After the rediscovery of the Camino de Santiago in the 1970s, it was realized that a similar pilgrimage route, the Via Francigena, also existed in Italy. As had happened for the Spanish Way, the Francigena route also lay partly under the asphalt of the motorways and state roads which, over time, had followed the route of what had already been the main roads of the Middle Ages and the Roman.

route update 1/29/23 per Stanislav:

One comment that I wanted to make is that since this route is called Thrilla, which is a well known cycling route (for example see https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/4057064/thrilla-in-woodinvilla), perhaps it would be the best to stick to the classic route in Redmond Watershed. There are 3 possible ways through Redmond Watershed, and the classic Thrilla route goes through the central Pipeline trail.

This loop is sort of a hidden gem with not many other trails, let alone FKTs, that are very close by. Start the route at the trailhead, not the parking lot where you pay. The trailhead can be accessed through a 0.5 mile long paved road through the campground, perfect for a short warmup. Once you arrive at the trailhead, take the Dripping Springs Trail all the way to Palomar Divide Road (it’s more of a merge than a trail change, and more of a singletrack than a road). Follow Palomar Divide to the Wildhorse Trail, then descend this.