Southern California - Route from coastal San Diego (Pacific Beach) to Julian? aka Pie in the Sky Ride

What would be the most pleasant way to get from Pacific Beach in San Diego to Julian? I'm thinking of taking a big ride one day from home to Julian, eating some pie, and having my wife drive out there to meet me and drive us back home.

From maps online I'm thinking I'd leave Crown Point, go south and hop onto Old Sea World Drive, then take Friars east to Mission Gorge Road, then continue on Woodside (in Santee). Then right onto Maine/Los Coches Road, and a left onto Old I-8 (Business) to head east onto Alpine Blvd. Then I'd hop onto the shoulder of the 8 east until heading north on 79 all the way to Julian.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

For safety and traffic-avoidance, This 68-mile Route is probably the easiest and most pleasant (http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Pacific+Beach,+San+Diego,+CA&daddr=32.90341,-117.24296+to:32.94921,-117.20438+to:32.95797,-117.11244+to:32.93805,-117.02901+to:33.04722,-116.85689+to:Julian,+CA&hl=en&ll=32.952792,-116.944656&spn=0.477074,0.891953&sll=32.952504,-116.944656&sspn=0.238538,0.445976&geocode=FeaV9AEdOBYD-SnlGb5ixwHcgDFs5xuIyri9pw%3BFfIQ9gEdsAMD-Snvyjw99QbcgDFL0RqEWc_ukg%3BFdrD9gEdZJoD-SlRaknl2wfcgDEe19OSqNS9tw%3BFRLm9gEdiAEF-Sn5VR6ux_nbgDFd5XFOdj9fJg%3BFUKY9gEdbkcG-SnJiGP3CfvbgDEw22v1Oz0JdA%3BFbRC-AEdxucI-SkfuhJxkOjbgDG1N0zD-An8-A%3BFX-9-AEdlMsM-SnBFCiKyizagDFAMfiaZbl8RA&vpsrc=6&dirflg=b&mra=dpe&mrsp=4&sz=12&via=1,2,3,4,5&t=h&lci=bike&z=11).

But if you're feeling pretty fit and can handle some tougher climbs, prettier scenery, and sparser traffic, it's pretty tough to beat Highland Valley Road, which is a harder ride, at 71 miles (http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Pacific+Beach,+San+Diego,+CA&daddr=32.90341,-117.24296+to:32.94921,-117.20438+to:32.98497,-117.13181+to:33.047184,-117.0736355+to:33.03162,-116.9739+to:33.02735,-116.93587+to:33.04722,-116.85689+to:Julian,+CA&hl=en&sll=32.952792,-116.944656&sspn=0.477074,0.891953&geocode=FeaV9AEdOBYD-SnlGb5ixwHcgDFs5xuIyri9pw%3BFfIQ9gEdsAMD-Snvyjw99QbcgDFL0RqEWc_ukg%3BFdrD9gEdZJoD-SlRaknl2wfcgDEe19OSqNS9tw%3BFYpP9wEd3rUE-SkhQ0jjj_fbgDGOm0CzaN9LEA%3BFZBC-AEdHZkF-Sm92c2vNfHbgDHIoQh7tj8H9g%3BFcQF-AEdtB4H-SnJz9rW3O_bgDGM_gWR6pPnsg%3BFRb19wEdQrMH-Slv7ai6d-_bgDHyl8UuRNCXpA%3BFbRC-AEdxucI-SkfuhJxkOjbgDG1N0zD-An8-A%3BFX-9-AEdlMsM-SnBFCiKyizagDFAMfiaZbl8RA&vpsrc=0&dirflg=b&mra=dvme&mrsp=3&sz=11&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7&t=h&z=11&lci=bike).

Of those two, I'd probably take the Highland Valley route. It's a magical, sillystring road with oak canopies and beautiful scenery that makes me glad I live here. It's still going to be a bit of a problem riding from Ramona to Julian--that's highway 78, which is a narrow, high-speed, two-lane highway which is heavily traveled by fast-movers. Perhaps your wife could pick you up in Ramona? It would be safer IMO. A good meeting point would be Packard's Coffee in Ramona, right off Main Street/78.
http://www.sdmcriders.org/DinerImages/Main/Packards.jpg


Good luck and let us know how it goes.

From maps online I'm thinking I'd leave Crown Point, go south and hop onto Old Sea World Drive, then take Friars east to Mission Gorge Road, then continue on Woodside (in Santee). Then right onto Maine/Los Coches Road, and a left onto Old I-8 (Business) to head east onto Alpine Blvd. Then I'd hop onto the shoulder of the 8 east until heading north on 79 all the way to Julian.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

This is all climbing, and it's one of my favorites. I say good on you for choosing such a great route.

Actually, that was part of the first leg on a 400k earlier this year. This map of the route might help. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/279395/

Some advice: Careful around the lake. It can get very windy up on the plateau. It think it's only 4 or 5 miles on I8, but don't forget to pull off and go through the rest stop. Top off your bottles before leaving Alpine to be safe.

You can cut off a big chunk of 78 by taking Old Julian Highway from Ramona. Turn right at 3rd St., go a couple of miles, turn left on Old Julian. It's about 8 miles long and very attractive. Wave at the llamas.

KeS