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What's a sweet road?

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 backroads 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 DayBorrego Highway 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.

Find out what the media says about Weekend Driver San Diego.

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!