there's a route that i've taken with ralf, sergio and many of the other suspects around here. it goes from the pacific coast and heads inland to the anza-borrego desert.
if you time it right in the summer and the coast area is overcast, you can go from 65 degrees to 115 degrees in less than two hours (80 miles one way).
that's a 50 degree spread.
if you top off the tank in anza and whip back around, you can do the 115 to 65 thing and be back at the beach in time for lunch when the sun breaks through.
interesting experience, but the quick temperature and elevation changes can cause nausea and headaches. the beach bikinis cause interest and alertness, and work well as a carrot dangler.
i've been using that little run for years because it's an interesting way to test street and touring gear. it's one of the few reliable routes where you can go through a wide range of temperatures to see how riding gear is working. you can also fiddle around in a particular temperature range by just riding back and forth in an area based on the temperature (like between 85 and 100).
anza visitor's tip: the food sucks (best bet: the mexican place), the fuel is expensive (it's a big uphill to get out of there, top off) and the cop (when he's about 10 miles outside town) is exceptionally diligent.
if you're ever interested in trying it, here's mr. google's route map (man, that dude knows how to get
everywhere!)
