Palomar Mountain News

We were one of the last hold-outs. ATT told me they plan to cancel all land lines by October of this year. Here is a little update for those of you who might be in the same position:

I used our 742 number to dial out as my cell phone can be a little spotty. Alas, with all the work ATT did over the holidays on State Park Road, we had dial tone only 6 weeks out of 8. It was fixed once, but went out again. A nice repairman came twice in one day saying he wasn’t able to get us working again. He happened to mention that he noticed in the box down the road that 22 locations in our area were not operational. My guess was that we were the last ones in the neighborhood to finally cancel our 742 land line service.

When I called to cancel, I was told we could keep our number and forward it to my cell. That sounded just fine. They said it would take 2 to 3 days to activate and was $11.00 a month. I waited a few days, called again. They fiddled around with it and said it would now take 5 days and it would roll to my cell. I tried again… no luck. The last time I called, I was on the phone with them for 2 1/2 hours. Apparently they told me I should not have asked to ‘cancel’ our service. Even though the “Forever number” was set up in the same call, that rep cancelled our service first and it would have to be re-activated but now a wait time of 30 days. Soooo… land line number no more.

Do you still have a 742 land line? ATT also said you can have an option for a second phone with your number that works off Wi-Fi for $51.00 a month. It didn’t sound exciting to me to have two phones to keep track of and they promised the same 30 day wait time. If you do plan to keep your number, be sure to not say the word ‘cancel’ during your call.

So, you might want to plan ahead and see how to make phone service work up here with just your cell. Just a tip.

Meanwhile, you can always reach me on my cell!

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor on my ‘Forever Number”:

760-533-1742

From Cecelia Borland and Mike Pique:

Who are you rooting for in the Superbowl?

Everyone is invited to the Second Annual Superbowl Party at the Community Center. Come join your neighbors for food and fun with your mountain neighbors.

2 pm on Sunday, Feb. 8. at the Community Center next to the Fire Department.

Bring your friends and favorite munchies – no alcohol, please, and leave your pets at home.

May the best team win!

It is pretty common to see a post about a mis-delivered package. It is also pretty common when I look up directions for my new listings to see they are incorrect. For many years the directions were perfect to get to our place, but now mapping programs often take people to the wrong location. What to do?

Here are three suggestions to hopefully get your packages delivered to you:

1. Check and correct your address with the mapping programs – list to follow. It’s pretty easy, just time consuming. Add notes to include the white reflective Road Marker numbers on Crestline and Birch Hill and include comments like “driveway entrance is off XYZ road” as apparently this helps GPS routing better than just moving a pin. You might check directions to neighbor’s properties and if they are incorrect, ask them to submit the same correction as multiple submissions sometimes get reviewed faster.
2. Update your address with your local county GIS or 911 addressing authority as many mapping apps pull data from these public systems.
3. Have your packages mailed to the Post Office. I spoke with David at our Palomar Mountain PO. He said you just need to use the address for the PO which is: 33124 Canfield Road, PO Box #____ Palomar Mountain, CA 92060. You must include your box number! He will have it in a locker for you or store behind the counter. It is important you pick it up in a timely manner and all should be well.

Here is info for you on the different apps you might want to check and correct. (Just a heads-up; MapQuest told me my correction could take a few months to show up as their correction department is backed up…)

These are mapping and navigation apps commonly used by delivery drivers — alternatives to MapQuest, Apple Maps, and Google Maps that are good for routing, traffic, and deliveries:

🚗 Navigation / Routing Apps

1. Waze – Community-based traffic updates, speed-trap alerts, re-routing around slow traffic.
2. HERE WeGo – Offline maps and good routing; useful in low-connectivity areas.
3. Sygic GPS Navigation – Offline maps, truck routing options (height/weight limits), dashcam integration.
4. TomTom GO Navigation – Premium offline maps, lifetime updates, truck mode.
5. Garmin Drive/Truck GPS – Dedicated device/app combo with advanced routing (hazardous materials, truck restrictions).
6. CoPilot GPS – Specifically strong for professional and truck drivers with customizable routing.
7. MapFactor Navigator – Free offline maps with truck and caravan routing support.
8. OsmAnd – Open-street-map based with offline capability and detailed POIs.

🚚 Apps with Delivery-Specific Features

9. Circuit Route Planner – Designed for delivery drivers; optimizes multi-stop routes.
10. Route4Me – Enterprise-grade route planning and dispatch optimization.
11. Onfleet – Delivery management and driver tracking (requires fleet account).
12. RoadWarrior – Route optimization with time windows and delivery sequencing.
13. Track-POD – Delivery proof of delivery + optimized routing.

🛵 Ride/Delivery Platform Navigation

14. Uber Driver Navigation – Built into Uber app for deliveries/ride requests.
15. DoorDash / Grubhub / Instacart In-App Navigation – Uses integrated directions tailored to orders.

Hope this helps with all the different delivery guys that are up here most every day.

Thinking of listing your cabin, home, ranch or land? I’ve got you covered for package delivery and a whole lot more!

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor

760-533-1742

Do you have trees with small ‘D’ shaped holes like you see in this photo? This was taken on Crestline where there are quite a few oaks that have thinned and show signs of perhaps becoming firewood very quickly.

