Road Ride Report Santa Ana Mountains Circumnavigation

Discussion in 'The Roadie Hangout' started by ericfoltz, Dec 27, 2012.

  1. ericfoltz

    ericfoltz Active Member

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    I've been looking at this one for a long time and finally decided to give it a go.

    Started on Plano Trabuco in Santa Margarita.

    GOPR4837.jpg

    Then cruised up Live Oak.

    GOPR4975.jpg

    Took a right at Cooks for the ride through Santiago Canyon.

    GOPR5016.jpg

    Ended up all the way out at Gypsum Canyon near the 91.

    GOPR5028.jpg

    Jumped on the Santa Ana River Trail and before I knew it, I was out on Temescal Canyon Road in Corona.

    GOPR5034.jpg

    Ortega Highway, here I come!

    GOPR5040.jpg

    Took Ortega back to Antonio and completed the loop.

    96 miles, 6700' of climbing on one of the best loops I've done in SoCal.

    http://app.strava.com/activities/34271515

    http://www.geoladders.com/show_route.php?route=63794
     
  2. Rivet

    Rivet Active Member

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    Cool ride but a "no thank you" on riding Ortega. Seen way too many bad things on that road.
     
  3. bikerider

    bikerider New Member

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    That's an awesome loop. How's the traffic from Corona to Ortega?
     
  4. Rumpled

    Rumpled Longtime Newb

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    That's great, but only the northern half. Next time ride down to the 76 or something.
     
  5. ericfoltz

    ericfoltz Active Member

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    From Corona to the base of Ortega was almost traffic free the whole way with hardly any lights once I got off Ontario. Very enjoyable compared to PCH or any of the other long routes I've done in SoCal with the exception of the Santa Monica's.

    Going up Ortega isn't bad on the East Side. There is a shoulder most of the way. The only bad part of Ortega is the section from the top to the OC/Riverside County line because there is either no shoulder or it is rough. Once you get to the OC side, they improved the road last year and put in a nice shoulder.

    For the people afraid of Ortega: I rode from San Diego to Florida a couple of years ago. I didn't see a shoulder or a bike lane from Albequerque, NM until I got to Biloxi, Mississippi. Believe me, Ortega is not scary as long as you're comfortable with traffic. I've ridden it before and think that as long as you stay away from the weekends, it's no more dangerous than PCH.
     
  6. crispy

    crispy Wannabe

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    Nice ride! Ortega is primarily owned by the motos and they sit close to the center lane. The cars don't usually go out until night.

    Glad you got to taste the IE riding a little bit. No lights! I have a couple big loops 60-100 miles that only cross about 5 intersections with lights. I don't really like to OC riding (ride for 5 minutes, stop, ride for 2 minutes, stop, ride for 3 minutes, stop). Yeah, we don't have the best roads or bike lanes, but we also have less traffic.
     
  7. kioti

    kioti Active Member

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    That's a great loop! It was my favorite local 100-miler in the 70's/80's. Along with weekends (and holidays), I'd personally recommend staying off Ortega (and Temescal Canyon Road) at rush hour and in poor light. These days I've mostly used Ortega to connect trails on my mountain bike, and have been buzzed by pickups and nearly hit head-on by a driver in a big truck passing in a no-passing zone.

    My favorite alternative route involves parking at the top of Ortega on South Main Divide, descending Ortega to Elsinore, turning right at the bottom and taking Grand to Clinton Keith (right), through Santa Rosa Plateau, to Tenaja (right) into the Cleveland NF, then continuing on rough road to South Main Divide and back to your car. Its a phenomenal ride and avoids some of the lower Ortega craziness. Best done this time of year and in the Spring, when the flowers are blooming. It's also possible to park in the same spot (Firefighter's Memorial) and do an out-and-back on South Main Divide, avoiding Ortega altogether.

    I agree though, that's a great loop, and it's good to hear someone's still doing it. I think I like any ride that goes around a mountain range!
     
  8. ThinkFast

    ThinkFast Member

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    We were heading up El Cariso around 1ish and I saw someone on Ortega Hwy. Must have been you, Eric.
     
  9. BROWNIE

    BROWNIE I'm good at recess!

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    Nice Eric! As usual, your quick spin is most peoples epic. Question for you...do you find yourself riding closer to the line to catch the draft of the cars as they go by?... or is that just me?
     
  10. ericfoltz

    ericfoltz Active Member

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    When riding into a headwind, I always try and get a little break as vehicles go by.

    The worst is on narrow roads when you have those old Cabover semis coming at you. The wash is like getting hit with a wave of air. I actually started doing a little duck-dive move to try and lessen the power. Probably looks pretty funny but it works.
     
  11. BROWNIE

    BROWNIE I'm good at recess!

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    Thanks Eric, I'll have to try that the next time I'm ride my Ojai loop (101, 150, 33, 101)!
     

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