 At this time , when the road from the west into Julian had been approved , many in the community began discussing a road east into the Imperial Valley . There were many proposed alignments besides the one east of Julian through Banner , including through the San Felipe Valley , and the Montezuma Valley . The plan was to construct the Santa Ysabel grade portion as a gravel road , and the rest of the road between Ballena ( near Ramona ) and Julian as a concrete road . The work to pave the road from Santa Ysabel to Julian was nearing completion in September 1920 . Grading was completed by August 1921 , and paving work continued , as well as grading on the Santa Ysabel and Julian grades . In 1922 , the Automobile Club of Southern California scouting expedition reported that the road from Ramona to Julian was " in excellent condition " though the pavement was poor from Ballena to Santa Ysabel , and under construction just east of Santa Ysabel . 
