Orange County

Bill Bushnell — Sunday, April 11, 1993

For my second ride in Orange County, Frank and I decide to ride mainly in the hills. There is really only one loop one can ride through the hills in Orange County, and this is Santiago Canyon Rd. We plan to ride Santiago Canyon Rd. from Jamboree on the north and continue east and south to Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, and eventually Dana Point before returning north along Pacific Coast Highway.

We begin by riding north on Harvard. The air is cool and hazy, but the sun is warm.

Irvine seems to have been built community by community rather than house by house. I don’t recall seeing any free-standing houses in all of Irvine, though I’m sure there must be some. Townhouses and condominia predominate. Many of these planned communities protect themselves behind walls from the outside world. Guards watching from behind tinted glass control access at the entrance, and legal street side parking is scarce, though the pavement is suffiently broad to allow perpendicular parking in both directions. Frank claims this is done to keep out “undesirables” and to maintain a clean neighborhood.

As I look northeast from the Harvard/I-405 overpass, I see brightly colored peach stucco and identically-shaped Spanish tile roofs extending for several miles. Has the population grown so quickly in this area that those of means are willing to sacrifice their individuality and submit to living in sterile cookie-cutter communities?

At Walnut Blvd., we turn left and then right on Tustin Ranch Rd. At Jamboree we turn left and continue up and down a couple long, gradual hills before reaching Santiago Canyon Rd.

Santiago Canyon Road rolls through the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, reaching a maximum altitude of only about 1300 feet near Modjeska Grade.

As we begin the long climb up to the fire station, several groups of bicyclists come pedaling down the hill. One group is large, and a line of cars follows closely. Suddenly, the lead car in the line decides to pass, and with a sustained “I’ll teach those bicyclists a lesson!” blast on the horn roars past.

At Silverado Canyon Rd. we turn left and ride up Silverado Canyon. Shortly after the turn we ride past a sandstone cave next to the road.

A young voice suddenly says, “Hello.”

Frank and I are momentarily startled until we realize it’s just some kid playing in the cave next to the road.

Silverado Canyon Rd. climbs gradually through a mixed rural and residential neighborhood. Beyond civilization, the road roughens and continues all the way to the top of Santiago Peak, some 5600 feet above sea level. This seems to be the only major climb in all of Orange County.

Six miles from Santiago Canyon Rd., Silverado Canyon Rd. is blocked by a gate. Motor vehicles are not allowed past, but bicycles and hikers are. Beyond the gate, the road is in poor condition, probably due to the heavy rains this year. The asphalt road makes many rough fords of Silverado Creek and other tributary streams before turning to dirt and gravel just after a particularly nasty washout.

Just past the first and most difficult ford, we eat a snack and Frank dries out his shoes after getting them wet in the creek. While we rest a 4wd vehicle and two motorbikes come down the road.

The second motorbike stalls while crossing the ford.

Since this is our first chance to get away from motor traffic, I’d like to continue further, but Frank decides not to risk harm to his new wheels, so I ride on alone. I was secretly hoping we’d be able to ride to the top of Santiago Peak, but after continuing further I knew I’d probably not want to ride past the end of the asphalt.

Mud and large rocks cover the road in places making riding on 25mm slicks (Continental SuperSport Ultras) challenging. Some of the fords can be ridden, but some must be walked. Perhaps soon the Forest Service can regrade the road and make it conveniently ridable all the way to the summit. This is a must-do ride as soon as the road is fixed up.

Upon reaching the bad washout, I decide not to continue further. I talk with a couple of hikers who tell me the asphalt ends just around the corner out of sight. Besides, Frank is waiting back at the first ford, and he won’t be happy if I have too much fun exploring.

I return down the hill. When I catch up with Frank, we both carefully cross the ford and return down Silverado Canyon Rd. Frank descends fast, and near the top, he finds himself stuck behind a slow-moving yellow Chrysler 600 convertible with a family out for an Easter ramble. Frank motions for them to pull over and let him by, but the two young girls in the back seat are more interested in giggling, waving and watching us keep up.

In frustration Frank yells out, “My grandmother drives faster than you!”

This brings roars of laughter from everyone in the car. The man in the driver’s seat raises his hands and shakes his head, the girls laugh, and the woman in the passenger seat leans her head back and shrieks with laughter.

Soon, the road levels off, and the convertible accelerates out of range. After stopping at the fire station to refill our bottles, we continue back to Santiago Canyon Rd. We turn left and ride three miles to Modjeska Canyon Rd. and turn left.

