THE SCENIC ROUTE : Driving for Fun? In Orange County? You’ve Got to Be Kidding--or Are You?

Given the choice of an IRS audit or what we used to call a Sunday drive, the average county commuter probably would pick the audit.

The idea of driving for fun in Orange County has become about as alien to most of us as E.T.

California Highway Patrol officer Bruce Lian, for example, bursts out laughing at the suggestion. “At 4 in the morning, maybe,” he says.

And traffic engineer Warren Seicke of Brea gasps at the thought. “We’ve got enough problems without encouraging people to drive that road,” he said when he heard that Carbon Canyon Road, one of his worst headaches, was on our list of favorites.

My own children weren’t even sure what I meant. At 10 and 12 years old, they have yet to even step on a gas pedal. But already, they see driving as a chore. “You mean just drive, not go anywhere? Sit in the back of the car all afternoon? Couldn’t we just stay home and clean our rooms instead?”

It is also a chore for most adults in the county, more than 40% of whom spend at least 40 minutes on the road each day just getting to work and back, according to the 1987 Orange County Annual Survey.

And that is not including the time we put in running errands or going to the beach, the movies or other forms of recreation. Driving for us is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

But there’s driving, and then there’s driving.

The first is the kind you do on the Costa Mesa Freeway or Beach Boulevard. Not much need for rack-and-pinion steering there. You just aim it forward and move your foot from the gas to the brake and back again, not unlike a trolley on a track. And when you get a feel for the road beneath you, that means you know the size and shape of every patch and pothole.

The second kind of driving? That is when your fingers caress the shift knob lovingly as you slip from gear to gear, when you and your machine seem to be sharing each other’s most intimate secrets. Whether you’re driving a Hyundai Excel or a Jaguar XJS, you feel in control not only of your vehicle but of your destiny. You don’t have to prove anything to anybody, so you’re relaxing comfortably within the speed limit, enjoying the scenery as it passes.

Can that kind of driving still be done in Orange County? The answer is a definite “yes, but. . . “ with the emphasis on the but . The county boasts some of the most beautiful back roads anywhere. We just don’t want to boast too loudly, lest they become even more crowded than they already are.

Like their wider, plainer concrete cousins, our scenic routes tend to be overburdened, carrying many more cars than they were meant to hold, traffic engineers say. Nearly all of them are used heavily morning and night by a growing number of commuters--many from outside the county--trying to escape freeway traffic.

These one-of-a-kind roads also have problems caused by drivers who may be unaccustomed to conditions such as blind curves and narrow shoulders. And when those drivers add to the dangers by drinking or speeding, they’re even more likely to crash into canyon walls.

The problems are worse now than ever but not as bad as they’re going to get. All these routes will become more congested. Some of them will inevitably be tamed by widening and straightening to accommodate the increasing traffic.

The trick, then, is to drive them when--and while--you can.

We tested every road in the county that looked promising on the map. Many were disappointing, with too many stoplights and nothing much interesting to see. But the half-dozen listed here were delightful.

A few were as much fun as our favorite rides at Disneyland. Honest. The kids got a little green around the gills after some marathon Sundays, but now they’re begging to go back.

Some ground rules: Aside from avoiding the peak commute hours, stay off these roads whenever you’re in a hurry to get somewhere. Don’t drink, don’t speed, do buckle up and make sure your vehicle is in good shape (that includes your spare tire). Fill the tank before you leave civilization. And, especially if you’re bringing the family along, pack plenty of snacks, as well as books and games to keep the passengers occupied during the dull stretches.

And remember, your freeway driving skills aren’t enough here. “All these roads have their idiosyncrasies; anybody using them has to be aware of that,” says Steve Hogan, manager of transportation programs for the county. “They’re very old roadways, and the standards to which they were built are not what we would require today.

“But the roadways are perfectly safe, as long as they are driven as they were intended to be driven, and drivers abide by all the rules that apply to them.”

The CHP’s Lian says many people who travel Ortega Highway (California 74) blame the road for their driving problems. “But I’ve been working this area for more than seven years, and I don’t see any problem,” he says. “For a two-lane mountain road, I’d say it’s pretty safe. But people do go off the side.”

