After my ride last week I couldn't wait to get out and do it again. My usual riding friends were all tied up so I did another solo adventure. This time is was a 349 mile jaunt from Orange County down through inland San Diego County.
Gassed up in Huntington Beach and then headed south on 405 and the 5. Hit horrible traffic just south of San Onofre. Two semi trucks had crashed, one appeared to have rolled and was facing the wrong way, so 3 of the 5 southbound lanes were closed and traffic was backup up for miles, most of it just stationary. Fortunately I was able to lane split through all that, but it was still very slow going for 7-8 miles.
Topped of the tank again when I got to Pala about 85 miles in.
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Turned north on S16, which would have been an awesome road but there were several large trucks holding up traffic, so I was limited to 15-20 mph while in a line of 10 to 15 vehicles. That took all the fun out of the twisties on that winding, hilly 2-lane country road.
Then I rode through downtown Temecula before turning east on Highway 79. The first section of 79 was miserable, ruined by active heavy construction. Two sections had one-way lane control and one used a pilot car. I think I sat at those construction zones for 10-15 minutes each.
(Note to self: Next time skip the westernmost section of 79 between Temecula & 76.)
After getting through all the construction around Aguanga the road was great! No traffic and just a winding 2-lane road. On the side of the road I happened to see a historical marker so I looped back to check it out. It's for Camp Wright, a Civil War era U.S Army outpost established to protect the communication lines between CA and AZ.
More info on Camp Wright: https://www.militarymuseum.org/CpWright.html
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After passing through Julian, I stopped for lunch in Santa Ysabel at Farmhouse 78 at the junction of Hwy 79 and Hwy 78. Service was great and the food was excellent. I had their hot honey chicken sandwich. I'm definitely adding this place to my list for next time I'm in the area.
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After lunch I continued on 79 all the way down to Interstate 8 and then turned west for a few miles over to the Viejas Casino for cheap gas, which was about at 184 miles. After fueling up and rehydrating, it was back up the 79, retracing my route through Santa Ysabel and Julian.
The Julian Pie Company in Santa Ysabel. The area is famous for its apple pie and apple growing.
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Main St in Julian
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At the intersection with Hwy 76 I turned west and headed back towards Oceanside and the coast.
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Looks like a great ride