San Diego County area tour?

[MrBent]

Ahoy, riders:  My wife and I are looking forward to doing a winter tour this year, probably before Christmas.  We've pedaled a lot through Death Valley/east Mojave and may do so again for want of other options, but I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for about a week to ten day tour that we could do in San Diego County.  Of course, we're interested in the lowest traffic roads and nice scenery.  Hills and mountains don't scare us.

Any ideas?  Routes?  Specific roads to avoid?  The usual.

Thanks!

Scott

[valygrl]

Well, this probably isn't what you meant, but there's a really fun supported trip between Xmas & NY

http://sandiegohostels.org/xmas_index.shtml
http://www.facebook.com/pages/HI-USA-Christmas-Bike-Trip/141058144577

If you decide to do this, credit me (get my name via PM) b/c there's a new-tripper referral discount. 

[dfege]

Valygrl is right.  Although I've never been on the AYH Christmas-New Year's ride, I have heard many great things about it.  (I live in San Diego).  However, if you were planning to come before Christmas, San Diego offers lots of choices--from riding up the coast to San Clemente to crossing the mountains all the way to Palm Springs to riding down to the border and everything in between.  You could easily fashion a ride on your own.  If you want, please send me an email, and I would be happy to help you plan a trip. Would you be going self-contained?  Camping? Hotels?  My email address is: dfege at aol dot com.

[MrBent]

Thanks, Valygrl and Dfege!  This is giving us all kinds of ideas.  Dfege, I'll be emailing you soon.  We will be going self-contained, and camping out--stealth and campgrounds are always preferred, although we will consider a B&B or motel if necessary.  We will be touring with our fine hound, however, so that complicates things.

I've been playing with some mapping software and looking over the hostel route.  That stretch on the hostel route from Salton City up to Banning doesn't look so good, so staying in the mountains and dropping down into Hemmet more directly looks more appealing.  Also, that would likely avoid what sounds like pretty predictable and severe headwinds getting out of that valley.

Basically, we'd like to do something like the hostel route, a big loop starting and ending in San Diego that takes the best of the best roads, light traffic, scenic with good camping.

Cheers,

Mr. Bent

[Westinghouse]

Go online and look up the California DOT (Dept. of Transportation). Tell them your plans. They can send you free of charge a state map and a bicycle map for that particular district. I just received maps from five states' DOTs. Some bike maps give you shoulder widths, volumes of traffic, speeds, average temperatures, and terrain. There is no charge because the states encourage tourism in their own states which brings in revenue. I, myself, don't spend all that much in any given state on a cross country tour, but it is something, and so many businesses depend upon many small exchanges to make their profits. I have two bike maps now for the San Diego area. Caltrans will give you maps.

[MrBent]

Thanks, Westinghouse.  That's a super suggestion.

Mr.Bent

[valygrl]

That stretch on the hostel route from Salton City up to Banning doesn't look so good, so staying in the mountains and dropping down into Hemmet more directly looks more appealing.

Oh yes, definitely, up and over seven level hill from palm desert to hemet, if the weather is good.  I did that as an alternate 2 out of the 3 times I've done the Xmas trip.  It's a big climb, obviously.