San Diego Country Estates, San Diego Country Estates, CA

San Diego Country Estates spreads across the San Vicente Valley southeast of Ramona, a planned community in San Diego County's backcountry where golf fairways, riding trails and chaparral hills share the same few square miles. Streets wind up from the valley floor, and the hills close in on every side. Homes are single-family houses, most built from the 1970s onward as the community filled in, set along curving roads that follow the terrain. Horses are part of the setting rather than an exception. The community's equestrian center and the riding staging areas at the nearby county preserves are built around riders. Trails start close to home. Simon County Preserve, on Bassett Way, has about five miles of rocky trail open to hikers, riders and mountain bikers, and its main route gains about 550 feet up to Ramona Peak, where the view takes in meadows and rolling hills. Ramona Oaks Park on Pappas Road is the local recreation center, and the San Vicente Golf Resort's course spreads across the valley floor. GOLF.com has listed that course among the top 100 in the country for $100 or less. Places to eat are few. The Oaks Grille at the golf resort serves California-style plates with views over the course, and the Par Lounge next door adds a deck for drinks. Turtle Rock Ridge Vineyard Winery pours red and white wines and a sangria Thursday through Sunday, and its name comes from a granite outcrop above the vines that looks like a turtle. Ramona Lisa's makes stone-baked pizza on San Vicente Road. Most errands mean the drive into Ramona, where Stater Bros. and the rest of Main Street cover groceries and shopping. San Vicente Road is the main way in and out, and nearly every trip starts in a car. Fire is part of the deal in San Diego Country Estates. Both the 2003 Cedar Fire and the 2007 Witch Fire reached the community, and the brush-covered slopes that frame the views sit right up against many backyards. Most mornings start quietly, with riders heading for the trailheads and golfers teeing off at the resort, and the day rarely gets much busier than that.