Elsie’s Mountain: Memories of Palomar & Southern California 1897-1987

It was love at first sight when, as a young girl in 1904, Elsie first visited Palomar Mountain. Forever after she would refer to “my mountain” as some might speak of “my husband.” Elsie and her husband Jack managed their own apple ranch and rustic mountain resort on Palomar during WWI and the years following. Rising 6,000 feet above San Diego and other coastal cities, Palomar provided a creative setting for a life that was anything but dull. Elsie recalls in delightful detail their “proper” British cook, the threat of dangerous forest fires, and the shock of finding out that they had hired an escaped ax murderer. When Elsie Hayes Roberts was ninety-seven, writer Larry Littlefield described her as “having a memory as sharp as an Ansel Adams photograph.” Those who knew Elsie would agree, for she was a master storyteller who viewed life as a glorious adventure. Her true stories transport readers to life in another era. Although the majesty of Palomar Mountain belonged to all who ventured there, for Elsie it would always be her mountain.