[AL]

Roger, who’s telling you these stories. If you get busted for overlength I’ll pay your ticket. 395 runs on the edge of Death Valley. It’s good trucking with some nice little towns on the way up.

Someone always has someone they know that they think got an overlenght ticket. Right now CA has better things to do than stop rich guys driving Liberty’s.

Later

bv

[Archived]

There has to be some reason attention is attracted to you by most law enforcement officers. The number one attention getter is speeding, lane changing no signal, aggressive driving.

Once your stopped all other things come into play…just my opinion

[Archived]

I run highway 395 in my 45′ pulling Jeep GC at least a dozen times a year. It’s really a wonderful, well maintained road through incredible scenery of the Eastern Sierras. Speed limit for vehicles while towing is 55 anywhere in California. I usually set my cruise at 61 to make sure I stay in top gear and have never had a problem in 10+ years of making that run. Note well: The speed limit drops to 25 or 35 when passing through the little towns along the way. I’m sure that traffic tickets is the main revenue source for them. The towns are cute anyway, so just slow down and no problem.

Roads in and out of Death Valley from 395 are doable, but challenging, with tight turns and very steep grades. Best access to Death Valley in a bus while towing is to catch Highway 190 from somewhere on the eastern side of the park if that is an option for you.

p.s.: expect high temps on 395 from Barstow to Bishop, which is most of the way. Over 100 for that entire run is not uncommon on summer days.

Have a great trip!

[Archived]

Forgot to mention, if you need a place to stop and walk around for an hour, Manzanar should not be missed. Small air conditioned museum. The Western Film Museum at the south end of Lone Pine is also pretty neat. It is run by a daughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Both are right on 395.

I think stopping at Manzanar should be mandatory for anyone travelling that road with kids. Really thought-provoking.

[Larry & Diane]

Hammer down Rodger , in 30 years of driving in California I have never been stopped for over length , go the speed limit and no worry , it’s hot down there, Iam in Canada now going east across Canada then to east coast in USA

[Michael]

Thanks a bunch for the feedback. I have not travelled in California with the bus so I really appreciate Big Al taking time from Coach Shopping to respond to my post. That is dedication and a real trooper.

Also thanks to Bernie, Peter, Bryan, et al. This forum sure beats stopping at a gas station and asking for directions. The gas attendant probably couldn’t understand my sourthern Draw.

Now more questions:

(Playing the sightseer and tourist) If I was heading to Reno, Carson City, Lake Tahoe area would the recommendation be to head to Pahrump rather than Barstow- then thru Death Valley (Hwy190) and over to see Dale and Roy Rogers in Manzanar (my wife still sings Happy Trails to our youngest Grand Girl).

Is there a recommended route from 395 into Sequoia to see the big trees and and or Yosemite?

And suggestions for must see stops. There could be up to 4 buses running together on this run. With lots of Metamucil!! Need to stop in Knoxville to get Geritol wholesale.

[Corey]

Roger, sounds like an awesome trip. You can hit all those places if you have a few days, but it’s not easy. The Sierras are 11,000 to 14,000 feet and both Yosemite and Sequoia national parks are on the other side from highway 395. There are only a few passes, sometimes 200 miles apart, and they are very challenging for a bus. You may want to make a day trip to Yosemite with your toad or enter the parks from the West off I-5. You will need your toad to get into Yosemite Valley anyway, where the most famous attractions are.

Highway 120 over Tioga Pass will take you from 395 at Lee Vining to Yosemite. The pass tops out at about 10,000 feet and the road is very narrow. It has many tight curves that will probably put you over the centerline. I have never driven it in my bus and don’t think I would want to. But I strongly encourage you to go this way in a car. Tioga is jaw droppingly gorgeous. It literally brings tears to my eyes every time I drive it. The road passes through the northern part of Yosemite, including Tuolme Meadows, which is beautiful. You can enter Yosemite Valley from 120, but only in a car.

There is a grove of sequioas adjacent to Yosemite, but if you want to see the really majestic groves you need to go to Sequioa NP, which is south of Yosemite, also on the western flank of the Sierras. Again, there is no easy way to get there from 395. From Tioga Pass going south, the next place to cross the Sierras is Highway 178, near Ridgecrest, about 200 miles south.

You also cannot get directly to Death Valley from highway 395 in your rig. Highway 190 is length limited (40 feet) from 395 toward Death Valley. You can get into Death Valley from the south by heading north from Ridgecrest through Trona on Panamint Valley road, and then east on 190. There are some tricky spots, but I’ve done it in the bus while towing my car. Still, the prefered entrance to Death Valley with a long rig is Highway 190 from the east.

Sorry for the boring travelogue. Maybe you can guess that I’m pretty passionate about the eastern Sierra region.

p.s.: Caltrans has a map showing allowed and disallowed routes for big rigs. Google “45′ Bus & Motorhome Map” (Sorry, I never figured out how to ad a link to a post here.)

[Chas]

It’s a nice drive, really scenic. There are some good overnight parking spots, on the twisty part past just after Lee Vining are some nice big spots to pull off the road and lake view parking, no one ever bothers me.