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Are you willing to go to hellanback for a good bottle of wine?
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The Ranch is hidden in a secluded canyon, East of Ramona. Horses, cattle, pigs, wild turkeys and many other forms of wildlife inhabit the ranch, along with John and Paula and their dog Spike. It is about a 60 minute drive from downtown San Diego, and about 10 minutes from Ramona, but feels like the middle of nowhere.
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The ranch was purchased in 1997, when it was just an empty patch of chaparral at the foot of Mount Gower (also traditionally known as Black Horse Mountain). The parcel sits on 50 acres next to, Mount Gower Open Preserve and several thousand acres of land owned by the U.S. Government. Originally only reachable by horseback, a small cabin was built in the riparian forest that runs through the middle of the ranch. That's where John and Paula lived with their two Dobermans until the "big house" was built in 1999. The cabin was a favorite cowboy hangout, and included a campground with campfire ring and guest corrals. Unfortunately, the cabin burned down during the horrible Cedar Firestorm of 2003. The main residence was designed by John and Paula, and is modeled after a Southwest pueblo. It sits high up on one corner of the ranch, affording beautiful vistas from the back porch. Many dinner parties have been hosted within its western decor. Why do we call it "Hellanback"? When we saddled up to go riding, before we had the ranch, Paula would always ask where we were going, and John would always reply, "to hell and back". Well, they finally made it!
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This is the original cabin that was burned to the ground in the 2003 Cedar Fire.
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The "big house".
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Cattle are still raised on the ranch, although in much smaller numbers now that the vineyards are the highest priority.
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Paula loves her pigs - she's in charge of the hog operation at the ranch. She gives them all names, like "Pigerachi", "Pigaso", "Patsy Swine".
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