Chase the Sun Run 2015 (With teaser video)
Chase the Sun Run Route Map
I'm posting this very early to start getting feedback and planning for this run. I know a lot of you are on the Sky forums too so you may already have seen this.
This is not for the faint of heart. 270 miles. Over 6 hours of driving. A 13+ hour day.
The plan is to start in the desert at Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea. This is virtually a ghost town resort from the 1960s with a few residents remaining. We'll start here just before Sunrise. As the sun comes up, it will provide a unique picture opportunity as the sun rises over the desert. We'll stop in Brawley for breakfast. (For those wishing to stage the night before, there is also a Best Western Plus here. Probably be where I will stay.) Before or after breakfast (depending on time) we will stop and get gas.
From here, we'll be traveling up into the mountains. Part of the route is a highway once named one of the 10 must drive roads in the U.S. by Car and Driver. We'll be stopping in Julian, famous for it's apples but out of season by this time to rest and grab something to eat in Santa Ysabel at the famous Dudley's Bakery if folks are hungry. If not, we'll grab something in Fallbrook. There is a nice Irish pub there we can stop at. We'll fuel up in Fallbrook too as our next gas stop won't be until we hit Lake Elsinore.
Then we'll move on down the mountain to Fallbrook and a drive where the scenery resembles a Thomas Kinkaid painting. A nice twisty road where the sun filters through the trees next to quaint country homes. This will take us to the famous Ortega Highway by Lake Elsinore.
Finally we'll end up in Orange County and Dana Point. We may stop at the famous Mission San Juan Capistrano on the way as we will be driving right by it. We'll have dinner, possibly at Wind and Sea restaurant right on the harbor, and find a scenic spot by the beach to take a pictures of our cars as the sun sets over the ocean.
We will plan places and times where people can come and join or leave the ride since it will be a very long ride and not everyone will want to make the whole ride.
The route contains three very techinical sections of road, the road leading up from Borego Springs into the mountains, De Luz road in the Fallbrook/Temecula area, and the Ortega Highway. Those of you familiar with Ortega note that this is probably the "easiest" of the three technical sections. Because these sections can take a lot out of a driver, the sections of the route between them comprises of more relaxing roads that are, for the most part, still a bit twisty and scenic. I'll be posting a 30 minute video of the De Luz section later this week once I figure out why my computer isn't wanting to render out the final version...
I know this is a long run but it's been something I have been talking about for a long time and I want to do it. If it ends up just being me with some people coming and going along the way, that works too.
More detailed planning and route information including stops and meetup locations to come.
Chase the Sun Run Route Map
I'm posting this very early to start getting feedback and planning for this run. I know a lot of you are on the Sky forums too so you may already have seen this.
This is not for the faint of heart. 270 miles. Over 6 hours of driving. A 13+ hour day.
The plan is to start in the desert at Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea. This is virtually a ghost town resort from the 1960s with a few residents remaining. We'll start here just before Sunrise. As the sun comes up, it will provide a unique picture opportunity as the sun rises over the desert. We'll stop in Brawley for breakfast. (For those wishing to stage the night before, there is also a Best Western Plus here. Probably be where I will stay.) Before or after breakfast (depending on time) we will stop and get gas.
From here, we'll be traveling up into the mountains. Part of the route is a highway once named one of the 10 must drive roads in the U.S. by Car and Driver. We'll be stopping in Julian, famous for it's apples but out of season by this time to rest and grab something to eat in Santa Ysabel at the famous Dudley's Bakery if folks are hungry. If not, we'll grab something in Fallbrook. There is a nice Irish pub there we can stop at. We'll fuel up in Fallbrook too as our next gas stop won't be until we hit Lake Elsinore.
Then we'll move on down the mountain to Fallbrook and a drive where the scenery resembles a Thomas Kinkaid painting. A nice twisty road where the sun filters through the trees next to quaint country homes. This will take us to the famous Ortega Highway by Lake Elsinore.
Finally we'll end up in Orange County and Dana Point. We may stop at the famous Mission San Juan Capistrano on the way as we will be driving right by it. We'll have dinner, possibly at Wind and Sea restaurant right on the harbor, and find a scenic spot by the beach to take a pictures of our cars as the sun sets over the ocean.
We will plan places and times where people can come and join or leave the ride since it will be a very long ride and not everyone will want to make the whole ride.
The route contains three very techinical sections of road, the road leading up from Borego Springs into the mountains, De Luz road in the Fallbrook/Temecula area, and the Ortega Highway. Those of you familiar with Ortega note that this is probably the "easiest" of the three technical sections. Because these sections can take a lot out of a driver, the sections of the route between them comprises of more relaxing roads that are, for the most part, still a bit twisty and scenic. I'll be posting a 30 minute video of the De Luz section later this week once I figure out why my computer isn't wanting to render out the final version...
I know this is a long run but it's been something I have been talking about for a long time and I want to do it. If it ends up just being me with some people coming and going along the way, that works too.
More detailed planning and route information including stops and meetup locations to come.