Peaks, Valleys, and Shoreline: Southern California Motorbike Journey | Favourite Journey

The August 2019 problem of Rider included my tour story, “Palms to Pines to the Pacific,” a few Southern California motorbike experience west on State Route 74. The mountain and canyon roads on that route are a few of the greatest within the state, so I made a decision to return to SR-74 and prolong my route.

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The mountainous transition zone between the Mojave Desert and the Pacific Ocean is a motorcycling wonderland. One can experience from the perimeter of the sweltering desert to the cool shoreline simply in a single day, however it takes at the least a few days to get a full sampling of the enjoyable contained in that inexperienced zone sandwiched between brown and blue on the map.

The September morning solar outdoors my resort in Palm Desert had me sweating inside my gear as I did pre-ride checks on my BMW R 1200 GS. Over the subsequent a number of hours I might transition from the warmth of the Coachella Valley to the crisp, cool air of the mountains after which to the ocean mist of the California shoreline.

The enjoyable began instantly once I turned onto State Route 74 – the start of the Palms to Pine Freeway – on the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The easily paved ribbon of tarmac coils into more and more tight, banked turns in the course of the ascent into that rocky vary.

After a couple of miles, I pulled into the parking space of the Coachella Valley Vista Level. I sat in silence on the stone wall and regarded down on the street I had simply skilled. The view of the valley is spectacular on a grand scale: the winding street within the foreground, the inexperienced splashes of the assorted Coachella Valley golf programs past that, and the grand Mojave Desert within the distance.

Again on the bike, I continued climbing into the mountains. Taller bushes, rocky crags, and sheer cliffs outline the terrain. Having climbed from 220 ft above sea degree to 4,400 ft in lower than 20 miles, SR-74 continues west throughout a broad plateau. At Mountain Heart, I turned proper (north) onto State Route 243, climbing greater into the San Jacinto Mountains. There’s an alpine really feel with taller bushes and the funky-cool mountain city of Idyllwild. On the Indian Vista Scenic Overlook, I finished to stretch my legs and snack on a granola bar whereas admiring the spectacular western views.

After backtracking to Mountain Heart, I continued my westward trek on SR-74. The descent begins with one other thrilling collection of twists, turns, and views earlier than straightening out close to Hemet. Deviating across the metropolis on the Ramona Expressway, I returned to the Pines to Palms Freeway close to Perris.

SR-74 took me west to Lake Elsinore, which triggered reminiscences from my youth within the ’70s and the glory of the Honda Elsinore motocross bikes of that period. They had been impressed by the legendary Elsinore GP dirtbike race featured within the movie On Any Sunday. Instantly west of Elsinore, I started one other enjoyable, winding climb on a stretch of SR-74 referred to as Ortega Freeway. On the first crest of this climb, I pulled into the grime car parking zone of the enduring Lookout Roadhouse, which serves up meals, drinks, and nice views.

Persevering with west on SR-74, it’s an excellent 42 miles to the ocean: winding via pines and oaks, leaning deeply into infinite curves, and carving alongside the rock wall of a deep canyon. This can be a incredible stretch of street that calls for consideration. I wrapped up the using day in Dana Level, a cool California coastal city the place I loved contemporary seafood and a soothing stroll alongside the marina and sandy seaside.

The following morning, my experience again to Palm Desert started with a coastal cruise south on Interstate 5, which incorporates 17 miles of undeveloped land that’s a part of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. At Carlsbad, I took the exit for State Route 78 and rode inland (east). After crossing I-15, I started climbing once more in a refined repeat of the journey down SR-74: curves, bushes, and views.

At Santa Ysabel, I took a brief spur on State Route 79 to Julian, one other charming mountain city that’s well-known for apple pie. After some touristing, I backtracked and continued north on SR-79, turned proper (east) on State Route 371, after which reconnected with SR-74 for the wonderful descent again to Palm Desert.

This nice loop with peaks, valleys, and shoreline will get an enormous thumbs up.

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Tim Kessel, a former English instructor, makes his dwelling within the mountains of north-central Arizona. He has been a Rider contributor for almost twenty years. Exploring nice roads and intriguing locations has been a lifelong ardour.