One of our views from Cuyamaca Peak

I do have favorite parks, some of which I went to as a child and even took my own children when they were children. This word, "PARK," can mean so many different things to different people. There are amusement parks, community parks, nature walk parks, and even camping parks, which could be, and probably most likely are either state parks or national parks.

I loved the times I spent at Cuyamaca State Park in southern California, which is in San Diego County. There, my sister and I, along with some friends, went horse camping, hiking, and slept in tents under the wooded area set aside for horse lovers who brought their horse(s). There were campgrounds which each had two pipe corrals, and wooden food storage boxes for storing food, in order to keep it safe from wandering wildlife, such as raccoons, etc. The photo above is from the 6,000 foot level of the highest peak in the park. From one side, you can see the Salton Sea, toward the east. The view from the south side of the peak overlooks Tijuana, B. C., Mexico, and the southern portion of San Diego County. The westward view is of the Pacific Ocean, and coast. And, the norther view shows the smog encroaching from Orange and Los Angeles counties.

There are many ruins from when the native Americans lived in these hills and mountains, which include holes, some very deep, where the women ground corn into huge granite boulders.

There is also a section of the ride to the peak of the mountain, which is a trail that goes through a section of wooded area, along a small river, where it is cool, and shaded. Here, one can hear the birds, and tricking water. That and the sound of your horses' hooves as they move over the ground, working their way to the 6,000 high peak. The ride up and back to the campground takes about 8 hours, so be sure you take along enough trail mix, and either fresh or dehydrated fruit and maybe some jerky, and plenty of water, or whatever you wish to drink during your trek. Also, be sure to also take along a way to bring back everything you took with you, as a good camper/hiker, and horseback rider always leaves things as clean and free of trash as possible, so others can also enjoy the natural beauty of the natural surroundings. Whatever you carry in, you must also carry out.

When you return to the horse camp sites, you can have a lovely time sharing a dinner of something like maybe Pork and Beans, heated over your campfire, or heated on your camp stove, depending on how much you like "roughing it."

There is also a beautiful lake in a meadow, where morning and evening, deer come to graze in the peaceful meadow, and to drink from then shimmering lake. Some people bring their rowboats, or even a motorboat in order to fish from the lake, to catch their own dinner. There is also a small store where you can buy supplies that you either ran out of, or simply forgot to bring. There is also, not too far away, a steak house restaurant, for the urban camper who is just wanting to relax and enjoy the natural surroundings, without actually really camping, as many of us enjoy.

My idea of camping is to keep things as simple as possible, and eat mostly fresh or dehydrated fruit, trail mix which I either put together at home, or have purchased for the trip. My sister, also went to our local Stater Brothers Market, and had the flash freeze some steaks, which we ate several days into the trip. They kept just fine in the ice chest, packed in dry ice for several days. Then, once they had defrosted just right, we would cook them up, and have a real dinner. But, with all the other things we had eaten over the preceding days, it left us more time to really explore and ride the trails of the park.

I loved visiting Knott's Berry Farm as a preteen, as well as a mother, many years later. As a child, I enjoyed riding the Burros, which have since been sold off. I loved the Calico Mine Ride, as well. There are many memories which I, as well as my now adult offspring share. Now, even my young adult grandchildren also have memories from Knott's Berry Farm, though when I first came to California, there was no charge to enter the park. Then, a person only paid for the rides.

I also liked visiting Irvine Park, which is, or was situated between Orange County, and RIverside County, in the foothills along what is now the 91 Freeway. I haven't been there in many years, so I don't even know if that park is still open to the public as it was when I was growing up.

Yes, I have also been to Disneyland, in Anaheim, California, and while it was fun, even as a kid, it was just crowded for my personal taste. Still, Disneyland is a park, an amusement park, but a park just the same.

These are only a few of the parks I have enjoyed frequenting over the years.

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