Woke up and decided, screw it, I'm going for a ride. But first had to fill the tank. Then to the beach and check the surf, just to make sure I wasn't missing something. Nope, flat. Then to my local cafe for sustenance - coffee and a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Right. Ready.
Briefly, the itinerary: Due east on Interstate 8 to Pine Valley, then up the Sunrise Highway to Lake Cuyamaca. A fun blast over Engineers Road and Boulder Creek Rd, then through Julian, down Banner Grade, a detour to Sentenac Canyon and San Felipe Creek, then back to Scissors Crossing. Down the "Great Southern Overland Stage Route of 1849", otherwise known as S2 to Ocotillo Wells, with stops at Box Canyon, Butterfield Ranch, the Carrizo Badlands before getting on the freeway again up to Desert View Tower. Old Hiway 80 to Campo Road, AKA 94 and back to the city via the thriving metropolises of Jacumba, Boulevard, Campo, Dogpatch, Potrero, Dulzura, and Jamul.
The stats:
distance: 275 miles
elevation change: sea level to 6035' to 373' and back
max speed: 90 something
duration: 9am to 9pm
A storm came through a week ago and there was still plenty of snow above 4000' and some below that. Hardly any traffic, so it was an easy cruise the whole way, until close to town on the way back when I had to get aggressive. Saw quite a few bikes of all makes and types, but a mere fraction what's out on a weekend. Saw a few guys with guns and badges, but nothing worrisome. I was hoping the wildflowers would be out in the desert. I was a few weeks too early, it seems. They are unpredictable and only show for a few weeks every year. Still, I found a few. It was a beautiful day and a great ride. I don't know of too many places in the world where you can go from the beach through snowy mountains to the desert in 2 hours. Of course, I took a good deal more than that, but I sure had fun.
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| The 9ers. A group of serious swimmers who go out every day at 9am. I think there are a couple of English Channel swimmers there. |
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| Matt - your friendly neighborhood lifeguard |
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| The local fishing crew, hard at work. California Sea Lions and Brandt's Cormorants. Good thing you can't smell them. |
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| LJ post office. The government is broke and wants to sell it. Locals consider it the heart of the village and want to preserve it. A great eucalyptus next to it. |
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| Eucalyptus bark |
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| Major's Cafe in Pine Valley. A fine American roadhouse. Apple pie and 50's rock 'n roll. |
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| A glorious day in the mountains. 6000' elevation. The snow's melting fast. |
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| 'Nuff said. |
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| The old road at Kwaaymii Point. A jump spot for experienced hang gliders. There are numerous plaques for those who didn't make it. The drop is ~3500' down to the Anza Borrego. The distance gliding record from here is 168 miles. |
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| Lake Cuyamaca from Engineers Road. |
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| Engineers Road. |
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| If it weren't for the coastal low clouds, you could see the ocean. The dead trees are a remnant of the Cedar fire in 2003 that burned 1134sqkm. |
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| Boulder Creek Road |
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| Manzanita - a beautiful hardwood shrub. The Cedar fire destroyed large tracts of it but it's making a comeback. |
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| The Pine Hills Lodge. In 1926, Jack Dempsey trained here for his fight with Gene Tunney. It'd make a great base for a stay in the area. |
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| The lobby of the Pine Hills Lodge. |
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| Wild turkeys. I also saw a few quail, a Steller's Jay, and a hawk or two. |
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| Banner Grade, between Julian and the Anza Borrego desert. |
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| There are very few places where water runs free in the desert. This is San Felipe Creek in Sentenac Canyon. |
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| Barrel cactus. |
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| This is Box Canyon on the Overland Stage Route. The trail in the middle is the first road from the east into Southern California. |
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| Flower season doesn't last long in the desert and sometimes you have to look hard to see them. |
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| Sweeny Pass on S2, looking towards Bow Willow. |
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| The top of Sweeny Pass on S2. |
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| At the Carrizo Badlands overlook. |
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| Ocotillo in bloom, Carrizo Badlands overlook. |
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| Ocotillo flower. |
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| Desert View Tower, one of those classic American road-side attractions. It houses an eclectic collection of weird stuff. The new owner is a very smart man (meaning he agrees with my world view.) |
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| People who live in the back country can be a bit strange. The cardboard sign says, "Occupy Earth." |
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| The border fence, Mexico is on the other side. The fence used to be just 3 strands of barbed wire, if that. |
