Mountain Made

06/01/2026

Hi, I’m Eva. 👋

Current status:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Mom of 2 + wife to a full-time worker
💼 Small business owner & side-hustle juggler
⏳ Operating with little outside childcare

So naturally, instead of resting in my minimal free time, I like to invent hyper-fixated side projects, stack them on top of my responsibilities, and then act shocked and stressed when I run out of hours in the day. Why am I like this? 🤪🤣

Drop your favorite emoji if your current state of mind is also “consistently self-sabotaged by my own ambition.” 👇

05/26/2026

Did you know the Julian zip code actually extends all the way down into the desert? 🌵

While we love our 4,200-foot mountain climate, dropping down to 1,300 feet for a night at Agua Caliente County Park is one of my favorite local getaways.🌴

I’ve been coming to these hot springs since I was a kid. It’s such an affordable and hidden gem in San Diego County. We just spent Sunday night there closing out the season before they shut down for the summer (closed Memorial Day to Labor Day!). ☀️

The children’s pool was absolutely perfect for the kids to splash around in.🏝️

Already looking forward to next season!

Have you ever visited the desert side of Julian? 👇

05/08/2026

25 years of blood, sweat, and tears.

The San Diego 100 was back at Lake Cuyamaca this past weekend! 85% single-track, 13,000+ feet of incline/descent, and a 32-hour limit.

Are you up for the challenge?

SanDiegoHiking VisitJulian

04/26/2026

Supporting youth extracurricular activities is extremely important, especially in rural small towns.

The “Little Theater” as it’s known has been a gathering place in the community for generations. I remember watching “the big kids” preform on this stage just before the theater became unusable for a large part of my childhood. The community came together to revive the building and fill the seats.

Bringing my daughter to a filled theater with the energy of talented local kids and a community that refused to let this space disappear, is a wonderful full-circle moment.

Supporting youth extracurriculars is about more than just entertainment—it’s a testament to what happens when we take initiative to fill the gaps and showing the next generation what’s possible with an open mindset.

04/10/2026

A “good” apple harvest starts right now. 🍎

Every 🌸 blossom 🌸 you see is a future apple in the making.

We’re relying on our local pollinators to help us hit that “Mass Pollination” goal for a heavy harvest, and “Proper Pollination” to make sure every apple is perfectly round.

Now that the trees are blooming, local apple farmers pray for calm sunny days and especially no frost. A cold foggy day with no bees or one spring frost can destroy the fall crop.

To learn more about Julian apples,
subscribe to 🍎✉️ The Julian Apple Press ✉️🍎

Link is in my bio 🔗

03/07/2025

Julian and the surrounding San Diego mountain communities are the only places in San Diego County that you can find covered in snow.

03/07/2025

12/16/2023

Well today was a parenting first… I was asked to move seats at the local Christmas performance because Ella was apparently bothering those sitting near us.

Ella literally comes everywhere with us including work and community meetings. I’m still very conscious of the temperature in the room when Ella is present. I am always prepared to leave if she starts unintentionally disturbing things.

Ella was really paying attention to the preference. She made a few noises of engagement and got scared for a brief moment at a ghost character but immediately calmed down with reinsurance. A friend and I were actively keeping her quiet. In the handful of brief moments she made a baby sound, it would have been more disruptive to leave then to stay. Adults were laughing and making sounds of engagement. We were towards the back of the audience.

If I thought she was disturbing the preference, I would have left.

I was so caught off guard being asked to move by the host because prior to being approached. I was impressed with how well she was behaving for a 14 month old. I grew up going to this performance. They welcomed children of all ages before it started. So many in attendance know us well and kindly greeted Ella upon seeing her.

We wonder why volunteerism is dropping in our community. We wonder why residents participate less and less each year. We wonder why community traditions are dying off. We wonder why kids today don’t want to participate in anything. We wonder what is going to happen when the kids today grow up.

I wonder why no one realizes that what we do today directly impacts tomorrow. What you do matters.

I could have caused a disturbance by getting up to leave the room each time my toddler made an occasional baby noise. Instead, I quietly taught her by softly hushing her, using nonverbals, providing affection, giving her the reinsurance she needed in the moment, and being an example to teach her what behavior was appropriate in the situation.

Why did I choose this course of action? Even though she is only 14 months old, because we communicate at her comprehension level she is becoming one damn smart toddler.

She is actively learning from us. Watching a child learn is the most beautiful thing I’ll ever experience.

02/24/2023

❄️SNOW DAY❄️

We are expecting larg crowds this weekend and San Diego residents attempt to have a day playing in the snow.

📚Please educate yourself before coming to the local mountains. 📚

⚠️During and following snowstorms, all vehicles are REQUIRED to have snow chains to pass through checkpoints along Highway 78, Highway 79, Freeway 8, and Sunrise Highway.⚠️

DRIVING IN THE SNOW IS AN ACQUIRED SKILL. 👨🏻‍🏫Drivers must have experience driving in the snow.

Please be mindful of where you stop to play. Most of the region is privately owned. 🏡

⛔️No parking means NO PARKING.

🙅‍♀️Do NOT play on private property, on the highway, in the Julian Pioneer Cemetery, in Frank Lane Memorial Park in neighborhoods, and in unsafe areas.🙅‍♀️

🧤Bring all your waterproof snow gear with you (snow gloves, pants, jacket, and boots). 🧤

🥖Be prepared with water and food for your group. 🙏

🐶For the health and safety of your pets, it is strongly advised against bringing your dogs with you to experience the snow. 🐶

🗑Please please take everything you bring with you back home. Our mountains are beautiful and home to lots of wildlife. It’s always a very sad sight to see when they are covered in trash. There is no local government entity to clean up after the visitors. Additionally, we have no way to dispose of the trash left behind.

We ask that you please help us maintain a clean environment for the animals and the generations to come. Do not leave trash of any kind including, but not limited to sleds, dirty diapers, snow gear, and more. Anyone who litters can be fined up to $1,000 and community service (see the law here). 🗑

As always, thank you for supporting our community.

This video was not filmed in real time. It was filmed in February of 2022.



https://www.mountainmademe.com/post/snow-in-julian

02/13/2023

Check this out! gutierrez art and photography and I were featured on the Redfin Blog.

Get an inside look into some beautiful places in San Diego featuring quotes and pictures from the people who know the area the most.