California Beach & Mountain Tour - 7 days

Day 1: Sunday. San Diego to Julian (150 miles)

We'll explore the San Diego area beaches as we ride north along Sunset Cliffs and Torrey Pines and then through the coastal communities of Del Mar and Solana Beach before turning east and riding through the foothills and inland valleys on our way to Mt. Palomar and a tour of the famous Hale observatory at more than 5000 feet [1500 meters] elevation. After lunch near Lake Henshaw, we'll drop down into the desert briefly as we ride through Borrego Springs before climbing back into the mountains via Yaqui Pass and Banner Grade. We'll end our first day in the historic (and cute) mining town of Julian.

Day 2: Monday. Julian to Lake Gregory (180 miles)

From Julian, we'll go north through the mountain towns of Warner Springs and Idyllwild to our lunch stop in Oak Glen. From there, we'll climb more than 6000 feet [1800 meters] into the San Bernardino Mountains. After Running Springs, we continue along the Rim-of-the-World highway to the beautiful mountain resort community of Lake Gregory/Crestline.

Day 3: Tuesday. Lake Gregory to Venice Beach (160 miles)

We ride past Silverwood Lake before crossing the Cajon Junction on our way through the San Gabriel Mountains. From the town of Wrightwood, we follow the beautiful Angeles Crest Highway to Tujunga Canyon. From here, we drop into the San Fernando Valley before riding famous Topanga Canyon to the Pacific Ocean near Santa Monica. Venice Beach is just a short cruise south.

Day 4: Wednesday. Venice Beach to Santa Barbara (120 miles)

We follow the Pacific Coast Highway north through Malibu and Ventura on our way to Santa Barbara. Maybe we'll take a side trip to Ojai and a ride around beautiful Lake Casitas. This is a great day to cruise the beaches, or for those who want more "twisties", we can ride Mulholland Highway in the nearby coastal foothills.

Day 5: Thursday. Santa Barbara to Wrightwood (205 miles)

From Santa Barbara, we'll follow the foothills east to Ojai, Santa Paula and Valencia. We'll ride fabulous Bouquet Canyon before lunch at the Rock House. We'll cross the high desert near Palmdale before climbing into the mountains and a stop at the Devil's Punch Bowl along the famous San Andreas fault-line. We'll spend the night in the mountain village of Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Day 6: Friday. Wrightwood to Temecula (190 miles)

After breakfast in Wrightwood, we'll ride east into the San Bernadino Mountains and the ski town of Big Bear. After lunch, we'll take the "long way" out of the mountains before a stop at Diamond Valley Lake. From here, it's only a short ride through the Temecula valley wine country to our motel in the historic Old Town area of Temecula.

Day 7: Saturday. Temecula to San Diego (140 miles)

On our last day, we'll ride south out of Temecula through the beautiful inland valleys and mountains of San Diego County. After lunch in Ramona, we'll ride Wildcat Canyon and Harbison Canyon roads before finding our way back to San Diego. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, but what a great week of riding we've had!