I-5 from L.A. to Sacramento

“Any cool sites to see along the way?”

“Sight seeing? I'd get off of I-5 and get on the coastal highway, US 1, I believe. San Juan Capistrano, Monterey, Carmel (Ana Nuevo Seashore Park), Pebble Beach..... Hearst Castle....”

“Hey, Biz. I live in Sacramento, and that drive on 5 is pretty much boring. Once you get north of Sacramento, it turns nice, up toward Redding.

I'm headed up that way this weekend in fact, to Castle Crags wilderness on the PCT for a night or two.”

“The Tehachipis are a majestic mountain range that you'll cross just before you drop into the central valley where you'll have to stop for the views of that garden spot known as Coalinga. As you wind your way north along the eastern side of the Coastal Mountain Range you will have ocassional views of the most massive waterway in the state - the California Aqueduct. After a couple hundred miles you drop down off the eastern slopes onto the valley floor you will have an up close and personal experience with the quaint bay area bedroom communities of Tracy, Stockton (a great harbor community!), etc. all the way to Sackatomatoes.



Pedal to the metal all the way!”

“Pathman is right! #1 is a GREAT way to go, unless you get car-sick. Did the route and had a passenger who got REALLY sick--lots of ups, downs and curves. Didn't enjoy seeing her barf through my rear-view mirror! Talk about projectile vomitting! |-<”

“Oops, I was thinking of the drive on 99 north to Sacramento. That one is flat out dull (and Bakersfield depresses me) I've never taken I5 all the way from LA. Sorry!”

“Mile after mile of mile after mile all the way to the horizon.

That stretch of highway is what they invented cruise control, A/C, and CD players for.

Actually, it's great for books on tape (from the public library) if you are behind on your reading.”

“I don't drive that way much. Hwy 395 is nice. There's a book called "Driving along Hwy 395" (I'll have to check on the title) and has all kind of stops (historical stops, hot springs, side trips) between Lone Pine and Bridgeport. Then there's more stuff along the way. I drove that way for the Lassen New Years Backpack, and came back on the 5 or 99 (it WAS pretty boring). If you go via 395, send a e-mail. I can type/scan the points of interest from my book.”

“Coming to Sacto Biz? I'll take ya out for a beer...

If farm fields and dust is your thing, there's plenty of that along the 5.”

“Oh yeah. And the fressssssshhhh air at Harris Ranch. Great steak tho. Still quivering...”

“Ohhhhhhh Yeahhhhhhhh! I remember holding my breath through that section!”

“Yeah, fresh air... Fresh from the butts a thousand cattle. Seriously, they stretch to the horizon, and smell like they're in the car with you.”

“Now that's a lot of jerky.”

“The only way to handle I-5 is with some good books on tape.”

“Hey pepperDog- are you going to getting off that I-5 and heading over to I-80 to I-15 to I-90 for Montanapalooza?”

“"Now that's a lot of jerky."
BaSO4
04/12/02

I'll be drooling the whole way”

“LOL!!!! Biz!”

“Once you get past the "Grapevine", I-5 is one of the straightest, flattest, and most boring highways in the nation. There is nothing worth stopping for anywhere between LA and Sac. It is all farms and orchards.”

“Hey, how about the Garlic Festival in Gilroy? You can't tell me that isn't cool. Garlic icecream, yum yum.
You can't take Highway 1 that far unless you plan on putting an extra 2,000 miles on your car and a new set of tires.”

“Hmmm, I think I-94 across E. Montana-N.Dakota takes the boredom award. Before cruise control I used to jam a long screwdriver down on the accelerator with the other end behind the ash tray. I could drive that way for a whole tank of gas.”

“Dunadan - Gilroy is miles from I-5. Also, I found the Garlic Festival pretty hot, dusty, and boring (kinda like I-5).

Aero - I haven't decided if I will try to drive to Montana or not. Nevada is just about as bad as I-5 from Sac to LA and I might cough up the dough to fly. Where are you?

Biz - If you are carnivoriously inclined, Harris Ranch can't be beat!”

“Bovines beware!!!!”

“pepperDog- I'm in Billings. It's about 9 hrs. drive from Salt Lake to here and it looks like about another 9 to Sac.

Horizon had some good deals in our paper yesterday; $238 round trip to Sacramento.”

