DESCANSO: EAST COUNTY’S HIDDEN TREASURE

By Miriam Raftery

December 17, 2015 (Descanso) – Gateway to Cleveland National Forest, the Cuyamaca and Laguna Mountains, Descanso is a small town that takes pride in its rural tranquility, scenic beauty, and rich history. 

The very name means “place of rest” in Spanish, a haven where early travelers stopped off  to encamp beneath the shade of pine and oak trees beside fresh-flowing water fed by mountain streams.  Descanso Valley was once known as Guatay Valley, reportedly derived from the Kumeyaay Indian name for “Na-Wa-Ti-e,” meaning Big Chief’s House, as Native Americans called the majestic mountain often veiled in mist beyond meadows strewn with wildflowers, golden in the sun.

Long-time resident and environmental leader Duncan McFetridge says this of his chosen home: “Descanso is a little mountain village that lives in peace with forest wilderness and traditional cattle ranching—a remembrance of things past and a place where I feel at home driving a 43 International." (photo, left).

Also an artist, his elegant woodcarvings depict wildlife from eagles (photo, right) to mythical creatures.  He once carved a boulder on his property to honor a bull named Romeo and being at one with nature,shares his kitchen with a spotted skunk that sleeps there in the winter months (photo, right).

Like many Descanso residents, he enjoys hiking through the national forest and along the Sweetwater River, finding hidden gems such as this verdant pool about a half hour's hike from his Descanso home, where his "spiritual grandson", Ki, enjoyed a swim on a recent warm, sunny day.

“People don’t realize how wonderful the weather is in Descanso,” says Jeni Sall, who lives out along Oak Grove Drive in a spectacular home in a fairy-tale like setting (photo, below left).  “In summer, it’s ten degrees cooler here than in El Cajon and we have lots of shade trees.” 

Descanso has an elevation of 3,573 feet (higher than Ramona and just under the elevation of Julian). The average annual temperature is just under 60 degrees Fahrenheit, with monthly averages ranging from up to 90 in August, dipping into the high 30s in January. Descanso averages about 2.5 inches of snow each year, according to USA.com.  

Sall’s property is crowned by her beautiful custom wood home with cathedral windows framing mountain meadow views (photo, right).  It also includes a forest of towering Manzanita trees, their red, twisted trunks standing in vivid contrast to a carpet of fall leaves or occasionally in winter, a pristine blanket of snow.  In spring, when wildflowers bloom, it’s also a perfect time for saddling up a horse in her stable, then hitting the trail much as people have been doing in this valley for centuries now.

Her property ([photo left) adjoins the California Riding and Hiking Trail, a state resource that connects up to the Pacific Crest Trail.

“You can ride from my property to Canada or Mexico without having to hitch up a horse trailer,” says Sall. Also, the Merigan Trailhead at the Merigan Day Use Area links up to Rancho Cuyamaca State Park, which has a popular waterfall about a mile in, connecting to miles more adventures.

Yet her home is just 10 minutes from Alpine, which has amenities such as a supermarket, many shops and restaurants as well the Viejas Outlets Center and Casino/Resort.  A business consultant, she travels to San Diego, a 40 minute drive or so, a couple of times a week. 

Housing is surprisingly affordable here compared to other areas in San Diego or even East County;  a custom home with rustic elements and modern conveniences here may run half or a third what you’d pay in more well-known neighborhoods in inland suburban or coastal communities. Sall's home is for sale with an asking price of $735,000,  a dream home at a dream-come-true cost. (Note:  Sall has offered to donate $1,000 to East County Magazine if you buy her home and mention this article.  Call her 619-659-1121 or e-mail her at Jeni.Sall@gmail.com at for details.)

There are still many ranches in the Descanso Valley, where you can hear the sizzle of a branding iron (photo, left) and find cattle roundups, as well as horse ranches and some new livestock not found here in historic times.

