Mountains between San Diego and Yuma

Pardon me for my ignorance, but is there a specific name for the mountains that run between San Diego, CA and Yuma AZ? If have found names for individual mountains in the area, but not for the range. I came across ÔÇ£Laguna MountainsÔÇØ, but IÔÇÖm not sure if that would be the appropriate name. Any help with my deficient geography skill is greatly appreciated.

They're the Vallecito Mountains.

If you're coming out this way, routes 74, 76, and 78 are all good rides.
Julian is known as the local "apple pie capitol".
Good chance of experiencing your first earthquake if you're south of the Salton Sea. (see http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/ )

I was up at Mt. Laguna back in my Navy days... Awesome area to ride/camp.
At least it was back in 78/81.

Wind;

Do not ride I8 on a wind warning day. Its ugly up their in wind on a bike. Randy

A few years ago, on a nice Sunday morning following breakfast with the San Diego Club, we headed east on I-8 for home in Yuma. At Alpine, the CHP was directing high profile vehicles off the road. As we rode up, the officer just looked at us and let us through. There was another rider following us ona Honda something

The further we went, the worse the wind became, and we finnally took the last exit available before entering nomans land. At the top of the ramp, we stopped and the wind blew Heidi's bike over with her on it. It took all three of us to lift the bike back up.

We rode back down the south frontage road to a small community, reinstalled her broken parts as best we could, then headed back to El Cajon to pick up the old US80 route

it was windy also, but managable. We picked up a couple on a wing that were having a difficult time, and we all stopped for a small lunch.

When we arrived at the end of US 80 at Ocotillo pass, we just held our breath going down the pass, since the wind can be very treacherous. NO WIND. As we neared the bottom of the pass, you could see smoke rising straight up from some of the crop buring that was taking place. Full throttle and home we went.

A normal 3 hr ride ended up an eight hour plus adventure

bob still

Good story;

I've ridden 8 in winds too and its one of the worst highways I've experineced wind on a bike. Its flat scary up there on 8, above San Diego. I bet many many have horror stories on that road in wind. My last time was 2 years ago and I had a death grip, saying to myself relax on the handlebars, but you know!!! My lifetime of riding and this has got to be one of the worst places to ride a bike on a windy day. Interstate 8, for all to know. Randy