Join in on the online Zoom Event this Friday morning:

GSOB Solutions – Lessons Learned – Jan 16, 9AM

Gold Spotted Oak Borer Management

GSOB Solutions: Lessons Learned from Ten Years on the Front Lines

Saving the Most Trees at the Lowest Possible Cost

January 16, 2026 • 9:00-11:00 AM

Hosted by the
Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego

Online Zoom Event

Registration Required. Simply click here and sign up – free of charge: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tX5SGrUpTiqJClcj93evxw

Join UC wildlife biologist Dr. Tom Scott and arborist Bret Hutchinson and USFS Regional Entomologist Stacy Hishinuma as they share practical, hands-on tools and techniques they use to successfully combat the Gold Spotted Oak Borer (GSOB). Their guidance draws on years of field experience leading the Oak Grove GSOB Project and work at other sites throughout San Diego County.

This event follows the recent 10th Annual Oak Grove Community Tree Survey, a critical component of the project’s strategy for managing GSOB infestations. Dr. Scott and Mr. Hutchinson will present the latest inspection findings and outline their action plan for the upcoming spring emergence season.

Their boots-on-the-ground experience with GSOB will benefit landowners, land managers, and community stakeholders who are beginning—or continuing— their efforts to address GSOB. The event provides a forum for learning how to save the greatest number of trees at the lowest possible cost.

After about five inches of rain we were having a very quiet New Years Day with neighbors ’round the woodstove. When the storm broke a bit, we looked out through the clouds and saw a big flock of turkeys. We normally see turkeys pecking for grubs while traveling on their route through our property a couple times a day. Today I counted 37 birds from my desk! We’ve lived here since 1998 and I don’t remember this many at one time in our neck of the woods! Apparently this much-needed rain brought a couple flocks together to celebrate.

A few minutes later five deer showed up and they hung with the turkeys for a few hours together. Such a beautiful view and a reminder about how special Palomar Mountain truly is.

Would you like to meet the locals? Glad to have you come for a visit.

All the best for your New Year ahead!

Bonnie and Don and our Forest Friends

760-533-1742 

Hello Neighbors,

Hoping you had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas and all the festivities this week holds.

You might recognize some mountain friends at church with us Christmas Eve – Cecelia, Dylan and Sandra. Candlelight for Silent Night is a favorite tradition.

Tonight the sky was so dramatic from my desk I just had to walk over to the lookout. There was such a contrast of clouds as the sun was setting. Those clouds were truly ‘rolling’ in. I took that first pic and came back quickly as it was chilly out there! Then I turned around and saw the change in the sky from our patio in just a minute or so. Tonight’s sky would have been an interesting video. So beautiful up here.

The Observatory shows over three inches of rain the past few days and our neighbor, Jim Hamerly reported 3.32 at the top of State Park Road. We’ll keep the tree up a little longer as I see more rain might be heading our way mid week. I like to hold out on taking down the tree until we have our first Winter Wonderland, but that could be awhile…

We love drop-ins. Our Starstrucks Coffee and Tea Counter is open 24/7 and you’re welcome ’round our fire anytime. If we don’t see you before, we’ll look for you next year. Meanwhile, it’s another Silent Night on the Mountain Top.

Wishing you a very happy and blessed New Year and may all your dreams come true …

Bonnie and Don

760-533-1742

After a three year remodel, the owners have decided to let their beautiful Round House Ranch property go for another family to enjoy. At the crest of Palomar Mountain the views and wildlife shows, simply take your breath away.

Lots of details and Four Season photos are waiting for you here. Who do you know who would like these views for the New Year?

We’re glad to wrap it up and put a bow on it!

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor through all the Holidays

Palomar Properties 760-533-1742

A big tent is going up and this annual event has lots more to offer than I realized. I had a quick visit with Janice Mendenhall who manages the resort and she filled me in. Janice explained that this is all about the local kids having a very special holiday experience and every kid goes home with a gift. Simply look over the flyer with all that is being offered. The guy in the big white beard has been making children smile for many years. After greeting all with his “”Ho, Ho, Ho” he will pass out gifts and prizes and fun games for all. Santa’s next stop is in Texas where folks will be lined up to see him there, too, so be assured, this Santa is the real deal! Saturday’s Celebration is also a time to meet the local vendors and go home with some wonderful gifts to tuck under your tree. Delicious food and baked goods will be waiting for you, too!

A few more vendors just sign up. Clear weather is planned for this weekend! Tell your friends and neighbors, and load up your car for a fun day at Lake Henshaw Resort, just 20 minutes down the East Grade. Pull up to the main gate to the right of the Restaurant. That’s where you pay $10.00 per person with all kids under 18 are free, drive on back to the big tent with lots of parking and enjoy a very fun day.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… Hope to see you at the Lake!

Throughout the years, I’ve shared about Catherine Wood, the author of our first delightful book of Palomar History. Her Grand-Niece, Rebecca Macdonald sent this photo of her obituary in 1973. She has her book, as well as some of her handwritten notes and reference books. Rebecca was so pleased to find the post of Catherine’s book included in a mural in Escondido.

I’ve connected Rebecca with Peter B, our Mountain Historian. Hoping to have some more interesting posts headed our way.

Bonnie Phelps, Mountain Realtor since the turn of the century and lover of Palomar History!