Bike Touring with Google Maps--Palumbo Family Vineyard, Temecula, CA

 

We took our mountain bikes to California when visiting family after getting vaccinated.  The main purpose of the trip was to see the grandkids under controlled outdoor conditions.  Since we could not stay with family, we found a beyond-excellent AirBnB, Rusty Fork Ranch, in the wine country around Temecula, about half an hour from an in-law family cabin.  It was just a wild hair--bike to vineyards as we had during the wine-country tour that we had done in Sonoma in 2018.  On that trip, though, despite my extensive route-planning and saving routes on Strava (not a complete success), we sometimes found ourselves on unacceptably busy roads.

So, this time, Chris said, in essence, "No riding on arterial roads with lots of traffic."  As well, the shoulders on many California roads are not what I would consider sufficient.  This wine country is also rolling, with a number of steep short hills (over 10% gradient).  So we asked our Rusty Fork host, Tyler, for a recommendation--a winery reachable by gravel road, off arterial highways, around 5 miles from the Rusty Fork.  He suggested the Palumbo Family Winery, which included a stretch on the gravel Via Fernando.

Instead of using paper maps or an app like Strava, I just entered Via Fernando on Google Maps.  That indicated a route that included only one quarter-mile stretch of arterial road (with shoulders--the Anza Road section on the map above).  Google Maps worked effectively, getting us to Via Fernando nicely; at that point, I entered the address of Palumbo Family Vineyards, and charted a course from the current location.  Perfect.

If I'd known how relatively easy using Google Maps was to find decent routes while biking, I'd have used it more extensively in 2018.  Especially helpful was the verbal direction function, which I turned on, and just put my phone back in my pocket.  It let me know what turns were coming up, and which way to go.

The Palumbo Family Vineyard was excellent in itself:  we arrived just as the tasting room opened (under COVID rules, there's only a pickup of glasses/bottles at the window, then tasting outside only, socially-distanced), and treated ourselves to a flight of reds, from which we picked two bottles to buy. Superb! (I won't tell which wines here; if you like reds, try them for yourselves.)

Just a few notes on the route:  Mountain bikes or e-bikes might be in order if you don't care to climb grades up to 11% with a high-geared road bike; though the grades are short, they are quite steep, so gear down early.  Also, be sure to bring enough water to make it for about 5 miles (the actual route is 8.95 miles from and back to the Rusty Fork).  Palumbo has water available, but there's nothing in between.  Be sure to bring something to pack the wine back in!