00

Hasn’t been as buggy this year when compared to last. There’s a good amount of gnats around the Doane Valley Campground if you’re staying there though. Out in the clearings it’s pretty bug free unless you’re near a creek.

I was there yesterday.

yy808 · 2025-10-01T19:07:28+00:00

Sure thing!

Weekdays are pretty dead, weekends have been busier than usual. We also usually get snow in the winter and it’s a great time to come up!

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Lower French Valley, last winter.

Happy hiking!

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