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{Day Tripper}<br />
Vista: An Under-the-Radar<br />
Kinda Town<br />
By Cynthia Dial<br />
FALLBROOK<br />
RIVERSIDE COUNTY<br />
& TEMECULA<br />
Next time you’re cruising Highway 78<br />
between Oceanside and Escondido,<br />
stop in Vista and stay a while. Little known<br />
to many San Diego County residents, yet<br />
much beloved by its more than 100,000<br />
citizens, this incorporated city—only<br />
seven miles from the sea and boasting a<br />
Mediterranean-like climate—is home to a<br />
variety of attractions.<br />
As one might expect from a township<br />
whose official flower is a lilac, bird is a<br />
hummingbird, and tree is a palm, Vista’s<br />
history is somewhat romantic. It begins<br />
with the Luiseño Indians, the original<br />
inhabitants, followed by the 1798<br />
founding of the San Luis Rey Mission,<br />
and continues to the Hispanic era and the<br />
Mexican government’s land-grant ranchos.<br />
Today, Rancho Buena Vista Adobe and<br />
Rancho Guajome still stand and are<br />
cherished examples of this historic walk<br />
back in time. So, allow me to introduce<br />
you to Vista in 2018.<br />
Rendezvous With Ranchos<br />
Though ensconced in a tiny enclave<br />
surrounded by the activity of a bustling<br />
suburb, a short stroll along a brick<br />
walkway leads to the serenity and<br />
charm of the fabled days of the Rancho<br />
Buena Vista Adobe—“the birthplace<br />
of Vista.” A hitching post, a colorful<br />
mosaic, and a gnarled California pepper<br />
tree signal your arrival to the hacienda<br />
estate, whose previous owners include<br />
a Hollywood film producer and his<br />
silent-screen star wife, as well as a<br />
private in the U.S. Calvary.<br />
Surrounded by a bit more land, it’s<br />
not difficult to imagine the lifestyle<br />
and happenings of the twenty-room<br />
adobe rancho house, Rancho Guajome<br />
(pronounced “Wah-hoe-meh”), in its<br />
heyday—from elaborate fiestas to spirited<br />
OCEANSIDE<br />
* NOT TO SCALE<br />
ENCINITAS<br />
CARLSBAD<br />
LA JOLLA<br />
I-5<br />
POINT<br />
LOMA<br />
CORONADO<br />
76<br />
DEL MAR<br />
IMPERIAL<br />
BEACH<br />
VISTA<br />
SAN<br />
78 MARCOS<br />
RANCHO<br />
SANTA FE<br />
805<br />
52<br />
56<br />
MIRA MESA<br />
163<br />
PALA<br />
ESCONDIDO<br />
15<br />
POWAY<br />
KEARNY<br />
MESA<br />
LA MESA<br />
94<br />
125<br />
DOWNTOWN<br />
54<br />
VALLEY<br />
CENTER<br />
RANCHO<br />
BERNARDO<br />
CHULA VISTA<br />
The courtyard at the Rancho Buena Vista Adobe.<br />
SANTEE<br />
EL CAJON<br />
I-8<br />
ANZA-BORREGO<br />
DESERT STATE PARK<br />
RAMONA<br />
79<br />
JULIAN<br />
LAKESIDE<br />
DESCANSO<br />
CAMPO<br />
Photo courtesy of Rancho Buena Vista Adobe<br />
32 edible San Diego <strong>March</strong>-<strong>April</strong> 2018
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