[Archived]

How about picking up the 210 N of the valley and heading east to the 15? Did the trip a few years ago and seemed (slightly) less nose-to-tail than the 5 which seemed bad 24/7.

Only my prespective as a tourist so someone local may have a better suggestion?

[Larry]

Hey Larry,

I just wrote a long winded route around LA going north, my bad. 210 is ok but where are you coming from.

Makes a big difference.

Later

bv

[Corey]

Bernie, I will be coming down I 5 from Marathon in Coburg.

Thanks

[Dawn]

Ha, I didn’t need to erase my 1st post.

You do not want to go over the Grapevine anymore, the road is awfull. Trust me on this Larry, it is the lesser of 2 evils.

P/u 99 South out of Sacramento down to Bakersfield and go 58 East to the 395 South to the 15 South into San Diego.

You have a couple of bad spots but nothing like dealing with the Grapevine and bad road. Coming down Cajon when you get on the 15 has construction and is conjested but ok.

When we go home to the desert from the north that’s the only way we go anymore.

You coming back to Montana this year?

Later

bv

[Bernie]

Thanks Bernie for the heads up, I HATE rough roads!! That is part of the route we take going to AZ.

We do plan to come back to MT., for a longer visit this Summer, I’m sure you will be there monitoring the park from your high vantage point.

[Archived]

Good deal Larry.

I didn’t want to overload you but when you get to the bottom of Cajon Pass the 15 will veer right and the 215 will veer left. Go on 215 thru Riverside and Perris, it runs you back on the 15.

It’s a little better, you’ll see on your map.

See you in the summer.

Later

bv

[Brian]

Larry, since there is no way to avoid rough roads around LA, my advice is to take the shortest route through and get it over with. Bernie is right that the Grapevine is jacked up in places due to a mudslide in November, but it is not too bad southbound. I just ran the route last week and it was not good, but OK. US 395 and I 15 have bad spots also, plus 395 is just 2 lanes for a long way and I15 has the largest population of stupid drivers I’ve ever encountered. If it was me, I would stay on the 5, and take the 405 through LA. The 405 is congested, but the road is in good condition for most of the run. As you know, it connects back into the 5 in Orange County.

[Archived]

Bryan

You just ran him thru the busiest corridor in the United States. I have been going around LA for 4o years and I wouldn’t go that way unless it was a last resort.

When your still sitting in the Sepulveda Pass, I’l be in San Diego.

Larry, a truck driver and a lawyers opinion. I rest my case.

Later

bv

[Steve]

Hey Guys

As I just moved from LA to Missouri, and grew up in LA traffic, I agree with taking the shortest route, but the key to LA traffic is timing. If you can get to the bottom of the grapvine by 11:00 AM and don’t stop for a break until you are in Orange County you should NOT hit any traffic and you’ll make great time. The 5 gets a little tight (3 lanes) in the Santa Fe Springs portion, but then should open up. So between 11:00 and 3:00 is the sweet spot.

If you can’t hit this window, then I would take the 58 hightway East through Tehachapi to the 15 south. Its two lanes each way and has some steepness to it. But once you hit the desert floor you should be good.

The 210 fwy which I lived near my entire life, is great. The most recent addition to that freeway starts in San Dimas, and it is very smooth,open and runs fast. But again, timing is important on the 210 as well. There is a short cut once you get to the bottom on the 5 south at the 14 hwy interchange. Once you starting see the freeway signs for the 14 interchange, get over to the right ASAP. The transition from the 5 to the 210 (San Fernando) is short and people carry alot of speed into it. If that worries you then take the truck route to avoid it. Take the 210 east (San Fernando fwy) this is far less traveled fwy that is a nice run that will dump you right into Pasadena (210 fwy east San Bernadino) And if you don’t hit the sweet spot, that where the traffic will start for the next 40 miles.

[Archived]

Now I know why traffic in LA is so messed up because people will continue to drive into it.

58 to to 15 is adding 70 miles to the trip. 395 south out of Boron to the 15 from 58 is 42 miles of 2 lane with passing lanes and pullouts. Only locals drive it. It’s a good road.

Your timing coming off the Grapevine is flawed. If you go that way 11pm is more like it.

After the Grapevine beating the shit out of you coming thru the north end of the valley is awfull then get to the 101 and hope. Then deal with the Sepulveda Pass, then LAX, then the south bay curve, then Long Beach, then Orange County and now the El Toro Y, oh joy.

Lets get thru Carlsbad and sit until we get to Del Mar then move a little and then hit San Diego traffic going in.

The route I gave Larry is 40 miles longer but as in everything else there are opinions. I will leave the routing to you experts.

Later

bv

[Chuck n Joanne]

Bernie is right. I charge by the hour, not by the mile so perhaps I have a different mindset. Still, i really do value my time. I drive the 405 because it is my most direct route home. LA traffic can usaully be predicted. As an example, today I drove my bus pulling my car from Castaic to Anaheim for service via 5 and 405. It took me 68 minutes to go 52 miles leaving Castaic at 7:30 a.m. Of course today is holiday and traffic was light. Rush hour on a weekday would be much worse and I would not have chosen to make the trip then. But mid-day on a weekday would be about the same. Since I was towing my car I couldn’t use the HOV lane, which woul have made my trip even quicker. Anybody heading that way with nothing in tow can use the HOV the entire length of the 405 now.

[Bill]

Bernie have you drove 58 since the mud slides???

[david]

Yes Sir, day after it opened at sunrise.

I was clean and worried I’d get the bus filfthy from dust and mud. Not a trace of anything.

Only way we could tell where it came down was from a couple dozers off to the side.

Later

bv

[Archived]

When I travel I always go the way you said , just had not traveled 58 since slides , go the way Bernie said but when you come down l-5 at Bakersfield take the seven standard road over to 99 it’s better than the other way

[Archived]

Your talking about cutting off 5 to 99 north of Buttonwillow on 7th Standard Rd. That’s fine if you want to run 320 miles of the most boring road in CA, the Central Valley.

I cut off at Sacramento and run thru the Tulle to stay awake, I can’t drive 60 mph in a straight line that long.

Later

bv