A Scary Detour Transformed To A Jaunt

Now a day it has become a necessity to go for a quotidian outing in every Saturday. And why not!! This time we are staying in such a place, if you buckle up yourself and drive for few miles east, west, south or north, you will be in some jaunty places. We have the Disney Parks in 20mnts driving distance, the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, Sea world and Los Angeles in an hour or so driving distance. One could certainly imagine that when so many magnificent places are located around why one should not indulge him/herself to get spoilt in every weekend. So it is an indeterminate excogitation that every Saturday is the One-day tour day. Even it’s my pleasure to wake up early in the morning, prepare and pack the breakfast, lunch and snacks for the sashay. Our 3 year old would get ready in no time, pack her bag and prove her the most obedient girl of the world only for that day. And my hubby, who loves to sleep for late hours in the non-working days, would never get irritated to wake up early when a long drive or a tour is concerned. We spend the whole week deciding which place we are going to visit the coming Saturday and that gives us a great alleviation from our tiring days. Whether we go or not, plans are always geared up. Anyway now let me come to the fact for why I am here today.

Last Saturday we decided to visit San Diego Wild Animal Park, which is an hour driving distance from Irvine, where we stay right now. That day we started our journey little bit late when the sun was almost in the middle of the sky. When we reached the highway I-5 South, we got stuck in the sphere of huge traffic. The traffic was moving very slow. We were moving at 10-20ml/hr where the speed limit was 70ml/hr. It is rarely seen a traffic jam in the highways unless and until some mishap has taken place. But this time by god’s grace nothing ominous has happened. It’s just a rush of huge traffic. Everybody had come out in the same hour to take the advantage of the magnificent weather. None to blame. My daughter started growling as she never likes from her birth, the car moves slow. We were just wishing the traffic should get clear soon, our GPS indicated to take a detour due the severe traffic ahead. We got energised to get a way out from this traffic maze. We decided to detour, though we have to drive 30mints more than an hour. So we have taken HWY 74 (Ortega Hwy) towards Grand Avenue.

From the plain land we suddenly got in to the hilly road. There were only two lanes one for each direction. And in between the two lanes there were hardly a gap of a foot. The hilly curves were too sheer and made me scream in every turn. All the menacing thoughts started to crawl down my mind and I kept on muttering to my husband “Go Slow” just like the holy words. I was promising myself from the next time onwards I am not going to take any detour. We almost crossed two hills and suddenly we confronted to this majestic site.

We parked our car in a view point. We were not able to believe our eyes what we were watching. The heavenly beauty of the place filled out mind with a queer tranquilization. Our heart tried to inhale all the invigorated fresh air of the place. The spellbinding view whipped away all the fear and scare I was nurturing till of the route. We were feeling like to stand there for eternity. But our daughter’s call, who felt asleep when the car started to gear the speed, woke up us from this mesmerising horizon.

We again started our journey through the hilly road for 15mnts or so. But this time I forgot to panic. Both my husband and I kept on discussing about the unforgettable site we witnessed just before and thanking the GPS. That day we spent our whole day with an amazing beam of energy. The detour surely proved to us a bliss.

Information on Lake Elsinore:-

The lake we cherished from the hill top is Lake Elsinore. Little bit information is provided below.

“Lake Elsinore, originally Laguna Grande, is the largest natural freshwater lake in Southern California and is situated at the lowest point within the 750 square mile San Jacinto Watershed at the terminus of the San Jacinto River, where its headwaters are found on the western slopes of San Jacinto Peak with its North Fork, and Lake Hemet with its South Fork. Lake levels are healthy at 1,244 feet (above sea level) with a volume of 30,000 acre•ft (37,000 dam³)[3] that often fluctuate, although much has been done recently to prevent the lake from drying up, flooding, or becoming stagnant. At 1,255 feet, the lake would spill into the outflow channel on its northeastern shore, known properly as Temescal Wash, flowing northwest along I-15, which feeds Temescal Creek, which dumps into the Santa Ana River just northwest of the City of Corona. It then flows to Orange County, out to the Pacific Ocean just south of Huntington State Beach.

Lake Elsinore is bordered by the Elsinore Mountains to the west, which are a part of the larger Santa Ana Mountain Range, and receive snowfall a few days each year. Included in the Santa Ana Mountains is the Cleveland National Forest and El Cariso. Lake Elsinore is a part of the Temecula Valley and northern portions are also considered part of Temescal Canyon.”

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Elsinore,_California)

Lake Attraction:

“Lake Elsinore is ideal for motor boating, jet skiiing, waterskiing, wake boarding, kayaking and fishing. It boasts public beaches with picnic and shade features, plenty of safe easy-access parking, a three mile levee for hiking, nature watching and fishing (some areas restricted), and a tournament channel for professional ski instruction and club and pro competitions.”

Get more information HERE.

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