This is our annual Halloween Caravan and you know what that means!

Yes, dear Caravaners, it's that time of year when we "grown-ups" can relive those glorious Halloweens of our childhood! Get your costumes ready and decorate those rigs 'cuz we're going trick-or-treating on Freaky Friday Night! And keep those costumes handy for the Annual Halloween Costume Parade during the General Meeting on Saturday.

Also, we will honor a fellow caravaner who was very near and dear to many of us. So bring a pumpkin to carve or decorate and enter your masterpiece in our 5th Annual Harry "Crabby" Edgecomb Pumpkin Contest!

In addition, a prize will be given to the rig that has the best Halloween decorations, and since we will have electricity at Butterfield, we're looking forward to some very spooktacular displays!

GOOD PLACES TO KNOW ABOUT

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Folks, even though the towns of Julian and Borrego Springs are not too far from Butterfield (approximately 21 miles from the campground to the center of Julian and 31 miles to the center of Borrego Springs which is surrounded by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park), please keep in mind that both are small towns (the 2000 census lists Julian at 1,621 and Borrego Springs at 2,535) and do not have extensive services nor any regional or national chain stores. But as you will see in the following list, that doesn't mean going without (unless you're looking for a Starbucks...sigh...).

Please keep in mind that all mileages are approximate...

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Borrego Medical Center (24.5 miles from Butterfield)
4343 Yaqui Pass Road
Borrego Springs, CA
760-767-5051

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Julian Drug Store and Soda (yes, you read that right - 21.8 miles)
2134 Main Street
Julian, CA
760-765-0298

Village Pharmacy and Liquor Store (yes, you read that one right, too - 31.6 miles)
659 Palm Canyon Drive
Borrego Springs, CA
760-767-3100

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Julian Animal Hospital (18.7 miles)
2907 Washington Street
Julian, CA
760-765-0500

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Jack's Grocery (21.8 miles)
2117 Main Street
Julian, CA
760-765-0550

Borrego Valley Foods (31.6 miles)
655 Palm Canyon Drive
Borrego Springs, CA
760-767-5321

Center Market (31.6 miles)
590 Palm Canyon Drive
Borrego Springs, CA
760-767-3311

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With over 500 miles of dirt roads for four-wheeling (WOO HOO!),
we want to make certain you know where the gas stations are!

Norm's Service Auto Parts (21.7 miles)
1913 Main Street
Julian, CA
760-765-0774

D+M Service (28.5 miles)
30351 Highway 78
Santa Ysabel, CA
760-765-2940

XL Company (31.6 miles)
525 Palm Canyon Drive
Borrego Springs, CA
760-767-5587

Bottle Shoppe Alliance (31.6 miles)
590 Palm Canyon Drive
Borrego Springs, CA
760-767-5513

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Dear Caravaners, the following information is particularly important ;-D


As we've already mentioned, Starbucks aficionados (and your webmaster proudly is one of them) sadly will not find their favorite latte anywhere nearby. But all is not lost...Borrego Springs does have the Java Iguana (747 Palm Canyon Drive, about 31.5 miles from camp). Yes, that is mighty far to go for a good cup of coffee. But what can I say...I am of questionable sanity when it comes to coffee. And what is a cup of coffee without a piece of apple pie?



Julian is deservedly well known for its apple pies. Many caravaners recommend the Julian Pie Company at 2225 Main Street!

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GOOD THINGS TO KNOW

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"A Tale of Two Cities"

Julian, California

Borrego Springs, California

Well, it's more like "A Tale of Two Small Towns" or perhaps more accurately "A Tale of Two Very Small Towns". But however you want to describe them, there is no disputing the fact that Julian and Borrego Springs are very important centers of business and recreation to the folks that live and visit this area.

Both towns have websites with lots of info (history, things to do, services).
Click here and here for Julian's and here for Borrego Spring's.

And for some interesting statistical info about the two towns, click on over to citydata.com. For example, you will discover that the age of houses in Julian is below the state average and the age of houses in Borrego Springs is significantly below the state average. Something to ponder together while you're sitting enjoying a campfire or a rousing game of Mexican Train!

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For All You Weather Buffs...

Thanks to the wonderful world of technology, click here for the current conditions and forecast for the Butterfield Ranch Resort. Yup...specifically for our campground! And be sure to stay tuned to the Morning Announcements on your CB (channel 30) every morning for an up-to-date weather report from our very own Steve Tivy.

