I’m looking at the time and realizing it has been 12 hours, almost to the minute, since we rolled onto Interstate Highway 5 this morning. And although we logged nearly 650 miles we are not where we thought we’d be at this time.
Highway 5
But back-up, last night as we watched the evening news we paused the show and I traced my finger (on the t.v. screen) along the route we had hoped to take across Nevada, Utah, Colorado and beyond and discovered that Mother Nature and her nephew Jack Frost were wreaking havoc right where we hoped to land, Arches National Park near Moab, UT.
Now, here’s the thing, we’re not afraid of cold weather, but there comes a time when you have to heed the warning and call it a day. According to my friend, Mike who lives in Reno, NV, we made the right call as he described the weather as miserable.
As a result, this morning instead of heading east we drove due south, nearly the entire length of the state of CA. Ashland is just 15 miles north of the CA/OR and we are now in Santa Clarita for the night.
Photo credit: I5California.com
The Length of Hwy 5
You may be thinking why would they drive so far in one day, but if you’ve ever driven Highway 5, you know of what I speak when I say Highway 5 is long, straight, boring, smelly and mind-numbing. But, it is also the most direct path from point A to point B. We have driven the length of CA (or portions thereof) more times than I care to count and actually, the last time we made the drive from San Jose to Ashland, I swore it would be the last time. But thanks to Mother Nature and her nippy nephew, here we are again. It was a l-o-n-g day, but we wanted to just get it out of the way. The perk of the day though is that we are back in the land of In N Out!
If you’ve been – you understand
East on Interstate 10
So even though we are not where we thought we’d be at the end of day 1, in the morning we’ll awaken to the happy fact that Hwy 5 is behind us and we can be on our way east, via Interstate Hwy 10. When we get to Texas, we’ll decide (actually Mother Nature will decide) if we can then pick up our original route by heading northeast or continue along our southern way.
At the end of the day, it’s all good and that’s one of the things I love about an epic road trip; you just never know…
Instagram Feed
I was fascinated about reading this – First of all I thought heading down the West coast you’d be in sight of Yosemite – not a long endless plain!! 🙁
And I’m now even more surprised to hear you say Hwy 20 is as bad or worse than Hwy 5!
I’ve now checked out a map and see there’s quite a bit of zigging and zagging required to stay in view of the “pretty” bits en route 😉
Our Aussie outback roads can feel pretty endless at times – But the expansiveness of nothing kind of makes up for that!
Linda ~ Journey Jottings recently posted…Why Turn Your Travels into a Scrapbook?
Yes, Linda, both CA and TX are such large states that there are vast areas where there isn’t much going on! Thanks so much for reading and following along.
Yup! I hear what you are saying. There are just some drives done so many times that you begin to despise them. I-84 to Idaho is on of those for us. I hope that things are starting to look up and you are able to go back to plan A. Happy travels!
Kerri recently posted…Taking Your Child to Auschwitz and Birkenau
Today I discovered that Hwy 20 across west Texas is probably as bad if not worse than Hwy 5 that runs the length of CA! O.M.G., what a long day! Thanks so much for continuing to follow, Kerri. Enjoy Greece!
My stepfather and his brother always called Hood Franklin Rd (between Sac and Stockton) on I-5 to be the center of universe. Absolutely nothing there or in site. I’m all too familiar with drive in the northern part of the state. I was sure thinking of you two Wed morning and you choose wisely to divert from Reno. It will be the same here tonight and tomorrow. Driving will not be advised for the public. I’m not an In N Out fan despite how hard my buddies have tried but if you mention Fatburger I’ll buy!! 🙂
Mike recently posted…How To Make The Best Gourmet Chicken Salad Sandwich
We’ve never been to Fatburger, so someday we’ll take you up on that! We are really glad we changed course, thanks for thinking of us!
I know exactly where you stopped for those burgers and fries. It’s the one bright spot on the whole drive. I will think warm thoughts for you.
Turns out there are more bright spots. I know you’re thinking of the spot in Kettleman City, but we found another one near Sacramento, which was most pleasing as we were hungry and wouldn’t have made it to KC. 😉 Thanks for the warm thoughts, we’re going to need them.
The start of a trip is always exciting, even if it does involve hours of driving boredom – can’t wait to hear more and I hope the weather lets you get off those boring roads!
Amy recently posted…Exploring Waterfalls at Erawan National Park
Yes, the preparation for a big trip is huge, but hopefully well-worth the effort and hopefully the weather will cooperate! Thanks for following along Amy!
Hey! I10 comes right by me in Texas. Are you planning to visit Texas Hill Country?! San Antonio?? Let me knw…I’ve spent the past 5 months learning the area which translates to….best food!!!
We Finally Bribed People to Visit http://www.lifewithjynx.com/2013/11/we-finally-bribed-people-to-visit.html
jennifer Fleck recently posted…Boredom Sets In
Not sure Jennifer, weather is dictating this journey but we do have hopes of visiting San Antonio. Thanks for letting me know!
I so dislike I5 thru the San Juanquin Valley. Boring! But sometimes weather dictates which way the road trip goes. Winter is even here in central AZ with possible snow by the weekend. Stay south and hope for the best. 16 days gives you plenty of time without so many long hours on the road.
Gaelyn recently posted…Beaches and birds at West Coast National Park South Africa
Ah…someone who understands the mind-numbing Hwy 5! Yes, we’re watching the weather reports as we travel on. Thanks for reading, Gaelyn.
Uh oh. The weather in Texas isn’t looking so great either. Do you take turns driving? How long were you planning to take to get to DC?
Suzanne Fluhr (Boomeresque) recently posted…Passports with Purpose 2013 – Donate to Help Build Schools in Mali (And You Might Win Cool Prizes Too!)
Sadly, the weather isn’t looking too great anywhere, but the forecast for Moab, UT was 21 degrees and up to 3′ of snow, so 40 – 50 degrees is a big step up! We gave ourselves about 16 days to get to D.C. so we have plenty of time. Yes, we take turns driving but I usually end up driving a bit more each day because Abi can read, write, sleep, whatever while riding in the car whereas I get car sick really easily. The only thing I can do is sit and look out the window. 😉