On a recent Sunday morning, in need of some time away from work and home, my wife and I decided to talk a short walk on a nearby trail. Just a short drive from our neighborhood is the Mule Hill Historic Trail, adjacent to the Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead. The trail and the farmstead are part of the San Dieguito River Park, which was created in 1989 to preserve a chunk of the San Dieguito River watershed, from Volcan Mountain near Julian to Del Mar on the coast, as undeveloped greenspace.
The Mule Hill Historic Trail offered us some great examples of history, both natural and human.
Here’s an example of the natural part:
The bolders and flowering vegetation offer a glimpse of what all of San Diego County looked like for thousands of years.
And within a mile or so on the same trail is the scene of some significant human history:
The stone wall and historical markers look out on Mule Hill, site of the climactic final stage of the Battle of San Pasqual in 1846, during the Mexican-American War. The US victory in that war in 1848 would transform California from a Mexican province to an American state.
A lot of history in a short hike. Check it out!
San Diego History Seeker 
The Battle of San Pascual is too little known as the final effort of the Mexican residents to save their land. There should be more recognition of the rancheros.
Good point. It’s a very complicated history, as is much of history. Thanks for your comment.
Vincent N. Rossi