Green Valley Campground

Green Valley Campground

Hwy 79

Use Fee: 30.00

Reservation Fee: 8.00

Total Fee: 38.00

Visiting campgrounds close to the city is fun... it's nice... it makes for a great ride.  But for real excitement you have to visit San Diego's east county.

The weather is wildly unpredictable.  And it can be unforgiving.

Green Valley Campground is in the lower Cuyamacas.  It's a little farther to ride but it really is an amazing place.

Lake Jennings Park & Campground

Lake Jennings Park & Campground
10108 Bass Rd.
Lakeside, CA 92040

Use Fee: 25.00
Reservation Fee: 8.00
Total Charge: 33.00
Note: Lake Jennings Campground does NOT offer a hike 'n bike rate.

Nice little spot with a gorgeous view of the lake.

Packing the Bicycle for Camping: A Pictorial Essay



Bicycle with panniers mounted... ready to tour!



Tomorrow I'm hitting Lake Jennings Campground.  The following day I'll be at Green Valley Falls.  Today I took some time to pack the bicycle and I took a few pictures while doing so.

Winter Bicycle Camping vrs Summer Bicycle Camping in San Diego County

Winter bicycle camping in San Diego County

I suggest that during winter in San Diego you stay within the city when bicycle camping.  Winter - whatever images that may evoke to those of you who don't live here - is extremely mild in our fair city.  It generally amounts to a little rain, nothing more.  Some occasional flooding.  But snow within the greater San Diego area is virtually unheard of.

Greatest weather in the country.  Bar none.

To those unfamiliar with our little corner of the world, though, in wintertime San Diego's east county does indeed get snow.  That fact may be amazing to some people who believe 100% of San Diego is 100% warm 100% of the time.  Well, I'm afraid nothing is 100%.

The San Diego skyline is dwarfed by the snow-capped Cuyamaca Mountains on Monday, March 13 [2011]. The photo is shot from Rosecrans National Cemetary in Point Loma.  (c) NANCEE E. LEWIS / Union-Tribune

The east county in the months preceding and following winter can get some pretty severe rainstorms, some nasty winds, it can get plenty cold.  But in comparison to much of the rest of the country the nastiness is short-lived and soon things are once again serene and beautiful.  Lovely little county we have here.

Upcoming Bicycle Camping Trip

I've already made my reservations for two locations.

On April 6 (a Wednesday) I'll be at Lake Jennings Campground just to the east of El Cajon.  I plan to ride to work that morning in Kearny Mesa (15 miles) and that afternoon ride out to the campground (20 miles) and thus, my first day's mileage will be 35 miles.  Nice and easy; I don't anticipate a difficult ride and thus far it seems the weather will be nice.

A Really Cool Feature of Map-My-Ride

In this post I told you about Map-My-Ride which is a very useful program for planning bicycling routes because in addition to mileage it displays the severity of that route's climbs.  Believe me, when you're hauling a lot of camping gear you want no surprises when encountering steep terrain.

Another feature of Map-My-Ride is called "Course Fly-By Video."  Here's how it works:

As an example, I have mapped a route from National City (which is just below San Diego) to Green Valley Falls in the Cuyamaca Mountains.  Overall distance is some 46 miles and considering that I am riding up into the mountains there are some fairly steep climbs.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/30341356

A Crappy Ol' Rainy Day

Weather-wise we don't have a lot to complain about here in San Diego County.  We do get the occasional rain storm and as a bicyclist I've learned my lesson about attempting to commute 15 miles each way in the rain.

Today is that rainy day... a crappy ol' rainy day.  I always look forward to my hour and a half bicycle commute - it does wonders for clearing the head - but as it happens my commute takes me through Mission Valley.  And when it rains the roads in Mission Valley get flooded.  Last time I tried commuting in the rain I got boxed in; the whole Mission Valley area was underwater and my boss had to come fetch me in his truck.  Not something I want to make a habit of.

A crappy ol' rainy day.  Wet, drizzly, miserable.  Ugh!  The view from my front yard.