There are a couple of laws applying to canyon driving in particular that many people don’t know about, Lian says: “Did you know that by law, you’re required to blow your horn anytime you come up to a curve and you can’t see around it? And if you want to go slower than 55, you’re required to pull to the right whenever there are five or more cars behind you and let that traffic pass.”

Lian admits that the CHP rarely enforces the horn law, but he hopes that drivers will remember the reason behind it. “You need to be aware that there might be something around that curve.”

Another CHP officer, Joe Morrison, who often patrols Live Oak Canyon, Silverado Canyon and Santiago Canyon roads, says most of the problems he sees are caused by “people passing illegally, into blind curves, high-speed driving or the driver who’s impatient or has to go someplace.”

Instead, he recommends that recreational drivers “take your time, be watching ahead and leave a safe distance behind the vehicle ahead of you. Keep a high visual horizon--look down the road, not just at the car in front of you.”

If the sign says “Daytime Headlights Area,” turn yours on, Morrison says. Studies have shown you will be more visible and therefore safer. Just don’t forget to turn them off later.

And Seicke advises, “Be aware of the other person who’s not as cautious. You could be the victim of their irresponsibility.”

Whatever you do, don’t let yourself be intimidated into speeding. “If someone gets pushy behind you, let them by and don’t worry about it,” Lian says. “They’ll meet us sooner or later.”

Live Oak Canyon Road, Santiago Canyon Road & Modjeska Grade Road

Want to turn your back on development? Then begin this trip from the southern end, near the new community of Rancho Santa Margarita.

Start by taking the El Toro Road exit northeast off Interstate 5 and drive about 5 1/2 miles to Santa Margarita Parkway (formerly Portola Parkway). Turn right, and go southeast about 6 1/2 miles across lower O’Neill Regional Park to Plano Trabuco Road. Turn left, and left again less than a mile away onto Trabuco Canyon Road, which will become Live Oak Canyon Road.

Rancho Santa Margarita is growing so fast it may seem to be chasing you as you drive away. But soon the condos in the rear-view mirror will disappear, and you will be descending gracefully down into the canyon itself.

By the time you reach the main entrance to O’Neill Park, the branches of the ancient trees that gave the road its name will be reaching toward each other above you. Down the road a little farther, they form a canopy for a couple of long stretches, filtering the sunlight through their tiny leaves.

All too soon, you are out from under the canopy at the junction with Santiago Canyon Road and El Toro Road. (You could have taken El Toro Road here and picked up Live Oak, but then you would have had to turn around at the end and drive under the trees again in the other direction, gosh darnit.)

Turn right onto Santiago. A little more than a mile down the road, take Modjeska Grade Road right at the V. This little detour twists up, and up, and up, then down, down, down to Modjeska Canyon Road. Turn left and soon you will be back at Santiago Canyon Road, where you will turn right.

Remain on Santiago Canyon Road past Silverado Canyon and Irvine Lake Park, all the way to Chapman Avenue. On Chapman, you turn left into Orange, through the city, all the way to Santiago Creek and the Costa Mesa Freeway. The scenic part of the trip is about 10 miles.

STATUS: No major changes expected on Live Oak Canyon Road, according to Hogan. “The Board of Supervisors has taken action to protect the oaks along the roadway,” he says.

Although there are no immediate plans to widen Santiago Canyon Road, Hogan says it is “ultimately designed to carry up to 30,000 cars a day, with four travel lanes, two in each direction, separated by a median.”

VOLUME: The present road, designed for a maximum of 10,000 cars a day, is traveled by about 11,000.

BEST TIME TO DRIVE: Weekdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., if you don’t mind a few heavy trucks, otherwise early Saturday or Sunday morning.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION: Stop for a picnic and stretch your legs on a nature trail at O’Neill Regional Park.

Santiago/Silverado Canyon Roads

You have to take Santiago to get to Silverado Canyon and once there there’s no place to go except deep into Silverado Canyon itself, so the only commuters you will see are those who live there, on streets with names like “Thisa Way” and “Thata Way.”

