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Today was one of those days where I knew I wanted to ride but didn't have a clear idea of where I'd end up. We're having some unusually hot weather so, once under way, I decided to make my way to the coast where it would be a few degrees cooler.

Interstate 5 runs north with the beautiful Pacific to the west. I stayed on the interstate until I hit Solana Beach where I made my way to the Pacific Coast Highway; a four-lane road that hugs the coastline and took me through Solana Beach, Leucadia, Encinitas and Carlsbad. Although not as scenic as the PCH of central and northern California, this section of the road has its moments.

The ocean was a gorgeous deep blue-green today. Surfers, windsurfers and sailboats dotted the sea. A squadron of pelicans flew in formation about 20 feet overhead going in the opposite direction. Towering palm trees swayed in the breeze. It was one of those moments when I truly realized how fortunate I was.

At the north end of Oceanside, I was forced back onto the interstate if I wanted to continue north. At this point, I-5 takes you past San Onofre and our decommissioned nuclear power plant on the west then the rolling hills of Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base on the east. Eventually, San Diego County ends and Orange County begins and that's where I made my way back to the PCH.

I stopped for gas in Dana Point then continued north into Laguna Beach. I have to say that Laguna Beach is one of my favorite beach towns and a place I dream of retiring to in the not too distant future. The abundance of Ferraris, Bentleys, BMWs and Mercedes has me thinking that its unlikely I'll end up there. It sure is nice to ride through.

If today is any indication, Southern California has officially skipped spring and gone straight into summer. I say this because of the number of bikini clad women walking around the streets of Laguna Beach. It was a welcome sight that took my mind off the numbness my backside was starting to feel at this point in the ride. About two hours into my ride, I decided to leave the coast and head east towards the freeway to start my return home.

Highway 133 took me through Laguna Canyon; another picturesque two-lane road with artist communes tucked away in the surrounding hills. I eventually found I-5 and started my return south. One thing I had noticed during those times when I had been forced onto the interstate was that traffic heading south was at a crawl; something I was not looking forward to. Just as I was contemplating the congestion that was to come, a sign indicating the Ortega Highway just a couple of miles away appeared.

The Ortega Highway/Highway 74 runs east and west between I-5 and I-15. The 15 is another north-south corridor but one that is usually less congested than the 5. And to make my decision even easier, the Ortega Highway is a gorgeous road that winds its way through the mountains that separate the two interstates. It was meant to be.

Up and over I went. Traffic on the Ortega Highway kept my speed at a reasonable pace and I was able to enjoy the incredible scenery. Soon Lake Elsinore came into view and I began my descent into Riverside County. When the road eventually joined up with I-15, the best of the ride was over. From this point on, it was southbound at 80 to 90mph for about an hour and a half until I reached home.

I'm sorry that I have no photos to share. Today was just a ride for riding sake. And it was perfect. 218 miles and about 4.5 hours in the saddle.

[url=http://s51.photobucket.com/user/jamesfontaine/media/03.14.15%20Ride.png.html]

Great ride MG. Rained cats and dogs all day in Boston. But that is getting rid of snow and salt and even more important is the fact that it was NOT snowing.

Thanks nhawk! Soon enough you'll be posting your own ride reports. Looking forward to them!

Nice report MG and you are turning out Cormanus quality maps. Very cool.

Nice ride

" It never rains in California " so they say, nice ride and I've been through that area a few times while traveling from LA to San Diego. NY like Boston was raining yesterday, a welcome sight to see snow drifts melting down and a nice thaw. May get up into the 50's tomorrow and with the wind today to dry things up maybe a pot hole dodging ride tomorrow.

Such a nice ride in some pretty country I'll bet. It has rained so much here that even when it quits my road is muddy and I have to trailer out if I want to ride. Thanks for the post MG, would like to have ridden it with you.

(03-14-2015, 10:25 PM)The ferret_imp Wrote: [ -> ]Nice report MG and you are turning out Cormanus quality maps. Very cool.

Thanks ferret! Although, I'll be the first to admit, his maps have much cooler sounding names.

(03-14-2015, 10:53 PM)CIP57_imp Wrote: [ -> ]" It never rains in California " so they say, nice ride and I've been through that area a few times while traveling from LA to San Diego. NY like Boston was raining yesterday, a welcome sight to see snow drifts melting down and a nice thaw. May get up into the 50's tomorrow and with the wind today to dry things up maybe a pot hole dodging ride tomorrow.

Unfortunately, there's some truth to that saying. Our reservoirs are at frighteningly low levels. We depend on snowfall and winter storms to the north for much of our water supply but even Northern California has been rather dry. As I rode through the mountains, signs warning of extreme fire danger could already be seen. Our firefighters are in for a long season.

Today is another 90+ degree day for us. I have nothing on the agenda but my wife has suggested we make our way to the beach. That sounds like a great plan. I'll sneak away later for a sunset ride.

(03-15-2015, 12:56 AM)redbirds_imp Wrote: [ -> ]Such a nice ride in some pretty country I'll bet. It has rained so much here that even when it quits my road is muddy and I have to trailer out if I want to ride. Thanks for the post MG, would like to have ridden it with you.

And I would have loved to have you there! Maybe you should throw some knobbies on your CB. I hear that's a thing now. Haha.

Nice ride and report, MG. It can never be bad riding along a coast, I reckon, although once the temperature gets into the 90s and the going gets slow, it can get a bit uncomfortable in all that gear.

Thanks for the map. I like maps.

You didn't need pictures, MG. You didn't even really need the map. Everything necessary was in the report itself. Thanks for sharing it.