Thanks for this video - I really enjoyed your captions, and found myself saying a lot of the same things to myself right before your caption would appear. This was PART OF my daily commute from Fontana to San Juan Capistrano in the mid-90s. I can't believe how much has been built up just east of SJC. That road has actually been widened since my time commuting - the center "island" line marking was just one line at the time, and lots of motorcycles crossed that line all the time on those curves. My entire trip was an hour and 20 minutes each way with no traffic. Several times there were accidents that shut down the road, and there was nowhere else to go but back. One day the road was shut down just prior to getting to Antonio Parkway(?) (that didn't exist at that time), and I had to turn around and go all the way back to Elsinore, down through Temecula to Oceanside and up the 5 to SJC which took 3 hours. I then had to reverse that to drive home (the 241 toll road also didn't exist through Anaheim, so going through Oceanside was shorter than going through Anaheim). Halfway into Pendleton on the 5, the entire freeway shut down for hours - a bank robbery had taken place in SJC (I think) and the chase was down the 5. We all got out of our cars and chatted and got bitten by a zillion mosquitoes. The day after, I rented out my house in Fontana and rented a place in SJC and the Ortega commute ended. It was a really lovely drive though, with the exception of dealing with motorcyclists, and, though it was long, the nature and scenery really brought me a sense of calm. Also I was driving a fun small Honda CRX with a stick shift, so the road was a blast to drive. Here ends my long story. I would say "yes" to scenic highway, but I regard scenic highways as places where you can actually enjoy the view. This is such a heavily commuted road by cars flying at high speeds that you don't really dare for a lot of it to actually look at that scenery. I don't think it really qualifies for that status, and also that designation would undoubtedly increase traffic which it doesn't need. Anyway, thanks again for such a lovely trip down memory highway. :)
Your commute sounds like a mix of action movie plot twists and scenic drives. Who knew a daily commute could be so eventful? The "Ortega Commute Chronicles" could be a bestseller! Thank you so much for your comments!
Thanks for this video. I agree that it would be a nicer drive during the spring green up. I didn't see an orange pop-up reminder for Casper's State Park. Did I miss it?
I've never been on this part of 74 even though I grewup in north OC... I HAVE been from the top of the hill in Elsinore all the wat to Palm Desert several times (74 becomes Monterey in Palm Desert and connects to I-10)..
It's interesting how we can live in a place and still discover new routes! The scenic drive from Elsinore to Palm Desert is definitely a gem. I did a video on that stretch of 74 as well. Here is the link - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xmXgi2CE51M.html.
@@ridealongwithscott We used to stop at the Paradise Cafe on the corner of 74 and 177 (I think thats the number) that heads toward Anza, and ask for the "Jimmy Buffet Special" (Chesseburger in Paradise)... :))
That has been installed - check out some of my latest videos here at the channel. Gone to a three camera shoot on all the videos now, as well to give a better tour. Thanks!
Thank you for this video. I might be moving to Lake Elsinore and I work in Irvine. I’m not fond of mountain driving, so this was hard to watch. However, this video will help me make a decision on how I want to commute.
My friend lives off of Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano (you drove past his street early) and at what point did we cross the Orange-Riverside County Line
I have loved this drive for many years! Moved to Orange County in 1975, and took the drive just a couple of weeks later. Been taking day trip drives on it ever since. I don't recall a county line marker on the highway, but the tops of the Santa Ana mountains are roughly where the county line runs on the maps. Maybe uphill is Orange County and downhill is Riverside County. Thanks for commenting!
Yes! But where I come from...the Midwest...we definitely don't have the spectacular mountains and cliffs. And then there's the large lake you drive around. Thanks for sharing! I'm trying to plan a trip and am worried about the driving. Definitely not a fan of driving thru the mountains (probably hills).
youll be surprised about how easy and fun it is. just check your rear view mirrors periodically cuz alot of sports cars and bikes love to drive through canyons like these. my wife and I are from Menifee which is another city right next to Lake Elsinore and we miss Cali! we are currently here in Illinois and it gets so boring out here.
I live in Laguna Niguel and I have some family out in Lake Smellsomemore I always avoid taking Ortega like the plague because this is a sketchy road and if there's an accident, a 40-minute drive turns into 5 hours because it's a 2 highway I'll take The 133 to the 241 to the 91 to get out to San Bernardino or Riverside 100% of the time it's a very scenic route but I'm not the biggest fan of it do it at add night time to the equation makes it a lot scarier and rain even more so
We have a lot of dangerous roads here in California. This one also has a lot of commuter traffic as there are only a couple of roads that go between Orange and Riverside Counties. I don't believe they will ever close this road even if a poltergeist were to pop up on it. Several thousand cars commute to Orange County over Ortega every day. Almost all of them arrive completely safe.
@@ridealongwithscott In that case, I think it might be worth exploring homes in that area. Much more affordable than orange county and still have access to the beach using the 74.
Been there, done that! Add a few beers, and it makes it a little more challenging. In the 90s, I lived in Minneapolis, and we used to do business with a company in Ontario. We usually stayed in Hermosa Beach when we were out there. One time after a meeting in Temecula, we took 74 across on our way back to Hermosa Beach. We stopped at the Eagle's Roost and had a few beers. It got so that when we were out there on business, we'd make the trip to the Eagle's Roost. One time, instead of flying, I drove my Jeep Wrangler from Minneapolis so that I could drive around out there with the top down and the doors off, and drove 74 from Palm Desert to San Juan Capistrano, including seeing snow on the ground in El Cariso.
