Escondido is the biggest city in San Diego County's north inland area, a sprawling place of about 150,000 people in a wide valley of avocado and citrus groves, and its job in a ride is to supply everything a rider might need before heading into the hills. The name means hidden in Spanish, which reflects the way the valley sits tucked behind a ridge. The town grew after the railway came in the 1880s, with citrus and grapes as its early industries, and today it is a mixture of breweries, farmland, strip malls and a historic downtown with a good arts centre and a few lively restaurants.
There are fuel stations everywhere, so this is the place to fill up, and to buy water. From here, the road winds east and north into the hills of the Palomar Mountain area, and the real riding begins. State Route 76 follows the San Luis Rey River east toward Pauma Valley, among orchards and rocks, with soft bends and rolling hills. From there, the road to the top of Palomar Mountain climbs through dozens of tight corners, shaded by oak and then by pine, rising to about five thousand feet. It is narrow and twisty, with some rough tar and occasional gravel, so take it slowly, but the views south and west out over the valley are well worth it.
Palomar Mountain is home to the Palomar Observatory, which opened in 1948 with the 200-inch Hale telescope, the largest in the world for decades. You can visit the dome and the small museum, and peer in at one of the great pieces of twentieth-century science. The ridge is also green and wooded, a noticeable contrast with the dry chaparral below, and in winter, snow can fall on top. Check the weather before climbing in colder months. The East Grade Road on the other side of the mountain is steeper and narrower still, a famous test for riders who like their corners tight.
Wildlife includes deer, wild turkeys and coyotes, with the odd mountain lion in the back country. Spring wildflowers and the smell of orange blossom in the valleys are real delights, and the best riding is in the spring or autumn, when the heat of summer has eased. Summer can be extremely hot at the bottom, with temperatures above thirty-five degrees Celsius.
For food, Escondido has everything, from taquerias to craft beer to pizzerias, and the old downtown is the best place to stroll afterward.