Ride from SF to LA on 5

Construction can be a problem on any route. I drove up to the Bay Area
last month and got caught on I-5 in a 45 minute delay where they had
removed large chunks of pavement , perhaps to wire the road. Coming
back, I took 101 and got a warning sign near Nippomo that there were 60
minute delays due to construction, so I cut through Cuyama and came down
33. Here's the best source of current information:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/

Rich, Urban Biker

 

I5 is better for going beyond LA because the routes around it are on the
east side. Under the best of conditions 1 is the most pleasant route,
but 101 is a fair compromise, particularly when the coast is socked in
or when it becomes an RV crawl.

Rich, Urban Biker

 

I still haven't gotten used to all those non-New Yorkers who insist on
waiting "in line". ;-}

It's a regionalism. I live about 1/2 mile east of the 5, you live about
90 miles west of I-5. In defense of the SoCal nomenclature, it erases
the meaningless distinction between Interstate, Federal , State and
County highways. The 15, for example, starts near National City and
runs on past Las Vegas. South of Interstate 8, it's a state road with a
green sign. North of there, it is part of the Interstate highway
system. The distinction is important to taxpayers, but not to motorists.

Would that there were one. You can choose between the chore of
fighting boredom on I-5 or congestion on 101 through the San Fernando
Valley. Name your poison.

Rich, Urban Biker

 

I did that route. It is great - HWY 25 from Holluster down to 198
hardly has any cars on weekdays. If you choose this route, go early
morning as it heats up pretty well in the afternoon.

PASHNIT has a cool route from BA to LA - after 25, head toward the coast.

 

I just got back yesterday from the Bay area. I went straight up 5 to the
San Rafael bridge and then on to Stinson Beach. There are gas stations
aplenty along 5, even in the San Joaquin valley, so you should be okay
there. Do stop at all the rest stops, take a walk, drink some water. All
the rest stops have shade and vending machines. A quart of Gator Ade
will spiff you right up!

As far as triple digits go, I can't help you there. I get speed wobbles
over 80, and so cruised 75 the whole way up. CHP has offices in
Buttonwillow, and I saw several CHPs with people pulled over, both bike
and car officers. Note, some of the CHP cars are ALL WHITE. If your mind
is set for spotting the panda cars, fagettaboutit.

Also, the ride home yest was FRIGGIN HOT! I had my jacket slots open for
air flow, but it wasn't much help. And you have to wear a jacket...there
are these big friggin bugs that I wouldn't want squishing on me.
It was hot. It was gusty winds going through some parts of the valley.
My butt was sore, my shoulders ached, my throttle hand cramped up into a
claw...but 15 minutes of wandering the rest stop and having a cool drink
helped a lot. But then, I'm all old and shit.

I left at 7 am, so traffic wasn't bad until I hit LA. 5 is narrow and
the traffic jams up, but it cleared fairly well once out of the city. It
was smooth sailing until I hit San Diego rush hour, and by then I was in
no mood to sit in traffic, so split lanes until traffic started moving
again.

Happily, the important thing is, the salmon I caught in Bolinas and
froze, packed in bubble wrap and blue freezie thingies made it home in
good shape! But that's another story...

barbz

 

CHP crawls all over I5. Not only do they have some all-white cars,
they also have some camaros I believe, complete with lightbars which
are only about 1 cm tall. If you see what looks like a sports-car
with a roof-rack, slow down!

One other alternative if you are going to hit LA during rushhour is to
cut inland through the Antelope Valley. It takes longer distance, the
terrain is really spooky (as are some of the flying things, I did the
drive a couple years back in my car and saw a stealth bomber, wheels
down, flying circles over the desert), but you get to avoid La-La
land.

 

CHP crawls all over I5. Not only do they have some all-white cars,
they also have some camaros I believe, complete with lightbars which
are only about 1 cm tall. If you see what looks like a sports-car
with a roof-rack, slow down!

