AN INSPIRING PLACE TO BE THANKFUL: SACRED ROCKS RESERVE
Printer-friendly version Rural retreat to host Thanksgiving potluck feast–and soon, a writer’s retreat By Miriam Raftery November 23, 2009 – It’s not Plymouth Rock–but it may be the most dramatic natural setting in San Diego County to celebrate your Thanksgiving. “When I saw this, I felt sure there were ceremonies here in ancient times,” said Sharon Courmousis, standing before a natural rock cathedral at Sacred Rocks Reserve in Boulevard. “I also felt a sense of sacred space.” Sharon and her husband, Dmitri, offer guests opportunities to nurture creative artistry, enjoy stargazing, stroll a labyrinth–and savor a Thanksgiving Day potluck amid a natural retreat complete with campground, cottages and a clubhouse for the feast. “The colors here are awesome,” Sharon said, taking me on a tour of the property now resplendent with fall foliage in brilliant scarlets, russet and gold hues. But the most dramatic aspects of the terrain are the massive boulders strewn in formations as though by divine design. We walk through an ancient oak grove to a tree she’s dubbed “Grandmother Oak.” Gazing up through golden oak leaves fluttering against an azure sky, she added, “This tree is over 500 years old. One of our dreams is to build an artists’ colony up here for painters, artists of all kinds, and musicians.” Atop a natural stargazing plateau, the area is silent save for the whistling of the wind. “In summertime, we have a light stick parade for kids,” she noted. “They hike around, then I make them all hide their lights and look up. It’s awesome. You can see the Milky Way.” After traveling the world and having “seen everything,” Sharon and Dmitri purchased the property in January 2003. “Without him, this would not have been possible,” Sharon said of her husband. “I had the dream, and he had the execution—and he knows how to improvise,” recalls Sharon, adding that both grew up in rural areas. “We wanted our son to know what it’s like to be in the country…All we wanted was ten acres.” Instead, they wound up with a 163 acre site formerly known as the Outdoor World RV Park and before that, a horse ranch that dates back to the 1800s. Sharon is research the history of an old adobe building on the site, which is rumored to have once been a stop on a stagecoach line. Above it towers a massive boulder known as “Bobcat Lookout Rock,” where wildcats are occasionally spotted. On a rock to one side of the boulder formation, a carving of a woman is intriguing. “My name for her is Sun Woman,” said Sharon, who has not yet been able to determine if the carving dates to ancient times when Native American tribes roamed this area. She provides a naturalist lesson as we travel across the property, pointing out dried brown flowers. “That’s buckwheat. You can make tea or pancakes from it,” she said, also identifying sage, elderberries, and Indian stick tea. A surprising amount of colorful foliage can be found on the land, which sits atop a natural underground lake. At the rock formation she deems a natural cathedral, she pauses to reflect. “Last summer, we held our first wedding here,” she said, then walks to a second unusual formation nearby. “We do drum circles in here. We’ve also done a photo safari,” she added, noting that mountain lion and bobcat tracks are frequently spotted on the site, though glimpses of big cats are rare. Guests can also traverse a labyrinth modeled after the famed Chartres labyrinth. “About five years ago, I became enthralled with labyrinths. We found a pattern on the Internet,” Sharon said, adding that the formation is based on “sacred geometry principals.” Ancient Christians believed that one lays one’s worries down as you walk to the labyrinth’s center to seek connection to a higher power; coming out signals a rebirth. The labyrinth at Sacred Rocks, built with Ladrillos bricks from Tecate, measures 1,570 feet, or 2/3 of a mile if you walk it in both directions. A Boy Scout troop visited here recently, making an unannounced stop at a nearby Forest Service lookout. “They let them shoot water, and cooked in outdoor kettles,” Sharon said. Her son, now 13, has created a remote-control challenge track above the stargazing plateau. Riding back in an open-air Jeep, we pass woodpeckers, a blue jay, and a flock of wild turkeys. Passing a bunkhouse, Sharon recalled, “We recreated the very first Long Ranger radio broadcast here at a recent event.” She and her husband have formed a 501c3 nonprofit organization, to further their dream of creating an artists’ colony with resident artists on the site. Meanwhile, they have already held several events to fuel the creative talents of their guests. “Right now it’s a virtual artists colony. If you’re a Plein Air artist, you can come out and paint by moonlight,” she said. “The Burning Men have come out; they sing and play music all day and all night.” On December 5th, a Writer’s Retreat will be held for authors, novelists, bloggers, poets, journal-keepers and lyricists. Transforming the run-down RV park into a green and tranquil haven has been a labor of love. “Everything that could be broken was broken,” Sharon recalled. Dmitri, a contractor, and Sharon, a financial planner, have worked hard since then to transform the property into a campground with 200 tent sites, 146 RV sites, permanent residents who reside in park-model trailers with lofts, rental cottages, a bunkhouse, recreation center, pool/spa, and someday, an artists’ colony retreat. The property is also a showplace of sustainability. “Everything we could think of that’s green and affordable, we’ve done,” Sharon said. Cottages have solar panels, insulation, and eco-friendly materials. Comfortable and cozy, each with a Queen bed, cottages rent for $98 a night and come fully stocked with linens, pots and pans, and dishes. Everything that can be recycled, is recycled. Fallen trees, cured and cut into log sections,”make perfect planters,” Sharon noted. A large clubhouse
