Julian
I went up to Julian with my family to pick apples and pears. What I love about Julian is the fact that I am out in nature and I am picking fresh fruit in the form of apples and pears. I also discovered that you could pick berries, such as raspberries. You could also pick grapes and make wine from them. I like the fact that Julian has all these apple and pear orchards, vineyards, and berry farms. As a vegan, I eat a lot of fruits so that could be why I love traveling up to Julian.
Another thing I love about Julian is the backcountry environment. I love the backcountry because I love nature. The air is so fresh. You are up in the mountains. There are a lot of trees, especially since the Cleveland National Forest is close by. Supposedly, there are a lot of hikes up in Julian from Volcan Mountain to the trails of William Heise Park. Supposedly, the Pacific Crest Trail isn’t too far from Julian as it winds through the vicinity, which includes Laguna Mountains, Warner Springs, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. While I was in Julian, the stores had signs that say Pacific Crest Trail food and supplies. In addition to running and swimming, hiking is one of my favorite activities. I hope to go hiking on the trails in Julian.
So how does this trip relate to being on a vegan diet? Well, I eat a lot of fruits because fruits and vegetables are an important part of a vegan diet, especially a whole-foods vegan diet. Those Beyond Meat products are good for transitioning to a vegan diet, but it’s important to eat a whole-foods vegan diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables. Also, I am picking the fruits directly from the tree. I am getting them right from the earth. I am not getting them from a grocery store where one has to worry about pesticides and other chemicals. These are fruits directly from the soil.
My trip to Julian also relates to being on a vegan diet because I love nature. I adopted this vegan diet because I care about the environment. Upon taking in the clean, fresh air and the trees and mountains, I start to reflect on how our actions and choices are affecting the environment, especially all the animals that are on our plate. Currently, the Amazon rainforest is on fire because cattle farmers and ranchers are burning the forest to clear up a lot of land to raise cattle for beef. I recently talked about the Pine Valley Egg Farm in Ramona and how the neighbors are complaining about the smell, chicken carcasses, chicken manure, and how these things pose a disease risk to them. All these things are releasing a lot of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere and that climate change is a big issue.
Eating a lot of fruits picked directly from the earth and my love of nature is the reason I love traveling up to Julian and the reason I am a vegan.
