Ortega Hwy, an afternoon
by Lady Di Wanderlust @Di by the Sea
Today we decided to go for a drive and instead of our usual beach scene we headed to Ortega Hwy. It's a beautiful canyon drive from San Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore and beyond. It's a popular biker route taking you from Orange County to Riverside county through part of Cleveland National Forest. We've done this drive many times over our 30 years in the OC. Each time it's a different experience. Today it was so beautiful with all of the fall foliage on the oak trees, making the red rocks stand out, it was as if it was all new to me. Turns and curves, hillsides of boulders, following alongside a creek bed at times, passing orchards, a vineyard, general store, motorhome parks and campgrounds all along this route.
We stopped at some of the lookouts along the way. The last lookout just before a downward curve to Lake Elsinor you will find a small parking lot with a view of the lake and the city below. Here you can find paragliders and people playing with their drones. There's a little roadhouse diner here where you can enjoy a snack and a drink. It's was really unbelievable how dried up the lake was from our California drought. We decided to turn back around and start to head back home (instead of continuing down towards the town (having done this dozens of times in the past). As we drove back we stopped off at a place called Hells Kitchen,1 of a few biker stops along the highway.
We stopped at some of the lookouts along the way. The last lookout just before a downward curve to Lake Elsinor you will find a small parking lot with a view of the lake and the city below. Here you can find paragliders and people playing with their drones. There's a little roadhouse diner here where you can enjoy a snack and a drink. It's was really unbelievable how dried up the lake was from our California drought. We decided to turn back around and start to head back home (instead of continuing down towards the town (having done this dozens of times in the past). As we drove back we stopped off at a place called Hells Kitchen,1 of a few biker stops along the highway.
Hells Kitchen is a restaurant and bar, decorated with flames and diamond plate on the outside, outdoor seating area with oak trees carved into skull totem polls. Inside are tables with barstools, a fireplace mantle fabricated with diamond plate... sectioned off areas for dining, another outdoor patio and larger family/event room. Steam clouds, were actually coming from the kitchen ! Before entering we asked if it was okay for our puppy to come in, as it was quite chilly outside and they were more than accommodating... they had a small floor heater going and the fireplace toasting up the place, it was really cozy !
The menu is basically all american options with beer and cocktails to choose from. We went with healthy burgers, I had veggie with no bun with a side of sweet potato fries and my husband had a black bean burger with bun and regular steak fries. The service was really great, the owners, staff and servers were super friendly and the patrons the same !
The condiment bar is in an automated coffin ! Filled with everything you could ever need from peppers and pickles to staple condiments and unique ones like sirachamayo and asian chili sauce ! See my video below.
The menu is basically all american options with beer and cocktails to choose from. We went with healthy burgers, I had veggie with no bun with a side of sweet potato fries and my husband had a black bean burger with bun and regular steak fries. The service was really great, the owners, staff and servers were super friendly and the patrons the same !
The condiment bar is in an automated coffin ! Filled with everything you could ever need from peppers and pickles to staple condiments and unique ones like sirachamayo and asian chili sauce ! See my video below.
| | On the way further down the canyon we stopped at another lookout were there was a small gathering of people as we exited our car they were telling us to look at people in the far off distance... sure enough we could see clothing and then what appeared to be a tight rope wire being hung across a stretch of boulders. After a few minutes we realized it was a small group of individuals with not 1 but 2 ropes stretched across an opening in the mountain side and after a few minutes I saw another guy climbing a rather large boulder ! Here's a video of it. What a surprise to come across ! |
As we drove back out of the canyon we passed a sign that read Casper Wilderness Park. We both looked at one another and questioned, have we ever done Caspers ? I had heard of it, and surely had seen it before, but can't say I have ever entered it or camped or hiked there before. I recall stories of mountain lion sightings in the 80s and 90's before. So, we decided to take a look.. Turns out, no dogs are allowed so we couldn't go in. But we were able to get some literature on it. Will have to experience it in the spring or summer sometime. Here are a few photos of our canyon drive.
Oretega Hwy is a beautiful scenic drive. You can also hike and explore, camp and even shop at your own pace. If you ever have a day or weekend to check it out, do so ! If you have ever done it, I would love for you to share any tips, highlights or info for others in the comments below.
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