Take Chapman Avenue off the Costa Mesa Freeway, then go east to Santiago Canyon Road. Take a right on Santiago a few miles and then a left on Silverado Canyon Road.

If you’re skittish about canyon driving, Silverado would be a good place to learn. The curves are more gentle here and the road follows a creekbed at the bottom of the canyon, so any fear of heights won’t get much opportunity to surface. There are even a few wide, almost straight stretches where you can pull over and let those guys in the red Porsches pass. It’s about 5 miles to the end of the road.

STATUS: Silverado may be widened, depending on how much development occurs, county traffic planner Hogan says.

VOLUME: About 2,000 cars a day travel Silverado Canyon Road, according to county traffic planners.

BEST TIME TO DRIVE: Weekdays, non-peak hours. Otherwise weekends are still fairly uncrowded.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION: You can get yummy kosher hot dogs on weekends at a Silverado Canyon roadside cart parked in one of the wide spots. Look for the bright orange sign that says “Tamales.”

Ortega Highway

At San Juan Capistrano, take the Ortega Highway exit off the San Diego Freeway and go northeast toward Caspers Regional Park. Everything seems to be on a larger scale here--the peaks are taller, the canyons deeper. You will pass some development, but soon you will be above it all and in Cleveland National Forest.

The scenery is breathtaking, but let the passengers do the gawking while you focus on the road. This highway takes some people’s breath away for another reason: Stray off the road more than a few feet in some places, and you are over the edge. From January through May of this year, for example, the CHP handled 41 accidents here, with 45 injuries and one fatality.

“Seldom do you get any minor accidents out there,” Lian says.

There are picnic tables at Lower San Juan campground just this side of the Riverside County line, or you can stop at one of the many turnouts. As long as you have come this far, keep going into Riverside County, at least far enough to look down at Lake Elsinore as you come over the ridge. But pull over first.

From Interstate 5 to the county line, it is about 14 miles of curves.

STATUS: Unlikely to be widened or straightened. The national forest and county park areas adjoining are protected from development.

VOLUME: According to a 1986 Caltrans study, this road is traveled by an average of 4,350 cars each day, with a peak of 560 in one hour. The 55-m.p.h. speed limit here is radar-enforced.

BEST TIME TO DRIVE: “Five years ago I would have told you anytime during the weekend,” Lian says. “Now, I’d say early Sunday morning. Very early.”

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION: At San Juan Hot Springs, a private resort, you can take a dip in a 120-degree tub.

Pacific Coast Highway

Except for a few brief stretches, this isn’t much of a road to drive for driving’s sake. But it does happen to take you along the edge of the continent, so that has to count for something.

From the north end, you’ll get a quick start out of Seal Beach past the Anaheim Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Then it is a long chain of stop lights through Surfside, Sunset Beach and Huntington Harbour. Try not to let your eyes linger on the oil pumps along the coast. After a short respite as you drive past the Bolsa Chica wetlands, you will start stopping for lights again in Huntington Beach and on through Newport Beach and Corona del Mar.

Finally, south of Corona del Mar, the road opens up again as it passes Crystal Cove State Beach. The open hillsides on your left are destined to become the site of a huge resort complex, with the public given access to much of the open space.

This stretch is one of Lian’s favorites. In fact, it is where he comes to unwind when his shift has been particularly difficult. He offers some advice based on his own experience:

“It’s a pretty drive through there, but be aware that you have a 55-m.p.h. straight stretch where the only thing separating you from the oncoming traffic is a double yellow line, and that’s not going to make much difference (in a collision).

“Stay to the right. It gives you a little more time to react. And there’s lots of bicycle traffic out there. Cut them a little room.”

All too soon, you are in Laguna Beach and in for some of the county’s worst traffic, especially on a summer weekend afternoon. But it opens up once more south of town. The highway strays very briefly from the ocean at Dana Point, then goes back to the coast through Capistrano Beach and into San Clemente. The route is about 40 miles.

STATUS: More traffic due, especially as the few remaining open areas are developed. Already four lanes. No plans to widen.

