bypassing LA - again

[Pat]

Origination is Mesa, destination is northern WA along I-5.  Goal:  Bypassing LA.  Somebody told me today to start west on I-10.  Turn north at Quartzite.  Go through Parker.  Pick up US95 and work my way up to I-40.  Go through Needles and at Barstow pick up 58.  From there I'm familiar with the route.

Question:  Why would it be preferable to do the Parker route north of Quartzite rather than go on to Blythe and take US95 all the way up to I-40?  Seems shorter.


--pat

 

[Ron]

Guess either will work but the California side is not as good of road.

 

[BernieD]

Pat

My recommendation would be to stay on I-10 to between Manning and Bakersfield, CA and take CA-30 north. That will swing west and you would exit at I-215 north. That will merge with I-15 which you can take to Barstow and go west on CA-58.

 

[Carl L]

You have two ways to bypass LA approaching LA from the east on I-10.

1.? The Mojave Desert End Run? Take I-10 past Palm Springs and Banning, CA to San Bernardino.? At SB turn north on to I-215.? Take I-215 north past where it joins I-15 to Barstow.? At Barstow take CA-58 west bound.? [CA-58 has just been freewayed and may not show on your map as a freeway, neverthelless it is.]? ? Head west on CA-58 thru Mojave to Bakersfield.? ?East of Bakersfield you can join I-15.

2.? The Foothill Cut and Run ? For a route that is a bit less deserty and more scenically urban continue east on I10 past San Bernardino to Pomona.? At Pomona turn north on CA-57.? Take CA-57 to I-210 the Foothill Fwy.? Turn west on I-210 and continue on I-210 all the way thru to its end in Slymar where it joins I-5.? ?This is one of the more scenic routes thru the LA conurbation and is particularly spectacular at sunset or on a clear day.? The 210 is the most recently built freeway in LA and averages 5 traffic lanes each way.? ?Even rush hours are not too bad, but on weekends and outside of the 7-9am/4-7pm rush hours it is a 65mph breeze.

 

[Wendy]

On route #1 (Mojave Desert End Run), you can cut off 30 miles by taking US395 north at Hesperia, go north until you hit CA-58 then head west.

 

[Bob Buchanan]

Pat:

>> Question:? Why would it be preferable to do the Parker route north of Quartzite rather than go on to Blythe and take US95 all the way up to I-40?? Seems shorter.
====
Some prefer the CA side, others like the AZ side. I do both when I go that way. I take QZ to Parker, cross the river, then continue north to Needles on the CA side. The AZ side north of Parker is more scenic, but puts you 25 or so miles East of Needles -- and you want to go west.

Another route I would prefer if going on into CA on the 10 would be to take the 30 north (just west of Redlands, CA). Don't continue on to the 215 on the 10. The 30 has "far" less traffic and is newer freeway all the way to the 215 -- which then merges into the 15.

At Cajon Junction, take 138 to Palmdale. At Palmdale take the 14 north thru Lancaster where you will pick up 138 again. Continue west on 138 to Gorman on the 5. That puts you at the top of the Grapevine. If you find yourself going thru Palmdale at rush hour, note the Pearlblossom highway off of 138 just west of Palmdale that will also take you to the 14. A bit longer, but no traffic.

This route is much shorter than taking the 15 all the way to Barstow. It also keeps you south of Mojave and the need to drive down the long downgrade east of Mojave. The Grapevine is steep, but relatively short.

 

[magboiler]

Shortest-(1395 miles):  Mesa to Kingman to Vegas to Elko, to Caldwell, ID to Baker City, OR to La Grande, OR to Pendleton, OR to Yakima, WA to Ellensburg, WA then I90 to Everett, WA  Note...some of roads are state routes and may be questionable.

Next shortest (1590 miles): Mesa to Kingman to Vegas to Salt Lake City then Ogden, UT then Boise ID, the I84, I82 and I90 to Everett.

Probably the best:  (1610 miles): Mesa to Kingman then I40 to Barstow and SR 58 to Bakersfield, then I5 North.

 

[Carl L]

Mojave Desert End Run:  Picking up US395 at Cajon is a reasonable shortcut to CA-58.  I omitted it because I have not run that run myself and it is not freewayed.  I-15 and CA-58 are new and good freeway.

More complex routings are possible but they suffer if the proposed victim is not familiar with them.  Most freeway entrances and transitions are well posted with the stranger in mind.  I try to follow the KISS rule in directions.  (Keep It Simple .... )

I dislike the Grapevine on I-5.  A trailer or a towing motorhome is forced to share the right two lanes with semitrailers.  There are escape chutes on the Grapevine.  That makes me nervous.    Living in LA with I-5, I have to take the Grapevine to get to the western Sierra.  My dislike is, therefore, informed.  ;D

 

[Wendy]

US395 was our usual route from LA back to Death Valley when we lived there. We've done it in a 35-foot 5th wheel, a 24-foot class C, a VW camper van, Toyota PU, Ford Explorer, and the 28-foot Winnebago. Never had a problem except the year of the massive rains and floods. It's some 4-lane and some 2-lane, decent road.

