Ramona Oktoberfest 2009

City of Ramona Oktoberfest

October 16-18th

Ramona Outdoor Community Center

Last Sunday I had the chance to take a short roadtrip up to Ramona. I have to admit I have not done much exploring since moving to San Diego. I stay close to the area that I live and don't stray too far from it.

I decided last minute to check out the Oktoberfest. I wasn't sure what to expect and I really wasn't planning on eating anything there since I had just bought a bunch of 'snacks' at 99 Ranch (that'll be the next post).


It was a nice drive to Ramona. It was a MUCH better drive than the one to Julian. The festival was held at an outdoor community center, which looked like a place where you would hold a small county fair. I had arrived there just as the 'gates were opening' so there weren't many people there and the booths and tents were just setting up. There was a 'grand stand area' where there were live music peformances and maybe a 'beer garden' area. Past that were children's carnival rides.

Most of the booths consisted of vendors selling jewelry, art and crafts items, and food.

Of course there was kettle corn and shaved ice.

I thought about getting a funnel cake, since they remind me of going to the IL state fair with my parents as a child. What I should've gotten was the fry bread. They were serving something like a taco in fried bread. That would've been intersting.

This looked promising, but again I could not eat since I just ate a ton of food from 99 Ranch.

Okay, we got this carne asada taco. It was served with chopped onions, cilantro, and salsa. I think it lacked a lot of flavor. But I'm not a very good judge of Mexican food since I rarely eat it.
And what's an Oktoberfest without a bratwurst? I didn't eat it. I liked that they served it with grilled onions, peppers, sauerkraut and spicy mustard.

I'm sorry for no beer pictures! I don't drink. :(

Day Trip to Julian for Oktoberfest and Pie

Growing up in the midwest, I'm used to celebrating the Fall season. The Fall means sweatshirt/hoodie and jeans weather. Football games and tailgating. Leaves turning colors. Picking apples, eating caramel apples and drinking apple cider from the Apple Barn. It seems forever since I've experienced those things.

I was very excited when I read about Julian's Apple Days, however I missed it last weekend. Fortunately this weekend was Oktoberfest in Julian. I left home early and got a good parking spot. It was a long, winding drive to Julian. The downtown area was small, just like the ones back home! The buildings and shops were small and quaint.

After checking out all the shops and side streets, I headed for the Oktoberfest which was located at the parking lot of the bank.

Picnic tables were set up in the parking lot. Oompah music was playing and bratwursts were grilling. The menu was bratwurst with sauerkraut, hotdogs, baked beans, and potato salad. They also had various pie slices and drinks. I didn't check on what beers they had since I don't drink.

I loved all the Fall decorations!

As for the food...it was horrible! But honestly what did I expect. The bratwurst is the kind that is is already cooked and only needs to be warmed through over the grill. I guess I was expecting the Johnsonville kind( that is like a raw Italian sausage). The potato salad was bland, but the potatoes were cooked perfectly. The beans were too firm and tasteless. I'm used to baked beans that melt in my mouth.

At Mom's Pie House, all kinds of yummy goodies sat on the counters. Cookies, breads, jams, and slices of pie.

Apple, apple-cherry, strawberry-rhubarb, boysenberry, and other berry pies that I can't even pronounce.

Flakey or crumb top?

Yummmmmy....

Look at all those pies! I would get fat working there.

Here's my Mom's pie. I picked out an apple-cherry flakey. There were MANY bakeries in Julian but the long line was at Mom's. So that was where I was going to get my pie. The pie was about $14 and I don't know what the size is. It's huge though.

Look at the height.

The pie was good. I loved the sweet and tart taste.