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life's a
journey,
enjoy the ride.....
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Our starting point is in the French Valley area of
Murrieta California.
These are some of our favorite rides.
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Katie's 2011 Spyder RSS |
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Alex on her Kawasaki Ninja |
Peggy's V-Star 1100 Custom |
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Ruthie's Lance 150 Scooter |
Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1600
(traded-in on Can-Am Spyder) |
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V-Star 1100 Custom w/Cobra pipes
(traded in on Can-Am Spyder)
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V-Star 650 Classic
(traded-in on Kawasaki Nomad) |
Yamaha Majesty 400 Scooter
(sold to buy V-Star 1100 with Cobra pipes) |
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The ride to Julian takes you through Warner
Valley that is beautiful no matter what time of the year. In the
springtime, the valley is blanketed with wild flowers. In addition to the
beautiful view, there's only 2 stop signs between Temecula (where we gas up on
Highway 79 and Butterfield Stage Road) and Julian. One stop sign is at Hwy
371 that takes you up the mountain to Garner Valley. The second stop sign
is in the town of Santa Ysabell where Hwy 79 runs into Hwy 78. That's over
50 miles. The road from that point to Julian was repaved this summer in both
directions. It's like glass. There's not a lot of traffic on this road. Nice
road
through the mountain range separating Temecula Valley and Warner Valley.
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You can get to Garner Valley from two different directions.
One way is from Hwy 79 South to Hwy 371. But our favorite ride goes thru Hemet on Hwy 74 up the mountain
with great twisties. The altitude is nearly 5000 feet. You
reach the summit and then drop down to a plateau that is breathtaking. In the
spring; the valley is covered in wild flowers. There are people living in
this valley, but it hasn't been developed like other areas. I've been told the opening
credits of the old Bonanza show were shot here. There's a road to Idylwild if you
want to go exploring. If you stay on Hwy 74 it will drop you off in Palm Desert.
In the middle of the valley (where Hwy 371 runs into Hwy 74) there is a nice place to eat lunch, Paradise Valley Cafe.
Friendly staff, good food. Like going down the hill using Hwy 371; less
twisties. You can see Vail Lake from this road.
Paradise Valley Cafe at Hwy 371 & Hwy 74 |
Garner Valley at Lake Hemet |
Garner Valley at Lake Hemet |
View from Hwy 371 towards Vail Lake |
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Rainbow Oaks is the shortest
ride; this was a popular ride for us in the winter when it was pretty cold.
From French Valley we take the back road through Temecula Wine Country and on
Temecula Parkway to Old
395 south. Old 395 South follows the freeway which you could take if you
were in a hurry. We are never in a hurry and avoid freeways if at all
possible. Rainbow Oaks is a restaurant in the town of Rainbow that is
practically on the county line between Riverside County and San Diego County.
Good food. A popular hangout for bikers on the weekend.
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Bates Nut Farm not only has nuts
and candy,
they have a pretty cute little petting zoo and picnic area. They host a
car show several times a year. We take Old Hwy 395 to Hwy 76 and head
east. South on Valley Center Road takes you past Harrah's.
Take a left at the first signal past Harrah's (Lake Wohlford Rd). You'll
go by Valley View Casino and then hang a right at Woods Valley Road. It
will be on the right hand side a little ways up the road. There are no
less than 4 casinos along this route..... Pala, Pauma, Harrah's and Valley View.
Plan accordingly.
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Tom's Farm is another popular
destination for bikers. Located just outside of Corona, it's right off the
15 Freeway. Although we prefer to take the slow road we will take the 15
Freeway to Lake Street in Lake Elsinore. You can meander through the
hills by taking Temescal Canyon Road from Lake Street all the way to Tom's Farm.
The speed limit is 55, there's not much traffic (mostly bikes) and it's a nice
ride. We sometimes will take Temesca Canyon Road all the way to Corona to
eat at Tommy's Buirgers for their famous chili burgers.
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Every time we ride to Carlsbad, I
wonder why we don't take that ride more often. The beach is beautiful
along the Coast Highway in Carlsbad. We take the Old Hwy 395 to Hwy 76 and go west.
Hwy 76 deadends in Oceanside at the Coast Highway. Just stay on that road;
the name will change but the road runs along the beach. Highway 76 is
under construction, they are widening it from what I can tell, which will
eventually make this an even better ride. We try to avoid this road during
rush hour, but since we go there for lunch it works out.
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We haven't taken the ride to Oak Glen as
often as the others, but we really like the little shops in this town. We
head out north on Hwy 79. Then go east on Domenigoni Parkway to Sanderson.
Sanderson turns into Hwy 79 again near Ramona Parkway. That takes you over
the mountain to Beaumont. From there, the name of the road changes to
Beaumont Avenue and then to Oak Glen Road. We've eaten at Law's Coffee
Shop in Oak Glen. Food was great. It's apple country up there, so a
side of applesauce is required.
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