About 90 minutes outside of San Diego, lies a quaint town called Julian known for their apple orchards and apple pies. If you've ever taken the Road to Hana, the drive to Julian is similar with windy roads and twists and turns around mountains and tree aplenty. Only this time, the long sinuous road leads to a land of sweetness called the Julian Pie Company.

The pies from the Julian Pie Company are sold at grocery stores in the San Diego area, but there's something about driving three hours for a fresh slice that seems intriguing {even if a bit ridiculous} to me. The waft of baking apples and buttery crusts consume your nasal passages as soon as you crack open the front door to the shop. There are pies aplenty {traditional apple, dutch apple, strawberry rhubarb, berry apple crumb, etc.}, pie toppings like cinnamon ice cream and cheddar cheese, as well as mini cider donuts. The pie was excellent – tart apples, sweet filling, and buttery crust gives it that homemade je ne sais quois. If you've never tried an apple pie with melted cheddar cheese before, do yourself a favor and order this during your next visit. It's surprisingly good and offers an extra dose of fat to plop on top of your slice of pie. The maple glazed cider donut was delicious as is the heart-shaped cinnamon & sugar-topped crust pieces, lovingly named Apple Memories.

Final thoughts…delicious and worth the 3 hour drive for the experience of seeing a much talked about San Diego legend. However, because they do ship and sell locally in the San Diego area, I probably won't be taking the road to à la mode again anytime soon and would turn to one of the more convenient options instead.

{photo by Oh Joy}