What A Road Trip.....Part 2

The previous blog closed with our motorcycle group spending the night in the beautiful ocean town of Carlsbad, California.  Click on the following links for greater detail:  Carlsbad, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carlsbad shoreline

Wednesday, March 16th saw our group ride out from Carlsbad and heading north on I-5 for Dana Point.   Dana Point, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Another beautiful sea side area, our objective was to take a break here and to enjoy a last view of the Pacific Ocean before riding inland. And the weather could not have been better. 

Dana Point group shot:  L-R  Lorraine, me, Jeanette, Fritz, Bonnie, Lucky, Trena, Roger.

Only a short ride east from Dana Point is the historical town of San Juan Capistrano.  One of the many missions that were built between San Diego and San Fransisco, this one is famous for the swallows that invade it in late March of every year. We arrived a few days before the invasion.

The mission is much larger than one would believe. 

Our group visited the mission.  Founded over 240 years ago, the mission church was mostly destroyed when an earthquake struck this area in 1812.  Click here for detailed information: Mission San Juan Capistrano

The ruins

The bells of Capistrano

From here, we rode inland, over the mountains, towards Lake Elsinore.  The twists and turns, combined with elevation changes is what draws motorcyclists to ride here.  And the scenery is beautiful.

Gorgeous topography - Little traffic

Taking a break to view Lake Elsinore from above.

Click on this link for detailed information on Lake Elsinore:  Lake Elsinore, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From here, our group rode into the great little city of Temecula where an Old Town eatery satisfied our lunch cravings. Temecula, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is from here that we led the ride through more back roads (at elevations of 4,000 feet) over California 371, onto Highway 74 and the tight 'S' curves into Palm Desert.

Group photo taken at the lookout on Highway 74

Arriving in Palm Desert.

It's here that Lucky and Trena took the lead and led the group to their RV park in Cathedral City.  Following a happy hour at their site, we guided our guests to their Palm Springs hotel. (Header photo shows Trena and Lucky's RV site)

Riding into the city of Palm Springs, CA   Palm Springs, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Once registered and freshened up, we walked the half block to Las Casuelas Terraza | Mexican Dining in Palm Springs, California

Dinner was very good but the crowd noise, created in part by the large crowds enjoying spring break, made it nearly impossible for us to carry any conversations.  With dinner completed, we quickly took exit to the near peacefulness of the street.

Thursday morning, March 17th was to be the last day out riding group would be together.  Trena and Lucky had said their bye byes to the other riders after our Wednesday evening dinner.  They were preparing to pack up for their RV journey back home.

Jeanette and I met Bonnie/Fritz and Lorraine/Roger at their Palm Springs hotel early that morning.  By 8:30 am, we left Palm Springs, rode along Highway 111 to Highway 74 in Palm Desert, before heading south through the 'S' curves, up and over the San Jacinto mountain range.  Our destination?  Julian, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

At lunchtime, we found a lovely Julian restaurant that offered outdoor seating.  From here, Highway 78 east was the last part of our group ride before Jeanette and I broke away from Lorraine/Roger and Bonnie/Fritz. We headed north on Highway 86 for Palm Springs and they continued east on 78 and S-24 to Yuma, AZ.

Our final stop near the approach to Highway 86

We got off our rides and with hugs and bye byes - many photos too - we parted company....but not before everyone suggested it would be nice to get together for another ride, next winter.  Yeah to that!

L-R  Lorraine, Bonnie and Jeanette

L-R  Fritz, me and Roger.

To summarize, this five day ride for Jeanette and me (a four day ride for the others) was everything we had hoped it would be.  The camaraderie of folks - who quickly became fast friends - combined with riding some of southern California's most beautiful mountain and seaside roads, made for a wonderful motorcycle group ride. And it was fun!

Thanks for dropping in.