Subscribe to My Newsletter
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter. I don’t send any spam email ever!
Menu
Two days riding through the Palomar Mountains in San Diego
We spent the weekend motorcycle riding with friends through the Palomar Mountains in San Diego. What a great and local adventure. My husband just traded up from our scooter to a motorcycle with big plans to see the world on two wheels. Well, we aren’t ready to take off on that journey – yet, so it was lucky to find a local location that we hadn’t seen and worked for a two-wheeled adventure.
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Pala Casino RV Resort
We joined our friends in their RV and camped at the Pala Casino RV Resort. It was wonderful. It was newly paved, clean, with modernized amenities, a pool and jacuzzi and shuttles to the casino. It was a great homebase to use to relax after a few hours of riding.
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Day 1
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Josie’s Hideout Saloon
We kicked our adventure off with a ride to Josie’s Hideout Saloon in Santa Ysabel. It was about 27 miles, which was perfect for me to get my motorcycle legs. The Saloon was hidden away and was a true biker destination. It had a great “old biker bar” vibe (although it was recently renovated and renamed) with a band playing outside. It was near Lake Henshaw and a nice way to stretch before the day continued.
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Julian’s Historic Downtown
Just 16 miles from Josie’s Hideout Saloon was Julian’s Historic Downtown. What a treat it was to visit this town again. I had been before, but to run an ultra-marathon, so this experience was much different.
Julian is wonderful and historic with so many things to do. We only had the afternoon, so we toured the historic downtown, ate pie, did a little shopping and then headed the 4.5 miles to the Calico Cidery. Julian is worth another trip, especially to the Oasis Camel Dairy, panning for gold, touring mines and apple picking.
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Calico Cidery
We had driven past a great metal barn, and all agreed we needed to stop in and take a look. The Cidery was so charming. The eight of us sat around a giant wood table on blanket covered bales of hay and learned about hard apple cider. I could have stayed all day. We finished our day here and headed back the 41 miles to the Pala Casino RV Resort.
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Pala Casino Concert
We enjoyed dinner at our campsite and then took the shuttle to the Pala Casino. The casino was nice, gambling is not something I enjoy, so we went straight to the concert. It was a lot of fun. They did a really good job. It is a small venue so there was not a bad seat in the house.
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Day 2
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Palomar Mountain Observatory
Sunday started out a gorgeous sunny day and we headed out early to get some miles in. I didn’t think that the prior day could be beat, but it was. We rode 27 miles through the most varied and beautiful terrain to the Palomar Observatory.
The Palomar Observatory, established in 1928, is a spectacular white dome nestled in the mountains on lush green grounds. It is stunning. It has several telescopes, but it is known for its 200-inch Hale Telescope, the world’s largest telescope from 1949-1975. Among the telescopes it houses a museum and offers guided and audio tours.
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Garage.79
We ventured on the next 40 miles to Garage.79 in Warner Springs. What a great find. Truly great. To have gone from the lushness of the mountains to a more arid landscape, it felt like a desert oasis on the side of the road. We rode through what felt like a monsoon out of nowhere, so it was such a welcome site. It is the opposite of an old biker bar, it is hip, cool, old-school reinvented. Shockingly for something that seemed so off the beaten path, it got surprisingly busy. They served craft beers, wine, sodas and one type of sandwich. All of which were terrific. We waited out the rain and headed back out en route to Temecula.
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Doffo Winery
We journeyed on to Doffo Winery, another 28 miles. Again, for me, another unexpected surprise in design and style. The winery was cool and modern but had a Moto Barrel Room which also housed a motorcycle museum. It was great to see the transitions in style and explore the grounds for hidden bikes in the landscape.
Palomar Mountains Motorcycle Trip - Wrap-up
Two days on bikes through the Palomar Mountains was such a great and local weekend getaway offering so many hidden treasures. One of my favorite things about travel is discovering the new and unexpected. I was shocked to find new things in a region I have grown up in. I look forward to doing it again and finding new treasures.
DISCOVER YOUR NEXT
California Adventure.
Southern California
Central California
Northern California