About Weekend Driver
It’s a road that any enthusiast would take a detour to drive… just because it’s there.
This site and the book Weekend Driver San Diego take you to the best back roads in San Diego County and nearby areas of northern Baja California, Riverside and Orange counties.
Author Jack Brandais has been driving on these roads since he was a kid, when his parents would take him on Sunday drives. He’s actually a third-generation road fan, as his grandmother — a pioneer driving enthusiast — first explored these roads back in the 1920s. They’re all great day trips… sometimes a long day trip if you decide to explore.
Weekend Driver San Diego is the best guidebook for really exploring San Diego County. Trips include areas in the news, including the Tijuana River Estuary, where the government wants to build a new fence along the border with Mexico.
These roads can be challenging, so be sure to drive your sports car, sports bike or any tricked-out vehicle. Or, just take your daily driver and have some fun.
Enjoy a few sample drives here on the web site, then pick up the book and have a great time. Or see what you’re missing with a video trip.
Most of these trips originally ran as part of the Weekend Driver feature in the Wheels section of the San Diego Union-Tribune. In the Jack’s Stories section, you’ll find links to stories he’s written, such as the One-Tank Trip feature for the Union-Tribune’s Night and Day section, travel stores and the newspaper’s Sunday Homes section.
Most recent stories took readers to a mountain area where Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties meet, out old Highway 80 and Indian Canyon in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Jack has also traveled throughout the United States to some locations far off the beaten track. Visit the Road Trips section to find a couple of sample San Diego county drives from his book, Weekend Driver San Diego, plus other road trips around California and the nation.
He also reviews cars, including three hot hybrids, the Mercury Mariner SUV (includes video), Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid. They’re now online here.
Jack’s “day job” is as the media spokesperson for the San Diego Unified School District. He’s also worked for the City of San Diego and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Enjoy your drive!
Nissan Murano on the trail.
What The Media Says About Weekend Driver San Diego
- “…Easy-to-follow with plenty of pictures… special-interest notes and contact information. Don’t send anyone out for a drive without it!” — Mark Maynard, San Diego Union-Tribune.
- “I had the best time yesterday, just thumbing through this, looking at these little trips, reading about all the little spots you mention. …A great piece of history for San Diego, a great read. What a fun way to get around and see your community.” — Marc Bailey, San Diego 6 (CW).
- “In Southern California, we love our cars. Most of the time we drive to get somewhere; you’re telling us to drive to be somewhere. … There are great little vignettes in here. It’s not just some boring travel book.” — Margaret Radford, KNSD 7/39 (NBC) San Diego.
- “It can also help the directionally challenged people out there like myself.” — Beth Shelburne, KFMB 8 (CBS) San Diego.
- Check out the video series from KGTV-10.
Sample Drives
Three sample drives are online.
- Valley of Contrasts: The Tijuana River Valley
- Out 94 Way: East County’s Main Street
- Desert Daze: Retracing history through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Updates
As with any book, there are a few things that change after publication (December 2003). Here are updates to Weekend Driver San Diego
- The Coyote Country Cafe in Crest has closed.
- The telephone number for the Descanso Junction Cafe has a new owner and new telephone number, (619) 659-2199.
- The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum is the former San Diego Railroad Museum in Campo.
- Gates to the trails in Drive 8 are now closed: See update.
If you see any other items in the book that need to be corrected, please contact Jack.