And click here to check out the current conditions and forecast for Julian and here to find the same info for Borrego Springs (remember that Julian is at 4,200 feet in elevation and Borrego Springs is 780 feet).

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A Brief History Lesson

Butterfield Ranch Resort is located on Highway S-2, a truly historic road. Past travelers on this road include early Spanish settlers, Kit Carson, General Stephen Watts Kearny, the famous Mormon Battalion, John Butterfield and thousands of emigrants, gold seekers, homesteaders and cowboys. As is the case with many roads, this particular road started out as a trail and was believed to have been used by the Spanish, perhaps even Juan Bautista de Anza in 1774. Beginning in 1826, the trail was a part of the Mexican mail route. Kit Carson used the trail, as did General Stephen Kearny and his Army of the West as they marched north in 1846 on their way to San Pascaul during the war with Mexico. Then on January 19, 1847, the trail became a road. The Mormon Battalion (click here for more info on this courageous group of Mormon men, women and children) were traveling from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to San Diego to join General Kearny's Army of the West. They were the first group to brings wagons west across the deserts, and using the trail, found themselves blocked by the rocky walls of Box Canyon. So using only hand tools, they created a passage large enough for the wagons, thereby transforming the trail into a road...the first wagon road into southern California's interior. This road became known as the Southern Emigrant Trail and was used by countless numbers of emigrants. In 1857, a portion of the road served as the route of the San Antonio and San Diego mail line. And then in March of 1857, realizing the need for an overland mail route from the east that serviced the west, congress passed a Post Office Appropriations Bill and solicited bids for a mail contract. John Butterfield was awarded the contract, and parts of the Southern Emigrant Trail were chosen to be on the route. The "Butterfield Line" made its first trip on September 16, 1858, leaving from Tipton, Missouri, and soon established regular twice-a-week mail service between St. Louis, Missouri, and San Francisco. If you're interested in learning more about the Butterfield Overland Stage Route, you might enjoy checking out these articles: "The Butterfield Overland Express" and "Butterfield Overland Mail". A final bit of history regarding this venerable old road...according to the San Diego County Department of Public Works, in 1953, a group of property owners along the old Butterfield route - now called the Imperial Highway - lobbied the Board of Supervisors for road improvements, which finally came in 1959-61. The petitioners also asked for a name change, from the Imperial Highway to the Great Overland Stage Route of 1849. The Supervisors agreed, despite the fact that the Butterfield Overland Mail Route didn't even exist in 1849!

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GOOD THINGS TO DO

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Weather permitting, folks, there is so much to do in the area around Butterfield that there is no way I will be able to list everything here. But here are a few ideas to get you going....

We've already mentioned apple pie...yum! Your webmaster is happy to announce that our October caravan falls within the dates of the annual Julian Fall Apple Harvest! Enjoy autumn foliage, art shows, entertainment and - of course - apple cider and apple pie! There are also special events on the weekends. Call the Julian Chamber of Commerce at 760-765-1857 for more information.

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Julian Doves and Desperados



Every Sunday (weather permitting), you will find the Julian Doves and Desperados performing their historic comedy skit at 1:00 P.M., 2:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. in the stage area between the store Cabbages & Kings and the Julian Market & Deli. For more information, call Krisie at 760-765-1857.

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Cheer! Boo! Hiss!

If you enjoy a good old fashioned melodrama, you might want to check out the Julian Triangle Club's Old Time Melodrama. Performances are held at the Julian Town Hall every Friday at 7:15 P.M., every Saturday at 1:15 P.M. and 7:15 P.M., and every Sunday at 1:15 P.M. A wonderful two hours of entertainment (includes a 15-minute sing-along prior to the show) takes you back in time to the Gold Rush.



Tickets are $8.00 for adults and $2.00 for children under 12 (children under 2 are free). Advanced ticket sales are available at the Town Hall Chamber Office at 2129 Main Street in Julian or at the Julian Tea and Cottage Arts at 2124 Third Street (one block East of Main Street between Washington and B Streets). Tickets are also available 90 minutes before show time at the Melodrama Box Office in the Town Hall. For Group Ticket Requests, contact: Nancy Parinello at 760-765-3177 or email NancyParinello@JulianMelodrama.com. For more information, check out their website here.

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If you have a hankering to take in some fall color, click here for a map that indicates where Julian locals drive to see the best colors.

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Borrego Days!