“Pepperdog, I did the trip from Billings to L.A. and L.A. to Billings on a Greyhound. It was insane, but I think that had much more to do w/ the bus then the drive. If you can't find a cheap flight, just go for it.”

“I thought driving from Pomona to Santa Monica was insane!!”

“Let me tell you. I saw some crazy-a$$ #&%!$ on that ride. The mother lode of freaks got on in Las Vegas. However, we missed our return bus and had to wait 8 hrs. in the L.A. Greyhound station for the next one. I believe that the freaks live there and make commutes to Vegas.”

“don't you be knockin' gilroy now....

as an ex gilroy guy i can tell you without hesitation that the best time to see gilroy is NOT during the garlic festival....do yourself a favor and take a drive some sunday afternoon in early autumn and check out the many GREAT small family owned wineries in the hecker pass and pacheco pass areas....or you could cross the mountains over to watsonville and go to a GREAT beach at pajaro dunes....

or drive to santa cruz for a day at the beach and boardwalk....

or drive to castroville and load up on artichokes....

ride your motorcycle up to big basin through the redwood trees....




i am sitting here listening to "ventura highway" by america and thinking that although ohio is a great place to raise a family, i guess i do miss livin' in the golden state (sometimes)....”

“If you want to camp along the way, the beach side state parks in Redwood country, getting close to the SF Bay area are very nice.”

“as it has been put before I-5 is for speed, US1 is for neat stuff... I fill my CD changer with good loud driving music and FLYYYY up there.... First time I did it was in 1989 for a WHO concert in Oakland!”

“I-5...drive it at night and you won't see what you won't miss.”

“We always take 99 instead of I-5. Use I-5 if you want to just want to get there fast. Of course, if you have the time, the coastal route is worth doing.

Do you have time for side trips? (e.g., Sequoia or Yosemite)”

“I was just on the hwy 65 stretch between Monterey and Salinas and the area aroun the Toro Park hills is alive with Lupin. Several painters parked along the road with their easles and stools capturing the moment. Just green hills with big purple splotches of lupin. Really breathtaking. Oh yea throw in a white Charlamain(sp.)cow sitting in the purple.I passed in my truck with no time to stop and smell the roses...er..Lupin.”

“Biz ...I live in the central valley... it's pretty much as described above. You might want to zig zag a little and catch the 101 and part of the 1 or stay on the eastside of the Sierras on 395 til you get up north.”

“Get a nice steak at Harris ranch, if you like beef...”

“.....the meat that can't be beat.


One of these days I would like to ride those highways, #1 & #101, on a motorcycle......again!

Speakin' of Phaedrus, its time for me to read "Zen......"......again!”

“riding down 101, south of gilroy, north of salinas, there is a huge grove of eucalyptus trees that i can remember rolling into on a midsummer day that was like a dark, mint scented oasis that momentarily interrupted the scorching golden panorama....”

“Just put the cruise on 95 until you get to Oregon. Most of CA is boring.”

“Ya'll were right, that drive was pretty boring. On the way back I think I'll check out the coastal route and maybe stop at Sequoia or Yosemite. Keep posting suggestions!

thanks!”

“I assume you are still travelling.

Are you posting from public libraries or what?”

“no I reached my destination (Portland). But I have to go back in two weeks.

Ü”

“The state parks around Mendocino/Ft Bragg are nice. Drive down through Lassen, Redwood etc. too.”

“Ain't much cooler than driving cross country. Just gotta pick the right roads.

Enjoy, I'm envious.”

“Did that route in an 18 wheeler a few times. I'd rather eat a bullet. CA enforces a 55 mph speed limit for anything over 26,000 lbs. and 5 axles or more. Gave me an impression of what eternitity must feel like in hell. Speaking as someone who can usually run around 78 mph without fear of being stopped. Oregon is the same way. Talk about hell on wheels.”

“Most of the big rigs I see the on the road are easily doing 70 most of the time...”

“Ft. Bragg area is really great. There is a restaurant in up there called the Somoa Cookhouse (at least that's what I think it was called)... it used to be the cookhouse for the lumberjacks. You pay by your age, there is a posted menu and you sit at big picnic tables and they bring out big bowls of food and you take what you want... good place to STUFF YOURSELF”

“I think this might be whale time in the Ft Bragg area, too. I can't remember. In either Ft. Bragg or Mendocino there is a restaurant/cafe with a deck for whale watching.”

“Looks like the whale season is November to April. Might catch the tail end.”