As for the Grapevine, I'm with you on disliking that road. Makes some of our Colorado passes look like flatland.

 

[Carl L]

As for the Grapevine, I'm with you on disliking that road. Makes some of our Colorado passes look like flatland.

If you think the Grapevine is bad, and as I said I do, try my usual route to and from points east.  I take the I-10 darn near right to its end in the Pacific.  I drive inbound on the 10.  At Downtown LA, I have to dog-leg south on the I-5 to the continuation of the 10 about 2 miles south.  The 10 continues on thru the industrial area of downtown, and then with little warning the right most lanes, where I legally require to tow, become the transition to the Harbor Freeway (CA-110).  The leftmost 2-3 lanes continue on I-10.  Therefore, I have to judge my timing to as to violate my lane restrictions the least amount of time in order to make the transition.  The I-10, now the Santa Monica Freeway, immediately widens out to 8 (!) lanes headed west.  Traffic is merging from the right and left.  The right lanes are rapidly shucked off as the freeway shrinks to 5 lanes.  All merging is done at 65mph.  Vehicles towing trailers are restricted to 55mph.  This presents several interesting problems in situational vector analysis.  Especially as the Santa Monica Freeway, to preserve its record as the world's busiest freeway, is never without traffic, heavy traffic.

I am a professional LA commuter.  Don't try this at home.  ;D

 

[Wendy]

Thank you for reminding me why I no longer live in southern California. Used to take me an hour or more to drive 10 miles to work, longer if I stupidly got onto the 605. I can walk from one end of Cortez to the other in less time than that.

 

[John From Detroit]

I went from LA to QZ and back, due to a wrong turn I wound up taking the Blyth route instead of the Parker route

My expierence with the Blyth route was excelent,  Way less traffic than the Parker route  I was very happy with it, Lovely drive

Course if you go the parker route you can gas up at the Flying J just inside of AZ (it's like exit 1 or 2)  No dump station but they got good Gas, Disel and LP

 

[Pat]

JID:  Good succinct comparison of the two new options I'm considering. 

The last few times I've gone from Mesa to the northwest, I've done the I-10, San Bernardino, Mojave, Bakersfield (past Hesperia) route.  I'm looking for (1) change of scenery, and (2) avoiding traffic jams from Palm Springs to San Bernardino. 

Good point about staying in AZ through Parker.  Gas has to be cheaper.  Hadn't thought of that. 

I don't like the Nevada options, which I have tried.  Even my exhausting experiment with the 210 last year was preferable.

Over 1600 miles?  Bummer.  I hate to drive.  I'm definitely hooking up my iPod to its FM transmitter this trip.  I'll listen to a book or two.

Carl:  OK, so I've got this printed.  You say go I-10 to the ocean, turn left, go through downtown LA, stay in the right or left lanes depending on crowd control, and ALWAYS merge at 65.  No, wait, 55.  I'm towing.  It's a good thing I printed the directions.  <g>

Actually, I thought someone's suggestion to walk seemed worth considering.

--pat

 

[Jim Godward]

Wendy,

>>longer if I stupidly got onto the 605.<<

The next time we meet up, we will have to compare notes on the 605.  I spent over 20 years going from Garden Grove to Downey on that road and alternates!  :-((

 

[Carl L]

Carl:? OK, so I've got this printed.? You say go I-10 to the ocean, turn left, go through downtown LA, stay in the right or left lanes depending on crowd control, and ALWAYS merge at 65.? No, wait, 55.? I'm towing.? It's a good thing I printed the directions.? <g>

You forgot my last direction:? I am a professional LA commuter.? Don't try this at home.

I worked at LA City Hall for 33 years.  When I hit the Santa Monica Freeway, I can set the autopilot and catch a nap.

 

[Pat]

Carl:  I'm a professional Chicago commuter.  I far prefer the LA 65 mph merges to the Chicago dead stops.  Notice that I-90, 95, 80, 88 all cram around the bottom of that lake?  It can take an hour to go a few blocks through one of the tollbooths coming west from IN.

--pat

 

[Karl]

Carl,

When I hit the Santa Monica Freeway, I can set the autopilot and catch a nap.

Some people might say you could go into hibernation

 

[Wendy]

The next time we meet up, we will have to compare notes on the 605.? I spent over 20 years going from Garden Grove to Downey on that road and alternates!? :-((

Jim,

We probably passed each other....I used to go from my house in Whittier to my sister's in Garbage, er, Garden Grove. I did learn freeway driving on the 605 and I remember how excited I was to get on the freeway and drive fast....of course, that was the 60s, probably the last time you could go 65 on the 605.