From Bob M

  One of the things you said you would be interested in doing is some
  camping in the desert, so here's a place you can go.  The link below is to
  the MapQuest page for this place.  It's very near a small "hole in the
  road" called Amboy:

  http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&country=CA&popflag=0&latitude=&longitude=&name=&phone=&level=&addtohistory=&cat=&address=&city=Amboy&state=CA&zipcode

  The best route to get there is down I-5 to Oceanside, then east across Hwy
  78 to I-15, then north on I-15 to I-215 which will rejoin I-15 bypassing a
  lot of the metro areas, continue north on I-15 to I-40 at Barstow, then
  East on I-40 to Ludlow, where you'll leave the interstate and pick up old
  Route 66 continuing east past Amboy.  Just past Amboy you'll be looking
  for a side road coming in from the right  (south) called Saltus Rd.  Turn
  right and follow it to just before you cross the railroad tracks.  No more
  than 50 ft. before the railroad crossing if I recall correctly you'll be
  able to turn left onto a dirt access road.  Now the going get's tricky.  I
  don't know what you're driving but I used to drive a Honda CRX and never
  had any trouble as long as I kept my speed up a little going into the
  sandy spots.  You will come to a place where the road goes down into a
  wash, descending maybe 8 to 10 ft below the level of the RR tracks.  There
  are two or three nice level places to set up a tent there.  I usually set
  my tent up right next to the railroad tracks on the west side of the wash,
  but you may want to be across the road to the north to get a little
  further away from the tracks.  They're fairly busy tracks and the traffic
  stays pretty heavy right through the night.

  I recommend taking plenty of water with you.  On the off chance that you
  should get stuck in the sand you ARE close enough to both Amboy and to the
  Saltus salt mining operation to walk to either of them as long as you can
  stay hydrated.

  Ok, on to other sights.  Anza-Borrego Desert State park East of San Diego
  is a good place to camp if you want to camp in an actual Campground and
  the Palm Canyon trail is a really nice Hike.  Here's the link:
  [6]http://www.desertusa.com/anza_borrego/du_abp_camp.html

  There is a great campground for mountain camping.  It's at 9,900 ft. but
  it's not on the map and a little difficult to find.  If you were coming
  back from Amboy on your way down I-15, just a little below the summit of
  Cajon Pass is Hwy 138.  Get off there and go west to Hwy 2, then south
  toward Wrightwood.  Go through Wrightwood to Big Pines.  Here's the
  mapquest link:
  http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&country=CA&popflag=0&latitude=&longitude=&name=&phone=&level=&addtohistory=&cat=&address=&city=Wrightwood&state=CA&zipcode

  Just beyond Big Pines the road forks.  I can't remember if it's an actual
  fork or a "T in from one side or the other.  You're following signs for
  Mt. Baeden-Powell, but you'll be turning off before you get there.  When
  the road comes to what at least appears to be a summit there is a gated
  road "T"-ing in from the left.  The gates stand open except in the
  winter.  Turn left and you're on the right road.  I believe the campground
  is a good 20 minute drive back off the main road and there you will have
  to branch off the road you're on to the left but there will be a sign.  I
  can't recall the name of the campground but I'm pretty sure the sign has
  the word camp in it.

  OK, now about San Diego itself.  Things you definitely want to see are
  Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo and Seaport Village.  Seaport Village is a
  shopping stop.  All of these are right down in the heart of San Diego and
  all are reasonably well marked.

  If you have time, I also recommend Scripps Aquarium, Sea World and Mt.
  Palomar.  Also, if you're interested in historic things, the Mission San
  Juan Capistrano, where the swallows return every year by the thousands is
  very close to San Clemente.  If you're interested in riding a HUGE Tram
  car, drive out to Palm Springs and take the Tram ride up Mt. San Jacinto.
  There's a Restaurant/Bar at the top and a 30 degree Fahrenheit temperature
  difference between the base and the summit.

  If you have any interest in taking a Glider ride let me know by return
  e-mail and I'll tell you how to get out to Sky Sailing where I learned to
  fly gliders.