SUMMER LIVING : Vacations in...

Heading west from the freeway on Del Mar Heights Road, the scenery at first is unspectacular. Rows of houses, a gas station and a few apartment complexes leave the distinct impression that you somehow got off the freeway in Tustin by mistake.

Suddenly, you crest the hill. Through a tunnel of eucalyptus and pine trees, the vast expanse of the Pacific is suddenly in your face. The horizon, a convergence of the light blue sky with the dark blue water, appears to rise above eye level, a vivid tableau of color.

I’ve been driving that road ever since I was a kid, but the view still knocks me back in my seat. Not quite an adrenaline fix, it’s a combination of exultation and warmth. It takes the breath away. Involuntarily, I often find myself slowing and saying out loud, “Wow.”

In the vernacular of ‘80s surf rats, it’s a rush.

People fly to places all over the world to get this type of kick, and I get it on the way to my barber.

North County has many such places. Few of these escapes, sometimes more mental than physical, are included in the tourist books.

Following are some of my favorites. If there seems to be a bias toward the coast, it’s because that’s where I grew up. These are places that never let me down. Places to sit, to be alone, to briefly get away.

THE PENINSULA

The San Elijo Lagoon is a natural boundary between Solana Beach and Cardiff, a splash of marshes and estuaries that link the neighboring condos and tract developments with the swirl of tides and water creatures and plant life that shape the coast.

A scruffy, little-noticed peninsula juts out into the middle of this particular lagoon, accessible by a hillside trail. Anyone is free to walk to its end and sit there, admiring the birds and the tranquillity, forgetting the stream of traffic on nearby I-5. Cranes and terns, some on summer holiday from colder climates, sail overhead and float in the water, fishing for meals. It is beyond peaceful.

The peninsula is accessible by taking Rios Drive north from Lomas Santa Fe Drive. Rios dead-ends at the lagoon. Instead of following trails that snake around the lagoon to the east, take the trail to left around the bluff, and follow the trail down the hill.

TORREY PINES EAST

In Carmel Valley, the secluded blip on the map tucked between the south end of Del Mar and the freeway, a hillside covered with Torrey pine trees pops up above the honeycomb of condos.

The area is a little-known extension of the Torrey Pines State Park, which is centered across the lagoon to the west. It is a sliver of preserved wilderness between Del Mar Heights Road and the condos of the valley.

At the end of the road that dead ends at the top of the Sea Village condo project, a trail leads straight ahead into the extension. But there is another trail, which begins behind the condo development’s tennis courts. Following a sidewalk, and then veering up the hillside trail barely visible amid the vegetation, leads to a clearing on a mesa, where a lone bench sits, providing the visitor with a spectacular view of the lagoon and beach. (Make sure to stay on the trails, this is a reserve.)

Exploring the trail as it winds across the mesa, through the shrubbery and pine trees, reaps hidden canyons and scenic perches. Staying at the first spot provides tranquillity.

SCENES FROM A MALL

North County Fair in Escondido is a monument to another side of North County, which in some ways is more spectacular than any sunset or lagoon. It’s a tile and wrought iron icon to shopping, a symbol of man’s entrepreneurial achievement. Known simply as The Mall by locals, it is also a societal center. Sooner or later all sizes, shapes, ages and forms of North Countians pass through it.

At the center of the sprawling complex, easily the largest of its kind in the county, if not the Western hemisphere, is a huge, three-story atrium, where the various halls of shopping decadence converge. More than just a shopping trip or vacation, it’s a trip to a different world.

Pausing on the third floor, there is a breathtaking view. A sea of shoppers flows through the corridors. Pubescent Metallica fans, Discovery Channel enthusiasts, Rotary Club members, blue-haired former beauticians and the rest of North County’s finest gather, intent on their individual missions, looking for bargains, meeting friends, seeking quarters for video games or maybe just hanging out.

And there’s the Food Court, with its corn dogs and fruit shakes and pasta salads and other bastions of fast food. For a cheap thrill, ride the glass elevator down to the first floor. Victorian benches increases the ability to be comfortable while people watching, processing a non-ending stream of stimuli.

JAVA COOL

Cool coffee houses have a different rhythm in North County. There is little if any of the brooding artist atmosphere that infects most urban coffee hangouts. A coffee spot a block from the beach has its own quirks and personalities which make it difficult to really develop into the haven for beat poets that most coffee houses strive to be.

Java Depot, a niche in the Boardwalk, a small wood-tiled shopping complex on the north end of Highway 101 in Leucadia, manages to integrate elements of cool and style, despite its proximity to the world of surf. A relative newcomer to the coffee scene, Java Depot has wood floors and hard wood chairs. The requisite pretty young folk work behind the counter. Antiques are on the floor and modern art on the walls. Glimpses of the sun, a rarity in a modern coffee hangout, are available on a small shaded patio. A bagel plate with lox is available for $5.

It doesn’t make visitors feel as if they’ve traveled to a fluffy coffee shop in Paris, but it’s definitely a trip. The crowd is the thing. So is the scene. Bring a beret. Bring a journal to write witty and poignant prose. Appreciate the ease at which a wide variety of people sit down and get into the rhythm of the place.

DEL DIOS DETOUR

Driving on Del Dios Highway from Del Mar to Escondido often starts as a picturesque drive through the trees and hills of Rancho Santa Fe. But it can easily turn into a commuting nightmare. The winding two lane road that runs besides Lakes Hodges is invariably crowded, as one driving-school dropout in a motor home flirts with the 35 m.p.h. barrier. Meanwhile the lake beckons to the right, a symbol of all the recreational activity possible for those not stuck on the road.

Sure its possible to stop at one of several turnouts to take a break from driving and enjoy a view of the lake. But that has all the flavor of a freeway rest stop.

Yet, escape is possible. Turn right at the innocuous Elm or Date streets. Although nondescript, either one leads to the little community that surrounds the lake. Don’t bother the locals. But with a little exploring its easy to find a place to pull the car up along the lake.

Turn off the engine. Crank up the Mozart. A two minute treatment often works wonders.

DOLPHIN LAND

The romantic concept of a secluded beach, a place to enjoy the crashing waves without an accompanying throng of tourists, is practically extinct in San Diego--unless you know where to look.

At the north end of San Elijo State Park, perched on the cliffs overlooking the ocean in Cardiff, a walkway leads to an area below the cliffs. To the left is the state beach; to the north rip rap guards the cliffs.

During the day, the area is crowded with locals, especially surfers. But as the sun goes down, the people leave. It’s not unusual to find the rocks deserted, providing the visitor with a private viewing post, complete with waves crashing on the rocks.

To the north, the palm trees of Swami’s, the county park, add to the postcard scene. The underwater reef off the coast is a favorite romping ground for dolphins. It also attracts some of the best surfers in the world.