Out at the San Diego Alpacas ranch, formerly Atlas Alpacas Amy Alyeshmerni loves raising the gentle, fleecy animals that are native to the Peruvian Andes mountains. (photo, right)

“What’s so interesting about living in Descanso is that the landscapes shift into ever more gorgeous vistas on each street—no two views are alike!” she says. “There is a huge diversity in my neighbors – young and older, more moderate means  to comfortable, families and empty-nesters, religious and atheist. It truly is a community of neighbors—there is no shortage of help when you need it. We’re so blessed.”

To reach Descanso, take I-8 just east of Alpine and take the exit for Highway 79. If you go south, you’ld head to Japatul Valley. Turn north under the freeway just a short way and you’ll reach the Descanso village.  It includes the Descanso Trading Post, Perkins general store with a gas station, a feed store, a Post Office where farmers pick up chicks (fluffy yellow baby chickens, that is, shipped direct), an eclectic antique and gift shop, and a couple of restaurants, Descanso Junction (photo, left) and Veronica’s Kitchen. The town also has a Catholic and a Methodist church, a county library, and a historic town hall built in 1899.

Over at the Descanso Junction on Highway 79, the aptly named Tammy Cooker has been serving up delicious and hearty fare since 2003. She opened just before the Cedar Fire and kept her doors open for firefighters , stranded travelers and evacuees. That friendly spirit permeates the whole town to this day.

Cooker recently opened up a barbecue catering business (photo, left, with her daughter) and remodeled the Junction, which now includes tables and a rustic bar bearing brands from all the historic ranches in East County.   Trees scorched by the cedar fire (photo, right) frame a bar with a saloon side overhead, and if you stop in, be sure to savor the Junction's home-made pies, too.

Turn off the main highway just past the Descanso Junction restaurant to discover meandering roadways that lead to the rest of Descanso’s hidden treasures, including a bubbling stream at the end of one long, winding road, trails, ranches and scenic wonders.  Turn left on Viejas Grade Road (at the general store) to reach the historic town hall.  Turn right past the general store to access a country road that ultimately leads to trailheads for some of East County’s most spectacular scenic wonders, Cedar Creek Falls and Three Sisters Falls,( but be prepared for a long and rugged all-day hike to access those two destinations.)

The Descanso Fire Station is home to the Laguna Hot Shots team; many local teens become state firefighters or join the Forest Service, since the Cleveland National Forest adjoins the area and some property owners with Descanso addresses, such as McFetridge, are actually inholders within the federal forest. Not surprisingly, McFetridge is as co-leader of the Cleveland National Forest Foundation.

Descanso is also the official home to KNSJ radio (photo, left), a public station which has its transmitter high atop Monument Peak standing guard above the town.

The town has several  annual festivals.  Over at Our Lady of Light, people flock to the annual deep pit barbecue (photo, right), where slabs of beef are slow-cooked overnight in a huge pit.  The event includes vendors, prize drawings, a rummage sale and opportunities for kids to practice their roping skills.

Vaquero Days, held at the Granny Martin Rancho and museum in Descanso, shows off extreme cowboy skills, a mountain man camp and more. Descanso was long also the home to Garry McClintock, a famous saddle maker who documented the history of vaqueros in a book. When he passed away last year, riders from far and wide held a memorial ride in tribute.  

The town’s biggest annual event is Descanso Days, drawing visitors from across the county and beyond. It features  a parade with equestrians, vintage cars, tractors and more.  You’re apt to see the Winchester Widows and Grand Ladies of the Old West astride some magnificent horses (photo, left).

The parade ends with a fair at the historic Town Hall (photo, right), where you can dance to a live music from a local country-Western band, see Native American dancing (photo, left), chow down on some tasty fare or lock up a friend as a prank in a Wild West moveable “jail.” 

Through the years, the Town Hall has been used for literary and social purposes as well as political and religious ones, serving as the heart of the community. The Town Hall Association holds pancake breakfasts and other activities to help preserve this delightful piece of Descanso’s historic past.

A small town with a friendly feeling, Descanso truly combines the best of old and new in a spirit the welcomes visitors and newcomers,  while proudly preserving its rich historical heritage and spectacular natural setting for generations yet to come.