The Mount Laguna Loop in May 2024

At Lake Cuyamaca

 Had a chance to come down to San Diego County for a few days so I brought a bike along and went up to the mountains to do one of my favorite rides: The loop from Descanso through Cuyamaca State Park and Lake Cuyamaca, then up the Sunrise Highway, (San Diego County highway 1) up to Mt. Laguna and then back down through Pine Valley and Guatay back to Descanso.

Here's the plot of my ride.

I left El Cajon by car in a cool drizzle, but the marine layer had just about completely broken up by Alpine and the Descanso Park and Ride was in the sunshine.

However, my ride was off to an inauspicious start when I tried to pump my tires! The rear tire wouldn't hold a high pressure. Taking it off, I found the tube had failed near the valve stem! I replaced the tube, (I was carrying two), and then took off. Of course, I was now concerned because I had only one spare tube left and I wasn't sure about the patch kit in my tool bag! 

Once you get rolling however, you forget about those little problems, at least until you get another flat! 

Heading toward Descanso

This was a Friday morning and I was hoping that traffic would not be a big factor in the days ride. As it turned out it wasn't, although it seemed a little busier along Highway 79 than on my other rides which were usually done on a Monday - Thursday. 

Entering the State Park

Highway 79 through Cuyamaca State Park is a pretty good road but the shoulders are not too generous. There were a few times where I was passed by several cars at a time. I think things were beginning to pick up in anticipation for the weekend. Still, no real problems were encountered. 

A nice view of Stonewall.

I was concerned about my knee. It had been bothering me a little since last week's century so I was pretty conservative with my gearing, frequently using my small chainwheel, (a 30 tooth ring), and I just took my time twiddling up the hills. 

Lake Cuyamaca

Coming up to Lake Cuyamaca, I encountered a pretty good westerly wind. No surprise there because the heavy overcast and drizzle in El Cajon meant there was a fairly strong onshore flow going on. This wind turned out to be very helpful once I turned on to the Sunrise Highway and headed up to Mount Laguna!

After turning on the Sunrise Highway, traffic almost ceased! This was a very quiet stretch of road! I did have to be careful to try to avoid the caterpillar traffic! Seems like there is some sort of migration going on with a lot of them crossing the road! I tried to avoid them, which wasn't too hard since I was plodding up hill most of this section.

Up here above 4,000 feet, the wildflowers were still in bloom and there was a lot of color to enjoy.  

There was lots of color on the roadside this year.

Looking to the east as I climbed I could see the Anza Borrego Desert. 

Of course, I stopped at the viewpoint a little below Mt. Laguna and enjoyed the view, There was a group motorcyclists and some Corvettes up there as well. I kind of feel sorry for those guys though; I really feel that the best experience to be had on the mountain roads is on a bicycle, where you can really feel, smell and hear everything this wonderful area has to offer! I'm fortunate indeed to be able to enjoy bicycling at my age!

A familiar vantage point, looking down at the Anza-Borrego Desert.

I stopped briefly at the Mt. Laguna Visitor Center to answer a call of nature, then off I went through the village and up hill for a bit. Soon, however, I began the long descent down towards Pine Valley. This is a thrilling downhill and with little traffic, it was a lot of fun. 

This is along the descent below Mt. Laguna, still a lot of flowers blooming.

At the bottom of the Sunrise Highway descent, one of my favorite spots for a picture!

The climb out of Pine Valley to Guatay was in the sun and getting warm, but that westerly wind did provide a bit of relief from the heat. After that last summit it was a easy pull to Descanso and then the last climb to the Park and Ride.

Just as I was approaching the Park and Ride my rear tire started getting soft! I was able to pull into the lot and to my truck. Looking at the tire, I found a piece of glass lodged in the tread! I must have picked it up in the last mile; Wow, what luck!

So my ride was "bookended" with flat tires at the start and finish! Well if you have to have flats, that's the way to do it!

Equipment notes:

Well, other than the flats, I had no problems. I used the 1980 Mercian with the 46/30 Stronglight crank and a 11-30 cassette so I had a pretty wide gear range with plenty of low gearing! As I mentioned above, I wanted to baby my left knee so I used the 30 tooth chainwheel a lot while climbing. As a result, my average speed seems a little slow, but I'll take that if it means my knee is happy!

Speaking of stats...here are the basic ones for my ride:

A look at the stats, a lot of climbing!

All in all, this is an enjoyable ride that I recommend to anyone who happens to be in San Diego County. However, I strongly recommend that you do this ride on a weekday. This time I rode and a Friday and it wasn't too bad, but Monday through Thursday would be best.