VOLUME: 38,000 average daily volume in 1986, with a peak of 3,050 vehicles an hour, measured at the Laguna Beach northern city limits.

BEST TIME TO DRIVE: A cloudy (but not foggy), chilly weekday.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION: Pick a beach, any beach. Stop long enough to wiggle your toes in the sand, at least.

Laguna Canyon Road

“Driving on that road is my after-work martini,” says a UC Irvine professor who lives in Laguna Beach. Inlanders as well as Lagunatics love to unwind by winding through this beautiful canyon, and that means the road is too often crowded. But you really haven’t driven Orange County until you’ve been here.

Take the Laguna Freeway exit from either the Santa Ana or San Diego freeways and head toward the ocean. Barely past the San Diego Freeway interchange, the freeway fizzles into a country road and begins to curve, gently at first, through rolling hills, then deeper and deeper into the canyon. Huge bare boulders dot the hillsides, and as the canyon walls become steeper, you’d swear you were heading away from the coast, not toward it.

Old-timers (people who go back five years or more) will tell you that this road has already been ruined by development; at the El Toro Road intersection, the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor someday will cut across the countryside. Five years from now, you can look back nostalgically at how beautiful it was in ’88.

From the Santa Ana Freeway to Coast Highway, it is just under 10 miles.

STATUS: The subject of a lot of argument. A plan to widen and straighten the road has met fierce opposition.

VOLUME: In 1986, an average of 32,000 cars daily, with a peak of 2,800 an hour.

BEST TIME TO DRIVE: A winter weekday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Not only is there less traffic, but the canyon walls can be a blinding green after a good rain.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION: Not much reason--or opportunity--to stop until you reach Laguna Beach.

Carbon Canyon Road

At less than 6 miles, this is more of a lunch-hour drive, if you happen to be in the neighborhood. Take Imperial Highway off the Riverside Freeway at Anaheim Hills. Follow Imperial northwest through Yorba Linda and Brea to Valencia Avenue, turn right and right again at Carbon Canyon Road.

You will pass a neighborhood of nurseries and Carbon Canyon Regional Park before the road begins its climb up the canyon. Soon you’ll be looking down at the tips of trees in a canyon floor orange grove, but don’t look too long--the road does have some curves. It also fluctuates up and down as well as from side to side.

Watch out for drivers in a hurry here, and for traffic coming in, not only from the residential streets in Olinda, but from the many small ranches and oil company access roads along the way.

Turn around at the San Bernardino County line or continue on into Sleepy Hollow, a small canyon community with an eclectic mix of houses, some so close to the road that you can almost reach in the windows as you drive by.

STATUS: The road most likely will remain the same while traffic gets worse. “It would be very difficult to widen because of the environmental impact,” Brea’s Seicke says. “You’d almost have to destroy the canyon to widen it.”

VOLUME: An average of 17,000 cars a day, on a road designed to carry 10,000 to 12,000.

BEST TIME TO DRIVE: Midday during the week. Avoid commute hours and late nights. Be on the lookout for drivers who aren’t quite sober. Intoxicated drivers caused 13% of the collisions on the road last year, according to police records.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION: Even if you don’t have time for a massage or a dip in the tub, pull off and take a stroll at La Vida Hot Springs, a private resort in Brea.

Do you flirt on the freeway?

“So many men; so little time,” proclaims the bumper sticker on the red sports car in front of you. And when you pull up next to her, the blonde behind the wheel smiles in a way that says she might be interested in making time for you. You smile back, and the game is on. If you are a freeway flirt, tell us how you make your moves in the fast lane. Does it ever get you anywhere off the road, or does the fun end at the next exit?

Your red car matches your eyes

What kind of car do you drive? Why? What do you think it says about you? Tell us all the details--make, model, color, year, special features. Give us your own theory about how your vehicle expresses your personality. Then we will check with some experts and see what they think.

But officer, I . . .

Have you ever talked your way out of a traffic ticket? What works? What doesn’t? Does it matter whether you are male or female? Tell us about your experiences, then we will check with law enforcement officers to find out how they feel about drivers who try to do a number on them.