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Jim2 · 02-15-2016, 01:41 PM

Niether one is good, the bad surfaces vs recently paved and construction delays, go back & forth monthly. I5 is faster, usually less congested but more remote, and has some rough sections. 99 goes through every 2 bit central valley town and has on/off ramps every 500 ft where the locals will be cutting in front of you.

TMan59 · 02-15-2016, 08:00 PM

We have made it to Lodi on I 5. So far not real bad.
Going to Anaheim tomorrow, skipping Orangegrove. Just too close to Disney not to get up early and try to get there by 3in the afternoon. And they could accommodate us a day early!

twogypsies · 02-15-2016, 08:42 PM

It 1,115 miles from Satsop, WA to Anaheim via I-5. That's the best route but I'd sure hate to drive in LA with a RV! Plan it to get near the city on Sunday morning for a 'little' less traffic. At approx. 300 miles/day - good with a RV, plan on 4 nights of stops. Good luck!

Do you mean Orange Grove RV in Bakersfield? If so, the sites are close together on dirt.

http://www.orangegrovervpark.com/rv-...photo-gallery/

TMan59 · 02-15-2016, 10:08 PM

I agree it would have been nice to get there on a Sunday but we are going to be there tomorrow,Tuesday, about 3 in the afternoon. Just have to get off I 5 onto Disney way. So far drivers here in Cali have been very cooperative in our needing to change lanes. We'll see how that goes in LA!
It's a small world after all.......

TMan59 · 02-16-2016, 10:32 PM

So here is my recap of I 5 to LA.
There are 2 challenges. The first one was kind of unexpected but in Sacramento the lines on the freeway kind of disappear in sections. The pavement goes one way and the lanes another. Just pick a side and follow the bumps.
This also happens in LA a few places.
The lanes here are about 4"wider than the coach. Folks a lot less likely to let you over. We drove into town at 4pm on a Tuesday. This is not a great plan in a 40'coach, pulling the toad with 2 bicycles on the back.

The road is awful in places beginning in Stockton, then gets great, then gets awful. The at the bottom of the grapevine they just plain gave up. When Nixion was president.
Somehow we got here with the car and bicycles still attached.

B Dubya · 02-16-2016, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMan59

That sounds like our exact plan.
I also want to check out the Orange Grove RV Park down there. It comes highly recommended!

Thanks again all for the help.
It looks like I-5 and I will try not to spend the whole time thinking 99 is smoother!

We'll be at Orange Grove RV park next week. They really do have great oranges.

To the OP, if you're going to Disneyland, take I-5. I much prefer 99, and will be there next week on my way to Glamis, but I-5 is faster and easier. It's just boooooooooooooring!!

bdpreece · 02-16-2016, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMTTRANSPORT

99 is better than 5...jmo

But I5 will be faster. Over all I would think you will add almost another day to your trip on 99. Not necessarily a bad thing if you have the tiem
.

beaverfever · 02-17-2016, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdpreece

But I5 will be faster. Over all I would think you will add almost another day to your trip on 99. Not necessarily a bad thing if you have the tiem
.

99 is a whole 7 miles shorter than 5. even with traffic it does not add another day. it is kind of a chevy ford deal. i usually go down one and up the other just to break the monotony.

96 Wideglide · 02-17-2016, 03:36 PM

I drove 99 on my way home last spring. Overall not bad. Alot of fresh blacktop.

B Dubya · 02-17-2016, 03:37 PM

I will say one thing about 99. Many many intersecting side roads due to the agricultural fields, and there's always at least one jerk who pulls out, crossing into the opposing lanes, and takes his time. I had an 18 wheeler pull out and take his time. It was a good time for a brake check. Yup, they work just fine!

bdpreece · 02-18-2016, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beaverfever

99 is a whole 7 miles shorter than 5. even with traffic it does not add another day. it is kind of a chevy ford deal. i usually go down one and up the other just to break the monotony.

But isn't there a lot more local traffic and signals on 99? I have only driven the portion just North of Bakersfield and I was not at all happy with it.

twogypsies · 02-18-2016, 05:12 PM

The OP has arrived already according to an above update. He took I-5

1ciderdog · 02-18-2016, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdpreece

But isn't there a lot more local traffic and signals on 99? I have only driven the portion just North of Bakersfield and I was not at all happy with it.

Probably more local traffic because it goes through a lot of towns. I don't remember any traffic signals on 99. In some city areas posted speed limits may drop to 55 mph.

avid_dk · 02-18-2016, 08:35 PM

I just got back from a trip to San Diego county. I drove down 99 south of Stockton and returned I5 north of CA 46. The first 25 miles Northbound of CA 46 are not great. Then you get some good road for awhile but watch out for the overpasses in the Patterson area. Some of those can be real rough. Backing of the throttle before hitting them seems to help. There still is some road grinding left raw around Los Banos, IIRC, but they seem to have left it in better condition than similar areas early last summer.

I thought 99 south of Stockton was decent. There is more traffic and more on ramps to deal with. In the heavier traffic areas there are sometimes three lanes, a welcome relief. Many underpasses are very rough as a previous poster mentioned. The road through Merced is in need of upgrading and I believe it is underway. It was nice for a change but my wife didn't enjoy the experience. We may give it another chance next trip south.

The big winner for us was using CA 58 to I 15 to I 215. We did US 395 on the way south and that was reasonable as well. We stayed at Orange Grove RV going both ways. It lived up to its billing.

We both really enjoy the scenery along I5. We love watching the the various seasons of Central Valley agriculture. This time the Almonds were in bloom. Wow! We enjoy watching the rice crops from planting to harvest. Of course, there are tomatoes, cotton, sunflowers, safflower, walnuts, pistachio and pomegranates amongst others and of course vast tracts of alfalfa. Watching the various farm implements doing their work and the acrobatic crop dusters, rice seeders are amazing. I love driving by the mega dairy farms and despite the smell, enjoy seeing the Harris Ranch feedlot. Then there is the wildlife: we count hawks, watch flocks of ducks and geese while driving through the National Wildlife Refuges and spot coyotes. Our best wildlife find ever was a heard of ELK just behind the interstate fence south of Los Banos. Getting off topic so I will end here.