Idyllwild
Picture of our stay can be found here
Idyllwild, perched in the mountains and shaded by tall pine trees, wore us out. The town is charming, very mountain oriented. You can find everything you need there. Our motel was located about a kilometer uphill (or downhill, depending on your perspective) from the town center and was very pleasant.
Downtown, a grocery store and supermarket regularly raided by hikers allowed us to get what we needed. There's no need to send packages here.
The Mexican restaurant was delicious and fresh. For dessert, you can indulge in something unknown and probably banned from Europe called "deep-fried ice cream." Kiki's group, Janick, Kelsey, and Melvin joined us during the meal, and naturally, we started forming a new little tribe.
In the morning, we did our laundry at the laundromat near the fire station and wandered around town, visiting the mountain store. The sun and the peaceful atmosphere of the town combined to make us enjoy our stay.
In the evening, we ate at the Italian restaurant, which had a comically disorganized setup, but we were all together with many people we had met in the past weeks.
The next day, we left at dawn after sending some postcards. I was alone with Idaho. We waited for a while, and a man walking his dog told us he would give us a ride if we were still there when he came back. Luckily, a car took us halfway, and then another car picked us up almost immediately from the side of the road. It was already filled with hikers, but there was still some space in the trunk, and that's how we got back on the trail.
Practical information:
Our motel was the Idyllwild Bunkhouse, quite comfortable, with a breakfast provided in a bucket every morning. The only drawback was its distance from the town center, but it was manageable. Our friends had a nice accommodation right in the center via Airbnb.
As an affluent mountain suburb of L.A., the small town of Idyllwild was mostly known for its mayor, a golden retriever named Max, who unfortunately passed away this year. He leaves behind a political legacy of a lifetime dedicated to the happiness of his constituents.
Apart from that, the town has a good Mexican restaurant called La Casita (avoid ordering the Burgundy wine, as it's nothing near a Burgundy wine at all), a decent sushi restaurant that we deemed too risky (mountain sushi?), and an Italian restaurant, Fratello, which struggles to serve all its customers at the same time and even take orders.
Snack options include an artisanal ice cream shop and a café (Aroma) that I tested and approved. There's also a cigar shop and, most importantly, a good gear store called NOMAD Ventures, which has an impressive selection of shoes and provides helpful advice. The prices are reasonable.
The small Catholic church is closed during the day, but if you're fortunate enough to arrive at the same time as the priest, he will let you in to pray.
Nightlife has limited hours, but it shouldn't bother you if you're hikers since even 10 p.m. will feel like the middle of the night.
You can hitchhike there from the Paradise Valley Cafe, which, in my opinion, is the best option, or take an additional trail down from the San Jacinto.