Modjeska Canyon Rd. passes by a few ranches and a small residential community before ending near the wildlife sanctuary. Frank and I stop and eat a snack. After looking over the map and discussing our route, we return toward Santiago Canyon but at Modjeska Grade, we turn left and begin a steep climb. The distance isn’t long, but the grade averages a severe 10%. At the top the road continues down the other side even steeper than before. At Santiago Canyon Rd. again we turn left and continue downhill to Live Oak Canyon Rd.

Cook’s Corner sits at the corner of the two roads and seems to be one of the local motorcycle hangouts, much like Skylonda in the Bay Area. Many noisy bikes come and go. After taking a picture of the busy cafe and the bikers and their paraphernalia outside, we begin riding up Live Oak Canyon Rd.

The climb up Live Oak Canyon is moderately steep, and the traffic is moderately heavy, but soon we reach the top and begin a long descent. The road descends beneath a thick canopy of oak trees. Too bad we can’t enjoy it much as the auto traffic behind us insists on tailgating even though we’re moving 30-35mph and the speed limit is 25. In a vulgar expression of impatience, one driver sits on her horn and passes unsafely near a corner. Other drivers pass, some of them looking in their mirrors giving us a “Shame on you!” expression or shaking their heads as if we had committed a heinous crime.

I find it curious that drivers out for a leisurely Easter Sunday excursion on the backroads suddenly turn into total jerks when they find themselves behind a slower-moving vehicle. If the goal of the trip is to enjoy the scenery, why get worked up over losing 30-60 seconds over the next mile or so? Quicker, more direct routes are available for the terminally impatient.

At Trabuco Oaks Rd. we stop at Emory’s General Store. Frank buys a Coke and a bag of chocolate cookies; I eat a sandwich. After filling our water bottles from the connection under the right-side deck, we resume our ride and make the final climb up Plano Trabuco and return to civilization.

At Santa Margarita we turn right and begin the long gradual descent to the coast. A mile later we turn left on Empressa and descend to Antonio. At Antonio we turn right and begin a long descent on a broad four-lane highway into a strong headwind. This continues for several miles before Antonio ends at Oso. We turn right, cross Arroyo Trabuco, and climb to Felipe where we turn left. Felipe takes us to Marguerite Parkway, but while riding through a construction zone, of which there are many in southern Orange County, I manage to flat. This time I find a nasty shard of metal sticking straight out of my rear tire. After patching the tube we resume the ride and descend to Avery Parkway and stop at the Shell station just past the I-5 undercrossing.

Frank enters the mini-mart and buys a Coke and some more goodies; I eat another sandwich. In case you’re wondering, yes, Frank has won the Frank Award again today.

From the Shell station, we continue south on Camino Capistrano, and after stopping to take a picture of the San Juan Capistrano Mission, we continue to Dana Point. We pass along the harbor, and at the end we ascend the vicious little hill called Cove Rd. that we descended on Friday.

At the top we turn right on Green Lantern, right on Santa Clara Ave., left on Blue Lantern, and finally left on Pacific Coast Highway. This time we’re heading north, and since the wind is blowing from the southeast, we enjoy a very slight tailwind.

As we approach Laguna Beach, the road is jammed with traffic. Long lines of cars wait behind each traffic light. In a dangerous move, Frank and I slowly pass cars in the rightmost lane on the right. This is especially dangerous as there are parked cars to the right. In places the clearance is only a few inches on either side. I will add that I usually don’t do this, but we are both tired, and the alternatives of waiting behind the foul tailpipes of idling autos or of riding on the crowded sidewalk seem less appealing.

When we reach the Main Beach, we cross the highway and take a people-watching break. Unlike our ride to San Diego when we were here mid-morning on a weekday, today the beach is crowded with throngs of characters. Frank goes in search of the unknown frozen yogurt shop while I eat my last sandwich and snap a couple of pictures and watch the people go by.

On our ride north out of Laguna Beach, we must take the entire right lane. As I approach one red light, I slow down to anticipate the green. Suddenly, a car behind me HONKS long and loud. In a brief rage, I point angrily at the light and yell, “The light is RED!” I look back and see a land-yacht full of laughing kids.

Once out of Laguna Beach, the highway becomes more pleasant, though traffic is still thick. We soon reach MacArthur Blvd., turn right and head back to Frank’s house in Irvine.

Ride stats:

distance: 88.5 miles

climbing 5040 feet

total time: 10:24

riding time: 6:22

average speed: 13.8 mph

maximum speed: 38.0 mph

index: 109

irp: 10

mirp: 17

climbing density: 57

climbing ratio: 0.0108

An article on indexing can be found here.

©2004, Bill Bushnell

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