Ripley has been everywhere already. He has been to multiple restaurants (daily), an impromptu concert, a room escape, and two movies (Arthur the King and Monkey Man), but he has not left San Diego. With some upcoming travel planned, we needed to know if we packed the right equipment and what he was going to do away from home.
Grant had been wanting to go to Idyllwild, CA for quite some time and we have never made it. He found us a two-bedroom cabin at the Idyllwild Inn and we were off. The 2-hour drive itself wasn’t too bad. Ripley slept most of the way. We stopped at Nessy Burger in Fallbrook, CA, Dairy Queen in Anza, CA, and then kept going until we made it to the cabin.
It was a super charming town if you have never been. Perfect for one day overnight. Located a mile high in the San Jacinto National Forest this quirky art town is super dog-friendly so we brought Ludo with us to add to the chaos. Almost all of the restaurants and shops allowed dogs to come in so that made it easier bringing both Ludo and the baby with us.
When we arrived— we unloaded, got set up, and then wandered around. Lot of gift shops, antiques, and small bites to choose from. Got cookies, tea, empanadas, etc. The weather was shifting and it got noticeably colder as the sun began to fade. Unfortunately, the cold and eventual rain did not translate to snow, but it was still a fun trip.
We ate at this restaurant called Fratello’s for dinner. Good solid Italian restaurant. Nothing to rave about, but a good choice for not knowing where to go.
Upon returning, Grant lit a fire in the fireplace and we played a quick game of Outsmarted, in which I crushed both Grant and my mom. I went to bed as I had a “lack of sleep-related headache” and had the early morning shift with Ripley. Everything worked out nicely.
Ludo was thrilled because our room had three twin beds and each of us got one. He has since found sleeping on the bed much more enjoyable, which is something he did not do for the first two years of his life. His timing is impeccable. HAHA.
The next morning, we bundled Ripley in a way to big bear outfit and wandered around the town a bit more. We stopped and got donuts, snapped a few photos, and then ate at a placed called Mama’s Egg House. I think it was done by the same people who did the Fratellos restaurant that we went to the night before. I will say my Filet Mignon Eggs Benedict was stellar and that I would order again and again.
After gobbling down and licking my plate clean— we set off for a hiking trail. We headed out for the Deer Springs Trail. We easily found parking and then started the trail. Right or left? We went right…it curved around the road and ended at the road. Wrong way. We did see some deer so the name wasn’t wrong. We then went left and were greeted with the correct entrance to the trail. Some signs said a permit was required and that no dogs were allowed. Strange. We had hiked enough and instead of continuing we call it a day.
Better to end early than to end too late and ruin a trip. We stopped on the way back at Anza, CA for another Dairy Queen blizzard and made it home for a restful night. For a first trip out of the house—I don’t think we could have been more prepared and it had gone better.
Should probably end with a photo of all of us together. We look tired. Do not judge! HAHA.