DeAndra and I ride east on the Sunrise Highway in San Diego County California, San Diego County Highway S-1.
We start east of Mount Laguna, California from CA Highway 79 and follow San Diego S-1 (Sunrise Highway) across Interstate 8 as we make our home in Chula Vista, California.
This was the conclusion of a full day of riding to include picking strawberries in Carlsbad, lunch and pie in Julian, and then back to Chula Vista.
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DeAndra and I ride Jolene, my former 2004 Honda VTX 1300C, up Palomar Mountain in San Diego County California.
Ascending the western slopes of Palomar Mountain, South Grade Road (S6) is a legendary stretch of asphalt renowned for its relentless complexity and breathtaking vistas. Often referred to as “the tight side,” this historic route gains approximately 3,000 feet in elevation over just seven miles, characterized by a dizzying sequence of 21 hairpin switchbacks. As drivers and cyclists navigate these technical curves, the landscape transitions rapidly from chaparral-covered foothills to dense forests of cedar and fir. The engineering of the road—originally improved in the 1930s to transport the massive 200-inch mirror for the Palomar Observatory—offers sweeping panoramic views of the Pauma Valley below, eventually terminating at the mountaintop plateau where the iconic silver dome sits against the sky.
| Feature | Detail |
| Elevation Gain | ~3,000 feet |
| Length | ~7 miles |
| Number of Hairpins | 21 |
| Peak Destination | Palomar Observatory (6,126 ft) |
Wanderlust Lyfe 