THANKSGIVING FEASTS IN THE EAST
Printer-friendly version November 18, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – If you don’t want to cook this Thanksgiving, you’ll find an array of sumptuous holiday repasts in San Diego and East County. Choose from an old-fashioned feast amid rustic rural charm, a football fan’s favorite, a bountiful budget buffet, a potluck at an outdoor retreat, or a Thanksgiving Day jazz festival to liven up your holiday. Feast in the forest: Pine Hills Lodge, Julian Enjoy fine dining amid a rustic woodlands retreat in Julian at the Pine Hills Lodge, where you’re likely to glimpse wild turkeys in the woods outside. The Inn serves Thanksgiving dinner with seating at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Menu includes roast tom turkey and imported smoked ham with mango glaze, carrot and ginger soup, Kensington salad, Tenessee candied baked yams, dressing, and more. Cost: $40 per person. Reservations are required. Call (760) 765-1100. The inn is located at 2962 La Posada Way, Julian. See www.pinehillslodge.com for details. Football Fans’ Favorite: Cali Comfort Restaurant & Sports Bar, Spring Valley Watch holiday football games on wide-screen TVs and cheer on your favorite team with fellow sports fans, also savoring a hearty, home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner at Cali Comfort Restaurant and Sports Bar, 8910 Troy St. in Spring Valley. Reservations recommended; call (619)337-0670 and visit www.calicomfortsd.com for more information. You can also read the East County Eater’s recent review of Cali’s at http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/2228. Thanksgiving Campout and Potluck Party: Sacred Rocks Reserve, Boulevard Nature walks, star-gazing, a nature scavenger hunt , community bonfire and labyrinth gratitude walk are all part of the fun at Sacred Rocks’ Thanksgiving potluck—served in the clubhouse, where guests can also watch football on TV. Later, cozy up with hot cocoa beside a campfire. Owners provide turkey and ham; guests are asked to bring a favorite holiday side dish to share, beverages, plates and utensils. Buy two nights and get one free with this coupon from East County Magazine: http://www.sacredrocksreserve.com/rvpark/clubhouse/thanksgiving/2009.html . Sacred Rocks Reserve is located at 1331 Shasta Way in Boulevard, about 60 miles east of San Diego. For more details, visit http://sacredrocksreserve.com/index.html or call (619) 766-4480. Dixieland Jazz Festival & Champagne Dinner: Town & Country Hotel, San Diego Okay, this one’s not East County. But it’s close—and some of the talented performers are East County residents. A highlight of the five-day, 30th annual Thanksgiving Jazz Festival San Diegoi is a champagne dinner served in the Golden West Room from3 to 6 p.m. onoThanksgiving Day, complete with turkey and herb-crusted sirloin of beef, cheeses, fruits, salads, side dishes, and old-fashioned pies. Dinner cost: $28 with advance reservations, $30 at the door ($17 for children under 12). The jazz festival spans traditional, Dixieland, swing and classic jazz, drawing people from around the globe. Single- or multiple-day badges are available for the music festival, ranging from $15 to $90 ($20 for a single-day badge on Thanksgiving day). For details, see http://www.dixielandjazzfestival.org/festival.html. Bountiful Backcountry Buffet: Orchard Hill Country Inn, Julian Voted one of the top six inns in the West by Sunset Magazine, Orchard Hill Country Inn offers a bountiful Thanksgiving Feast for $42 ($20 for children 12 and under), available only to guests staying at the Inn and, if space is available, friends or family of guests. Nestled in the woods at 2502 Washington St. in quaintly historic Julian, the Inn offers heartwarming charm and country hospitality. Weekend guests can get a double treat, staying over to enjoy Julian’s annual tree-lighting celebration on Saturday. Call (800)716-7242 for reservations and lodging prices/availability. For more details, see www.orchardhill.com. Dinner at Andiamo Ristorante Italiano Thanksgiving dinner at Andiamo wll be served from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. for $25.95 per person ($14.95 for children). Start with butternut squash soup or Caesar salad, followed by slow-roast turkey with walnut stuffing, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, French beans Amandine and cranberry sauce. As a finishing touch, savor pumpkin tiramisu. Call (858)-277-3501 for reservations to Andiamo, which is located at 5950 Santo Road in San Diego’s Tierrasanta neighborhood. For details, visit www.andiamo-ristorante.com. Thanksgiving with the Indians Several tribes are serving up Thanksgiving fare at local casinos and restaurants in East County. Native