Conditions for Julian, CA at 2:53 pm PST

Current Conditions:
Fair, 80 F

Forecast:
Fri - Partly Cloudy. High: 70 Low: 38
Sat - Partly Cloudy. High: 64 Low: 36

For those of you wanting to connect to the many rides that typify the mountains and deserts outside of San Diego, this is the perfect loop. Living in the Scripps Ranch area, I like to use Ramona as a standard entry point. Like many of you, I usually meet up with friends at the Kountry Kitchen on Main St. for breakfast and coffee. The ladies there are always great about accommodating all of our gear and the breakfast specials are huge. From there you can fuel up at the Chevron next door and head out towards Santa Isabel. Avoid the traffic on the 78 and take the turn off to Old Julian Hwy (last right as you exit town). If you can avoid getting behind slower cars, OJH is a fun little jaunt that will connect you back up to the 78 a few miles west of Santa Isabel. Look out for the one decreasing radius left hander as you wind up the last hill. If you ride a proper line you'll be immediately treated to a nice transition into an aggressive right hand, uphill sweeper. From the exit of OJH, venture a few miles up the 78, past Santa Isabel and the 79 intersection into Wynola. Take Wynola Rd to Farmers Rd which will drop you right into Julian (continuing on Wynola, instead of taking Farmers, will actually take you past Julian and connect you to the descent into Banner). These small back country roads are very narrow, extremely twisty (usually a 2nd gear adventure for me) and very scenic. Watch out for fallen branches and leaves and the shadows that obscure many of the blind turns.

Julian is of course the perfect place to regroup, grab a coffee if it is cold, and prepare for any number of rides into the desert or up to Mount Laguna. The highlight of this ride is of course the winding trip down the 78 from Julian into Banner. This segment essentially starts you out at the top of the mountain and carves you down into the valley and the gateway to the desert. While this segment is a bit tighter and slower than some of the popular roads in the area (like Montezuma), it is fun and the steep grade adds a level difficulty that will keep you honest. Once down into the valley, again you have a number of choices. You can continue on into Borrego Springs, or you can take the S2 either north (towards Palomar) or south (around Sunrise Highway to the 8). This ride takes you north on the S2, which is a relaxing segment through wide open, rolling grassy hills. Connect back with the 79 where you can either head back towards Santa Isabel (and connect with the 76 and on to Palomar) or travel north east on to Warner Springs. Like I said, this ride puts you in the middle of many great spots. It's all about options.