Borrego Springs will be celebrating its annual Borrego Days Desert Festival Friday, October 24th through Sunday, October 26th. This celebration marks the official kick-off of the desert tourist season and features a parade, dances, carnivals, live music, and an arts and crafts fair. If you'd like more information, call the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce at 760-767-5555 or 1-800-559-5524, or click here for the Borrego Days website.

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How does this sound?

Rock art
Palm groves
600,000 acres
Bighorn sheep
200 species of birds
Archaeological sites
500 miles of dirt roads
Fascinating rock formations
110 miles of riding and hiking trails
Elevation ranges from 6,200 feet to 150 feet

If any of this sounds good to you, then head on over to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a mere 15 miles from our campground (to the Anza-Borrego park boundary, 25 miles to the Visitor Center). Just take good old Highway S-2 north to Highway 78, then east on Highway 78 to the park boundary.

Because the park is so vast (it's the the largest state park in the contiguous United States!), it is highly recommended that you start with a visit to Anza-Borrego's very unique Visitor Center, located two miles west of Borrego Springs at the end of Palm Canyon Road, just off Highway S-22. The Visitor Center is situated below ground, except for the natural rock wall that serves as its entrance. Inside, you will find exhibits that explain the human and natural history of the park and a special 16-minute, 3-screen, 9-projector presentation that focuses on the changing seasons of Anza-Borrego. Outside the Visitor Center is a desert garden and a pond with live pupfish, and a short stroll leads to a panoramic view of the Borrego Valley.

PLEASE NOTE: If you're going to explore the park on your own, please make sure to get a map, take lots of water with you and let someone know where you're going.

FYI: The park name is derived from a combination of the name of the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish word "borrego" which refers to bighorn sheep.

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Julian and Borrego Springs

We've already discussed these two towns, but they both deserve another mention.

Julian - a Designated Historical District - began as a mining camp. In 1869, A.E. Coleman discovered placer gold at Coleman Creek, and in 1870, Drue Bailey founded Julian City, naming it after his cousin Mike Julian. Both Bailey and Julian were former Confederate soldiers who left Georgia after the Civil War for the California gold fields. By the summer of 1872, there were 50 houses, 3 hotels, 4 stores, 2 restaurants, 1 schoolhouse and the "usual number of saloons" to service an estimated 300 miners working in the area. And unlike other such camps, Julian survived after the mines played out because of its climate, rich soil and its proximity to San Diego. James Madison (NOT the-4th-president-of-the-United-States James Madison) brought the first apple trees to Julian in the early 1870s and they fluorished in the rich soil and cold-winter climate. All Julian apples are sold locally as apple pies, apple cider or whole fruit. In October, 10,000 apple pies a week are baked in Julian so there should be plenty for us caravaners! In 1774, Juan Bautista de Anza, while seeking an overland route from Mexico to California, traveled through what is now the Borrego Valley, stopping at the springs of San Gregorio and then traveling through Coyote Canyon, at the north end of the valley. At that time, the valley was home to the Kumeyaay and Cahuilia Indians. A year and half later, Anza led 240 soldiers and colonists, including 115 children, and about 1,000 horses, cattle and mules, on a march of 1,600 miles from Culiacan, Mexico, up through Borrego Valley to found the pueblo of San Francisco. Three children were born on the way. One child was born on Christmas Eve, 1775, at Upper Willows in Coyote Canyon. It was another 100 years before cattemen began homesteading the Borrego Valley. The first successful well was dug in 1926, which quickly led to irrigation farming. At that time, the town contained a post office, a small general store and a gas station. The military presence of both the Army and the Navy during World War II brought the first paved roads and electricity to Borrego Springs. After the war, developers subdivided the area, attempting to create a resort community by capitalizing on the tourisum generated by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park which completely surrounds the community of Borrego Springs.

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Dudley's Bakery

Date Nut Raisin Bread...Danish Apple Nut Bread...Jalapeno Bread...Cheddar Cheese Bread...Onion Rye Bread...Sourdough Rye Bread...Honeywheat Buttermilk Bread...German Black Bread...Irish Brown Bread...Potato Bread...Sourdough French Bread

I don't care what the Atkins Diet says...there's nothing quite so yummy as a slice of warm bread. If you agree, then while we're at Butterfield, you might want to head on over to the famous Dudley's Bakery in Santa Ysabel, just west of Julian.

Here are the particulars:


30218 Highway 78
Santa Ysabel, CA
1-800-225-3348 or 760-765-0488

Please Note: Dudley's is open 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. Wednesday through Sunday only...
they are closed on Monday and Tuesday.