REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

tonynguyen · 01-16-2012, 02:10 AM

Planning a road trip by myself down to los angeles, this will be my first road trip ever! Any pointers/tips would be super helpful! Post your plans for a trip like this.
Posted via RS Mobile

too_slow · 01-16-2012, 10:21 AM

-Make sure your car is 100% (make sure you have extra coolant, windshield washer fluid, your spare's good, you have your tire jack, your wheel lock, etc)
-Take rest breaks.. between SF and Portland, the first 50% of the route is one straight road down I5.. boring as hell.. once you get past that point ,it's fun and windy
-avoid travelling during rush hour traffic (if you think traffic in Van is bad, you haven't seen anything yet)
-keep lots of $1/$5 usd bills.. toll roads don't accept CC (I found out the hard way.. gave the guy a $20CAD bill when the toll was $8.. no change given when I was heading back along I70)
-bring lots of music! I went through all 160gb of songs on my ipod classic

dinosaur · 01-16-2012, 10:35 AM

I have driven from Van to LA about a dozen times. Take about 20-24 hours total depending on road conditions if you take the I5. The coast (101) takes a lot longer.

When are you planning on going? Now? Spring? Summer?

If you are leaving in the winter, CHECK THE CONDITIONS!! Areas around Grants Pass can be pretty brutal and sometimes you are required to have chains. During the summer is it pretty easy, but bring coolant as too_slow suggested. Sometimes after through the hot desert before up the mountains before the decent into LA, you engine can go a little haywire (you will see a lot of cars on the side of the road with coolant issues).

Are you planning on driving straight or stopping over night along the way? I can give you some ideas of where to stop and how to break it up. I know that drive very well...

If you are driving alone, I'm not sure I would suggest driving straight through...

Sky_High · 01-16-2012, 11:01 AM

Your title's misleading. Should have been Vancity -> LA

Thought you meant.... Vancity is better than > LA.

BlackZRoadster · 01-16-2012, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonynguyen

Planning a road trip by myself down
Posted via RS Mobile

91civicZC · 01-16-2012, 12:17 PM

If you trying to get to LA fast, the Number 5 works, but its boring. If this trip is about the sites, take the coast.

If this is your first long drive, be prepared that driving will tire you out. The US highway system has great rest stops. Usually very clean, and many times on the 5 in specific areas manned with free coffee. Use them.

Cops in Washington and Oregon state will make a point of giving you a ticket if they can pull you over. In general, they seem to not be fond of Canadians. I suggest just sticking to the limit in both states.

In winter some of the passes can get pretty Ugly. Check road conditions.

Stock up on Redbull, lots of drinks and snacks, have a good play list to go. I’m actually a big fan of audio books for long trips. Short Steven King stories and what not really help to pass the time.

Have a clean car. Having a cluttered car drives me nuts at the best of times, but on a road trip I find it unbearable. Have stuff organized and within reach so you can just grab while still driving. Having to stop and hunt for something sucks.

I suggest bringing a can of “flat repair” goo. It’s a bitch to get a flat in some of those areas. Might save your ass in an emergency. Just to be a safety nerd, you may want to think about a few “safety” items to tuck away in your ride.

Drive safe and just enjoy it. Set your cruise, and relax. Know your route and just take your time.Its pretty amazing to watch the miles go by and watch how the land changes from Coastal forest here in Vancouver to desert in Central California.

bcrdukes · 01-16-2012, 02:18 PM

Lots of excellent suggestions and tips. Keep them coming, folks!

My only suggestion is to take regular washroom and food breaks. Bring a jerry can of gas just to be safe. Have fun!

LSF22 · 01-16-2012, 02:39 PM

You should visit dukes and bring him some beaver sashimi while you're at it

dinosaur · 01-16-2012, 03:12 PM

also, try to avoid getting into LA between 1-8pm....the traffic will want to make you blow your head off.

s300ae · 01-16-2012, 04:13 PM

i drove down to LA for NYE two years ago with two friends. fun trip!
bring shorts. in January it was close to 20+
if you want really good mexican food go to marias in san pedro. its a bit further out, but worth the drive.
avoid oakland and compton

unit · 01-16-2012, 04:36 PM

dont stay in an area too central, or you'll just be fucked by traffic no matter where you wanna go.
main reason i dislike LA

bcrdukes · 01-16-2012, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinosaur

also, try to avoid getting into LA between 1-8pm....the traffic will want to make you blow your head off.

Not necessarily true. If anything, an exaggeration.

Freeways are particularly bad as follows:

8am to 10am - going north/south on the 405 and west bound on the 10, 60, 101
5pm to 7:30pm - going north/south on the 5, 101, 405 and east bound on the 10 and 60.

Avoid the 91 Freeway between the 55 and 71 at all costs.

If you hit up the OC, try out "Brodard Vietnamese Restaurant" on Westminster and Brookhurst in Garden Grove. The food there is delicious! Also, pho in Garden Grove/Westminster can be had for usually 50% off.

Splmash · 01-16-2012, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s300ae

i drove down to LA for NYE two years ago with two friends. fun trip!
bring shorts. in January it was close to 20+
if you want really good mexican food go to marias in san pedro. its a bit further out, but worth the drive.
avoid oakland and compton

Well, I lived right beside Oakland (for 6 months) and Compton (for a year) and I it is honestly not that bad. I think S300ae watches too many rap videos.

But as for driving down to LA, I've done it once and will never do it again. Then again, I've been too all the major cities between here and SoCal more than once already. If you haven't, a road trip would be fun. But you can find cheap flights to LA and be there in a couple hours.

But like most people have said already, AVOID RUSH HOURS.

1exotic · 01-17-2012, 01:04 AM

I made the drive down in summer 2007.

For the drive down I'd recommend the route along the coast. It's an extra bit longer but totally worth it with the views and all. Especially if its your first time visiting California.

tonynguyen · 01-17-2012, 02:55 AM

Great effin tips! How many tolls are there otw? How many stops did you guys take? I trying to get there as fast as possible witb minimal rest/stops! How's the cops down there? A lot of random pullovers? checks? Is this trip even recommended solo?
Posted via RS Mobile

dinosaur · 01-17-2012, 11:18 AM

my friend did LA to San Fran straight solo...said she wouldn't do it again. but my old boss use to drive to alone Cabo every winter (took 3 days-drive van-san diego without stopping) depending on what our plans were, i have stopped 1, 2, or 3 times on the way down. I have never gone straight though...maybe try stopping in stockton or sacramento or even redding if you are thinking about stopping. though the coast is AMAZING, i wouldn't recommend doing it alone and driving straight through...

i dont remember any tolls along the I5.

when are u leaving?

tonynguyen · 01-17-2012, 03:10 PM

Sometimes after the winter, don't want any trouble with mother nature.
Posted via RS Mobile

Truenosan · 02-05-2012, 02:00 PM

I did the drive a few years ago around mid April. Around Mt Shasta/ Norcal, there was still snow and -2 ish. So be extra cautious in that area. The drive is very nice until you past Mt Shasta, then it's a straight line for a good 5-6 hours.

San Fran to LA wasn't so bad. Got to LA in about 5 hours from there.

CHP are everywhere though, so just remember to drive within a convoy.