RideAbout65.2 – Day 10 – Temecula to Palomar Observatory to Cypress, California

Today’s Mileage: 181 miles

Total Trip Mileage so far: 3044 miles

I made an early morning run up Palomar Mountain to the Observatory to see the famous 200 inch Palomar telescope. Great ride-Happy Ducati! Then equally good ride back down the mountain.  The famous Mount Palomar Observatory  was built in the 40’s – I remember as a Kid of about 10, I think, being keenly interested in the building of this telescope and all the wondrous discoveries that were made with it.  It continues to be a working telescope today.  It was awe inspiring to stand beneath it and think about how difficult it was to construct with the existing technology of the day.

Next I had a little work related activity for a couple of hours in Temecula during which I  ran into Jeremy Ketchum – I am not sure who was more surprised, him or me…!

After finishing up in Temecula I headed over to Lake Elsinore and across the ever popular Ortega Highway to Dana Point for the first view of the Ocean on this trip.  Ortega Highway from Lake Elsinore toward Dana Point is yet another very nice road – lots of traffic though. Arriving in Dana Point checks off a main goal of this trip, hitting the Pacific Ocean in Southern California.  To this point my Ducati and I have traveled about 3000 miles West,  it is time to turn right for a while.  So up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) through high-dollar land so full of cool cars and beautiful people (so they say).  Around Huntington Beach I cut over to Cypress to meet Texas Pat for dinner.

Video link below.

The route up Palomar – just a few turns and twists to make the Ducati happy…as well as me!