American-hosted options include: Best Budget Bargain: Viejas Harvest Buffet, Alpine (or feast the Viejas Grove Steakhouse), Harvest Buffet at the Viejas Casino, 5000 Willow Road in Alpine, offers a complete Thanksgiving buffet with turkey and all the fixings for just $9.95 per person or $7.96 for V-Card members. (Not yet a member? Joining is free.) Where else can you feed a family of ten a Thanksgiving dinner for under $80? Another option is the Grove Steakhouse at Viejas, which will be open from noon to 9 p.m. serving up turkey cutlet meals or ribeye steak dinners for $15.95. You can make reservations online for the Grove at www.opentable.com for Thanksgiving or other occasions. For details and directions on Harvest Buffet and the Grove Steakhouse,, see www.viejas.com. Seafood and prime rib at Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort, Valley Center Harrah’s is serving up two Thanksgiving feasts. At Fiiore Steak & Seafood, start your feast with choice of Moroccan spiced cauliflower soup with Dungeness crab meat or beet salad with tempura goat cheese. A main course of roasted turkey breast stuffed with duck confit is served with sweet potato puree, roasted garlic and winter vegetables, and dessert for $40 per person; dinner served from 5:30-11 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Or opt for an all-you-can-eat buffet for $25.99 per person at The International Buffet, which will serve up a traditional turkey with sausage stuffing, prime rib, and all the trimmings for $25.99 per person from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Harrah’s is located at 777 Harrah’s Way, Valley Center. For details, call (877)777-2457 or visit http://www.viejas.com/. 3 hearty options at Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino, Lakeside Barona Oaks Steakhouse offers a prixe-fixe, three-course Thanksgiving menu for $40 a person or purchase items a la carte from $9 to $28 between 5 and 10 p.m. Reservations are
WITNESS DOUBTS STORY OF TEEN WHO CONFESSED TO KILLING BORDER PATROL AGENT ROSAS
Printer-friendly version November 22, 2009 (Campo) – Christopher Daniel Castro-Alvarez, 17, pled guilty in federal court Friday to charges of murdering Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas during a robbery. In court, he testified that he and others lured Rosas from his vehicle to rob him. But Britt Craig, who heard the fatal shots and spoke with Rosas shortly before the Agent was killed, told East County Magazine that he does not believe that the story is plausible. “How many people go out of their way to find an armed, uniformed law enforcement officer to rob?” he asked. “The alibi story that it was an accident, that he only meant to rob a Border Patrol agent, is not logical. With all the people in the U.S. and Mexico that you could rob, you’re not going to go after an armed, uniformed law enforcement officer guaranteed to be in good shape and under 56 years of age.” Craig, head of the Campo Minutemen, was at his group’s base camp and says he spoke with Rosas 10 to 15 minutes before the murder occurred on July 23. “He was parked near my campsite,” Craig said, adding that Rosas told him he had been tracking four people from west to east who were trying to cross the border. According to official accounts, Castro-Alvarez and Rosas struggled over the agent’s gun during the robbery and the agent was shot multiple times. At least one other assailant was reportedly involved but has not been charged. An FBI investigation continues. A Mexican national, Castro-Alvarez gave himself up to U.S. authorities in August but the arrest was kept secret as the FBI attempted to close in on accomplices. Ezekiel E. Cortez, attorney for Castro-Alvarez, told reporters outside the courthouse that his client is deeply remorseful. “At no time did he have any intention to harm anyone, specifically a law enforcement officer.” Castro-Alvarez will face sentencing on Feb. 19 and could face up to a lifetime sentence in prison. But Craig has another theory. “I believe that the people came across the border with the intention of killing a Border Patrol Agent, not necessarily this particular one,” he said. “It’s spooky. They weren’t smuggling people. They weren’t smuggling drugs. One thing I am sure of from many, many discussions with Border Patrol personnel is that Agent Rosas was shot once in the neck and three times in the head while he was laying on the ground dying…He was executed. I heard the shots. It was four spaced shots, which could mean a struggle, then four fast shots.” He said Border Patrol later confirmed that eight shots were fired. “There was only one gun. They were struggling for his gun,” he added. Craig suggested that the killing may have been retribution for a recent chase in which suspected smugglers escaped back into Mexico—and meant as a warning to frighten other Border Patrol Agents out of enforcing the laws. “They do the same thing in Mexico,” he noted. “They kill Mexican police and cut off their heads to frighten the police into running away.” If the killer or killers of Agent Rosas believed that killing a Border Patrol Agent would result in a relaxation of border enforcement, Craig concluded, “ I believe they blundered. Since this happened, they (Border Patrol) have filled up holes in the wall and made it a lot more difficult to come across the border.” Printer-friendly version