Need Assistance Planning Route

[trebuchet03]

I've got a challenge I'm looking for the most efficient route to go from Orlando, FL to Los Angeles CA and then from LA to San Francisco (east bay - Alameda).

I have an internship this summer and am driving cross country to get there. If you've ever seen Mythbusters when they're crashing something big into something else that's big.... I'll be working in that same area (in the Control Tower of the old Alameda Naval base). I'm going to have a passenger, who needs to be dropped off in LA (which is why I need to head there first).

So, if you're in the southern portion of the US - please give advice, even if it's just for your local area (times to avoid certain areas - alt. routes etc.). I would also appreciate nice places to stop - to break up the trip a little

I'll be headed over the AAA soon so I can get maps and construction information

[GasSavers_Red]

How specific of a route are you looking for? I can map out a route from LA to Alameda

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by Red

How specific of a route are you looking for? I can map out a route from LA to Alameda

Just general information... I'm really looking for experience, things like "avoid this place, during this time because of this reason" OR "this restaurant/place off of this road is def. worth stopping for" OR "This road is much better than this other road when passing through this state" -- things of that nature.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Ehm... The 10 from AZ should be great through CA and into San Bernardino. After that, it'll back up during morning and afternoon rush hours all the way up to LA depending on tome/day, so I suggest trying to either hit the 10/210 interchange at ~10am, and drop off your buddy/get going by ~1pm, or do it at night/early morning. Cal trans has a list of work they're doing by date, so you should be able to check that out and make sure you don't get stuck for two hours trying to move two miles in the middle of the night. Weekends still have bumper to bumper occasionally iirc, it's just not as bad for as long.

[Bill in Houston]

Pointers for my part of the country:
Going West, Baton Rouge is not a problem. Going East, it is a disaster at rush hour. Meaning anytime between 3 pm and 9 pm. So, on the way home, consider that.

Houston is ugly at rush hour. If you do hit Houston at rush hour, just stay on I-10 and gut it out. Any attempt to go around is futile.

West of Houston is Schulenburg. If you hit Schulenburg any time during daylight hours, go to the Schulenburg City Market for BBQ or at least fresh jerky. Not to be missed. It is very much a genuine old-timey Texas kind of place.

When you get to San Antonio, take Loop 1604 around rather than going through town.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by Bill in Houston

... or at least fresh jerky. Not to be missed.

Oh man.... my friend and I LOVE jerky This trip just got a little more expensive... in a good sort of way

[GasSavers_Red]

From LA on up to Alameda
If its a weekend you want to get out of LA anytime before 12:30pm else you are going to get screwed with traffic. If its a weekday, your window of opportunity would be between 9:30am - 12:30pm. I don't know what area of LA you are going to be in, but to get out you want to get on HWY 5.

Once you are out of LA you want to take HWY 5 all the way up till it splits into 580. HWY 5 is the truckers route from LA to the Bay Area. It is the most boring drive you will ever take, but you don't have to deal with a whole lot of traffic on you way up. Any rest stop is as good as the next, also there aren't any eateries worth mentioning, just grab food when ever you fell like it.

On the Jetta, keep the windows up and set your HVAC to recirculate once you hit Coalinga, as the beef ranch there has a rather pungent aroma.

You'll be on 5 for some 300 odd miles. Doing the speed limit of 70, its about 5 hours.

Once you get past Patterson, 5 will hook up with HWY 580 West, which you will want to take. You need to stay on 580 past Tracy and Livermore, through Dublin (20 minutes from me :P), and into Hayward/Castro Valley, where you should hit HWY 238 West.

Once you hit Dublin, assuming you started out at around 10ish, it should be about 3-4pm. If its the weekend, ideally a Saturday and there is no game being played at the AT&T Park, you should be clear to continue. Else I'd say call it a day cause you will get bogged in traffic in about an hour or so.

Take 238 till it merges with HWY 880 North. 880 will take you past the Oakland I'ntl Airport and San Leandro, heading right up to Alameda.

Assuming no major traffic hurdles, or accidents, its about an hour or so to get from Dublin to Alameda.

If you end up here in the Bay Area on a weekday around 5-7pm, most HWYs are either in or starting the usual gridlock. Unless you really, really want to get to Alameda in one trip and can deal with covering 20 miles per half hour, then continue on, else it would be better just to end the day and start again tomorrow after 9:30. Then you have a nearly empty highway.

Last night an oil tanker blew up under a section of 580 and melted a whole 250ft stretch of the highway up by Berkeley. You should be off of 580 before you hit any closures, but the traffic backlash might spill over to 880 as people try to work around it. So its something to keep in mind. It might double the usual traffic headaches during rush hours.

[Bill in Houston]

Originally Posted by Red

Any rest stop is as good as the next, also there aren't any eateries worth mentioning, just grab food when ever you fell like it.

Well, there is the famous split pea soup at Andersens... :-)

[Bill in Houston]

Originally Posted by trebuchet03

Oh man.... my friend and I LOVE jerky

It's not a roadtrip without jerky!!

[BumblingB]

FL - Take 27 and 19 up towards Tallahassee onto I-10
TX - do Houston in the middle of the night, 1604 in San Antonio like Bill said. I wish I could say avoid Houston, but we know that's not happening.