Driving LA: Ash. Smog. Traffic.

September 9, 2009

This was not a fun trip! We camped in Acton with a plan to cut through mountains to I-15 and skirt Las Angeles. More research was needed. The camp cashier said, “I think there’s still a fire over there.”

So I put in a call to CHP –the Erik Estrada CHiPs of younger years. The gentleman there, not Erik, said, “There are so many reasons not to take a 40ft. trailer on that road, fire is only 1!” His recommendation: CA-14 to I-5 to I-210 to I-15. The CHP advice really was good. We saw smoke billowing from the north and east for the entirety of I-210. We had to wonder how people continue to live in area prone to fire on such a regular basis.

LA is the only place we’ve experienced drivers who would not yield to a 65’ vehicle in a bind. We tried to stay in the right lane, but they kept playing out into “EXIT ONLY” lanes. Russell made 1 quick lane change with, “They’ll just have to move!” and they did. Only 1 guy flipped us off, and a couple of ladies were mouthing at us. Not too bad.

However, it turned out that “I-210 to I-15” was a little vague. The 2 roads do not intersect. Garmin and a good map got us through. We arrived in San Diego after only 5 hours, a long, but largely uneventful trip.

NEXT TIME: Just don’t go there.