Home Gardens is a small unincorporated community squeezed between Corona and Riverside, on the edge of the Santa Ana River valley, and it is a place most people pass through without noticing. It has about eleven thousand people, a mix of houses, small businesses and shopping centres, and it sits close to the Route 91 freeway, one of the busiest and most congested roads in Southern California.
Corona, right next door, has a surprisingly interesting history. In the early twentieth century it was known as the lemon capital of the world, with groves of citrus covering the valley and packing houses along the railway. Its main street, Grand Boulevard, was built as a perfect circle around the town centre, and between 1913 and 1916 it hosted road races that drew famous drivers and huge crowds, with cars roaring around the circle at what were then astonishing speeds. The circle is still there, and you can ride it today, though rather more slowly.
As a fuel stop, it is easy. There are stations along the main roads and near the freeway, along with fast food, supermarkets and convenience stores. If you are heading to Idyllwild, this is a good place to fill up before the climb into the mountains, where there is less choice and prices are often higher.
The ride from here to Idyllwild takes you east through the Inland Empire and then up into the San Jacinto Mountains, either on the Pines to Palms Highway, Route 74, from Hemet, or on Route 243 from Banning. Both climb through chaparral and then into pine forest, with tight bends, steep grades and big views over the valleys and the desert. On a hot day, the temperature drops dramatically as you climb, and the smell of pine replaces the dust of the valley.
The local riding is mostly urban, with traffic, lights and freeways, but the Santa Ana River trail and the hills around Corona offer some escape. The Prado Basin, to the west, is a large flood control area with wetlands and wildlife, and Chino Hills State Park has trails and views. Fill up here, grab a cold drink and get ready for the mountains.