Originally Posted by OokieCookie

Yeah I don't know. I guess I grew up in a rural area, so there were tons of quiet, paved country roads and I got spoiled. I came to Orange County and had a major culture shock. Bike lanes are nice, but as they're generally attached to six-lane roads with 60mph traffic theyre no substitute for a nice carless trip through farm country I've rode all over the county, well mostly from Irvine southwards. Santiago Canyon is the closest I can get to what I'd call really nice riding. It's hard to describe- the environment here feels so hostile to me. Giant roads, huge intersections all over the place, homicidal drivers- it seems like a giant undertaking to get anywhere on a bike. I suppose if you grew up with it you're used to it, but it was a total shocker for me.
I will miss the nice year-round riding weather, but that just means I'll just have to brush up on the icebiking skills Thanks for the replies.