One other alternative if you are going to hit LA during rushhour is to
cut inland through the Antelope Valley. It takes longer distance, the
terrain is really spooky (as are some of the flying things, I did the
drive a couple years back in my car and saw a stealth bomber, wheels
down, flying circles over the desert), but you get to avoid La-La
land.
[/QUOTE]

Done that. It can backfire as 15 and 215 can get badly jammed, and you
do have to deal with the desert heat.

Rich, Urban Biker

 

WHAT?!?!?!?!!?

If you're heading to LA via I5 on a motorcycle and detour through
Antelope Valley you must (by law) take Angeles Crest (and/or Angeles
Forest) through the mountains. Those are some of the sweetest
motorcycling roads in CA. If you pass through Palmdale (and
Pearblossom) and go all the way down to Victorville and take I15 into LA
you should sell you bike.

You pop out of the mountains into La Canada - and are two blocks from my
Mother's house - go head on over for a visit, try her apple pie. But
mind the dawgs - they have furniture privileges.

 

If I knew that apple pie rather than Apple Valley was the result of that
detour, I'd certainly have taken it, though it doesn't solve the problem
of how to get from the Bay Area to San Diego without getting stuck in LA
traffic.

Rich, Urban Biker

 

Well, if you time it right, you can go through LA on a reverse-commute.
Additionally, So Cal traffice isn't too bad on a bike: LA drivers seem
more accomodating to lane-splitters than Bayaryans are. I once split
all the way from Santa Barbara to Oxnard averaging 45mph - in fact, I
got *passed* by two bikers who wanted to split even faster.

 

No one will argue that the 5 is a mess (especially where it is called
The Santa Ana Freeway) but instead of taking the 5 all the way, why not
split off on the 210, over to the 15 or 215 and on down to Sandy Eigo?.
There are car pool lanes for most of the stretches which bog down, so
it is swift moving on a bike even during rush hour.

It *has* to be faster than the Pearblossom highway...

 

I5 > I10 > I710 > I405 > I5

 

Where the hell is this "frisco" place? You must mean fresno.

but here in San Francisco - yeah, but of ass hat drivers.
I just breath and presume they are stoned.

When I was aiding people learning to drive near boston (where we KNOW
how to drive* - we just don't show it), I taught folks to presume that
they don't see you.

In SF, I tell folks to presume they don't see you, but they sense you
and will change lanes randomly to try to kill you.

chuck
----------------------

*Boston. You come in over the bridge and are put in the left lane of a
5 lane wide highway. You have 1/5 mile to get to the RIGHT side to get
to your exit. if you miss you exit, you must go to Rhode Island to turn
around and try again.

Momma taught me to use the mirrors. She's quiz me:
"Don't look, I'm watching your eyes. if you moved 1 lane right,
would you hit anyone?"
Yes
"what"
A big blue car whose nose is at my rear tire.
"Good".

You don't turn and make eye contact; they'll accelerate. Instead you
accelerate, signal (mom was good) and turn.

You have more latitide if you've spotted that they have a New Hampshire
or Ohio plate. You needn't acelerate, just feint right and they cringe
and slow.

My Palo Alto born and raised downstairs neighbor went to Boston for
school. Came back from an apt hunt visit and had a beer. "so what did
you think about driving there? Hows storrow drive?"

HOLY CRAP MAN! WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE ROTARIES ABOUT! They're all insane!

And yes, if tourists knew bostonians could drive, we'd never be
able to change lanes and make our turns. I go back, borrow a friend's
EX500 and just soar! People know how to merge (even against the will
of the mergee) and assert themselves.

Freaking Berkeley drivers.... Oh, a merge is coming in 200'. I'd
better slow WAY down!

 

Wow. That takes you through some of the worst stretches of LA freeways.
The I5/I10 is part off the E. LA interchange - if you will brave that
why bother cutting down the 710 to the 405?

Besides, there is much more traffic along the coast than in the
foothills. trust me I5>I210>I15 is a faster route.