Video

Cruise the backcountry of San Diego county in this video from Jack Brandais, the Weekend Driver columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune. A smooth, fast connection to the east has been a dream of San Diego boosters since the Spaniards setup the first European settlement here in 1769. In the way are the rugged and sometimes cruel mountains that lead to an equally cruel desert. One of the earliest routes east is the subject of today's drive -- since the 1930s known as California Highway 94. Histories of the area are incomplete, but it appears this was the first route east that was entirely in the United States, existing before the inaugural stagecoach run in 1870. Over the 54 miles from the Jamacha Junction to Boulevard, the highway snakes through the mountains and valleys of southeastern San Diego County, and communities with names like Jamul, Dulzura, Potrero, and Campo, close to Mexico before ending in Boulevard. There are plenty of places to eat, plus p'arks, campgrounds, and lots of twisting, rugged driving. Old 94 Transportation history also abounds. In addition to a route possibly dating back more than 150 years, there are auto, truck, and train museums along the way. See more on this drive at http://www.weekenddriver.com/ and click on "Road Trips."