When should we check out of Southern California for Palo Alto this weekend, given the 3 storms that are on the road?
We need to be surrounded by Palo Alto by Tuesday Jan 7. We plan to drive 405 North to I-5 through Gorman and Lebec, then pocket Pacheco Pass road to Highway 101 to Palo Alto. The National Weather Service predicts heavy precipitation starting Thursday night. We have originally planned to depart on Saturday but heavy precipitation is predicted. I am not packed right immediately, so I would have to motivate. I am the Mom and we will travel contained by a minivan with two toddlers on the bus, so I do not want to get stuck within long lines of traffic, and we hope to arrive safely.
Any direction you can offer is appreciated.
Answers:
Stay off I-5! That is the traffic preserve from hell. There will be snow. there will be lots of cars and citizens getting in accident.
Go up 101 all the style. Or use Hwy 1, my favorite. A much nicer drive, with more places to stop. The difference surrounded by travel time is very small. And you and the kids will approaching the coast much more than the barren valley and big trucks falling over.
Or better however, just stay home because of the weather.
Call the CHP phone string. I don't know the number, but there are updated traffic advisories.
And be sure you plan to enjoy enough hose down, juice, food, blankets, etc incase you do draw from stuck somewhere.
hmmmmm, I would think this would be a not difficult 2 light of day drive even with kids, stops, rainfall and going a moderate speed.and it looks like you've get 3 days.
The tricky bit in this trip will be going up over I-5. Also, I'm wondering if you want to bring 2 days or one. Finally, I've found that a good trick when traveling beside toddlers is to leave surrounded by the evening, and drive for a few hours. That way they plummet asleep and stay asleep, rather than requiring constant attention.
If you want to do this trip over a couple days, after you can take 101 and not even verbs about the snow surrounded by Gorman. You can start in the evening, spend the darkness around Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, or even further. Then you can go to Palo Alto the following daytime. Normally, I'd recommend some REALLY fun parks along the way for diversion for the kids, similar to Alameda Park in Santa Barbara: Take 101, exit Laguna/Garden St, and nick Garden Street north about a mile. The park is on the departed. To get final on 101, turn left on Arellaga Street from Garden, and you can procure back on 101. Or a stop contained by Monterey would be really fun, where the kids can play at Dennis the Menace Playground contained by El EsteroPark (just off Del Monte and Aguajito), or at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
If you want to walk in one speedy shot, your best bet it to leave tomorrow morning after morning rush. Obviously, you don't want to be stuck surrounded by traffic with fussy toddlers. The 405 will be pretty busy, so you can count on some traffic in attendance. Hopefully you can make it as far as Bakersfield until that time you stop. If not, there's a McDonald's with a play nouns at Gorman. Better bundle up for that. There's another group of restaurants at the base of the Grapevine, if you don't want to gain out at Gorman. Kettleman City is the halfway point, which have all the usual promptly food places.
Pacheco Pass Road is a pretty good route... another route to consider is Lost Hills Road (highway 46), which will embezzle you over the hills to Paso Robles. However, the longer you can stay on I-5, the better, since it's a faster route and you enjoy toddlers.
Good luck!
The storms are predicted to be HUGE. If also cold, there could be snow, and the Gorman-Lebec surpass could be snowed in and closed. In that skin, leave by 2 pm tomorrow, as I hear the storm would begin tomorrow tardy afternoon. The report I heard predicted rainfall right thorugh the weekend, so if you cannot get out ahead of the storm, later I think I'd dawdle and leave Monday and bring back to Palo Alto on Tuesday on schedule.
However, I do not know how things work at the Pacheco Pass, singular the So Cal part.
Good luck. You really do not want to be stuck beside that little precious cargo!
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