the hill to Daley is a short burner, good thing it's short cuz the top has nasty pitch. But add the typical Daley heat off 95+ it takes its toll on the body. Then have to climb into the ranch itself

I went out there this morning to look for the route but couldn't find it. I rode up to a golf course and asked a couple at one of those cart crossings but they said I couldn't get from the golf course back to Lawrence Welk's unless I turned around. Then I tried a road called Hidden Meadows or Hidden Hills but it seeemed to dead end near a residential development. I called my wife to get directions but she didn't answer so I just went home. Funny thing is that I used the phone but forgot that there's program on it called Tele Nav that I've never used. Oh well, maybe next Friday. I took this picture from above (west) the golf course. Is the road between the trees the road I was looking for?

glad you got a chance to ride it. I dont' know anything about the back side, I need to do some more exploring myself to find the route.

It looks as though there are some really steep hills behind Lawrence Welk's going up to those big houses.

I used to have a girlfriend that lived in Jesmond Dene and I spent a lot of time out there but that's been close to 30 years. We used to have to cross a wood bridge to get to her house. In wet years, the bridge would go out and we'd have to go out to Deer Springs Rd. and circle back to Escondido.

Where is the Lake Hodges water tower in relation to the dam?

the Bernardo Peak aka Water tower can be seen from the 15. I'ts about 3-4 miles from the Parking lot starting near the mall, Most of which is flat. Then the climb.

if you went up hidden meadows, you went up the front side of Mt. Murder ... there are lots of hills back behind it too; supposedly harder ones...

Oh. I thought it would be longer. It was steep and I was huffing and puffing but as soon as I got into a rhythm, I saw the top of the hill.

It was a pretty decent ride. I got caught in some commuter traffic near the house but still managed to have a nice Sunday breakfast. Helped a woman fix her bike, lost a water water bottle on a bumpy road and still managed to get home in time for the Charger game.

Nice breakfast Frank!

In and around Lawrence Welk, there's a number of climbs up to the Valley Center plateau...Mt. Murder (aka Mountain Meadows) road leads up to a golf course, residential development, and many signs that say 'no outlet'. I'm sure there are outlets, but seeing as how you're at the top of the hill, and risk going all the way down to a closed/locked gate and have to come back up...well that doesn't sound too fun.

Mountain Meadows is just a burn. It's just long and steep enough to feel like forever, but it's totally doable, as GrumpyPig said, when you get in a rhythm and just start going. Just expect some hurt.

Way down just North of the main entrance to Lawrence Welk is a road called Welk View drive which has a sign that says something like 18% for the next 3 miles, but is closed to vehicular traffic and just switchbacks up the side of the mountain.

I actually mapped a loop that would do Mountain Meadows and back down Welk View, then South on Champagne to Mtn. Meadows in a counter-clockwise loop...then reverse the loop. The Clockwise way looks to be much harder. GrumpyPig...why don't you try this out for us: Toporoute

Also, Jschen and others...here's a map thingamabob I found that has the majority of the San Diego climbs listed, with distances and elevations...Also route slips of manymanymany routes throughout San Diego.

Click on the Map of the Climbs of San Diego, courtesy of www.kimberlygross.com


***edited for early morning idiocy.

Also, looking on the satellite map, there's plenty of houses out there, so it's accessible, and the signs are probably just deterrents to hooligans like us.

I know there's gota be a way through there. If I get bored tomorrow and legs are feeling good, I'll go and explore a bit. I need to make a run to the bike shop, I forgot to get a new MTB chain on Friday. Is MTB Werehouse still open in San Marcos? Or I might go to the Trek store and see if they have the SRAM chains.

I'll give it a try next Friday or Sunday. Looks like you turn in at the main entrance to LWs? At the gas station? I'll give it a try. The worst that can happen is I get to a private road and have to turn around. Or they arrest me and throw me in a cell w/o internet access so I can't post a ride report.

I got a (probably way too expensive, 'cause I really didn't know what I was getting) SRAM chain from Hi-Tech Bikes. The PC-991 Hollow Pin one.

I don't think San Marcos is open anymore...there's one in Vista.

yah I heard they moved to Vista, which is about 1/2 mile from Performance.

I can't afford the hollow pin ones, plus I'm not sure if I can trust that on the MTB.

I tried to go up Welk View today but there are gates on both ends. So I went up to Mountain Meadows to see if it continued to Old Castle but had no luck. Past the golf course there are a few rollers but nothing steep for about 4 miles where there is a steep downhill with a 15mph and No Outlet signs. This downhill makes an almost immediate sharp right so I couldn't see very far. I turned around there.

For some reason, today's climb up Mountain Meadows just beat me down. That was the reason I didn't have much sense of adventure past the golf course.

Next time I might look on Old Castle but the maps show that the roads are dirt or unimproved. I was hoping that some nice developer had cut and paved a smooth asphalt road but so far, it doesn't look like it.

Glad you had another crack at hitting that hill after you probs w/ the bike yesturday. That hill is a good burner for sure.

It's deceiving, isn't it? You think, "Sure, it's only 9 or 10 percent, but it's short..." Either I haven't found the legs for it or it's harder than it looks.

Frank: If you were out Sunday morning, we probably passed each other. I took Jesmond Dene to Old Castle, looped around Valley Center, and back down Old Castle.

No, I went up through the base to San Clemente.