As Visions of I-5 Danced in their Heads...

Well, we made it and everything went (mostly) according to plan. We got out of the Bay Area around 1pm. After 6 hours of driving down scenic I-5, we made it to Anaheim and checked in at the Disneyland Hotel... In case you've never made the glorious drive from San Jose to LA- here are the highlights...

Gilroy- only 1/2 hour into the drive we are graced by the overwhelming aroma of garlic as we pass through Gilroy, "the garlic capitol of the world". On a good day it smells like a garlicky hamburger, on a bad day it smells more like stale onions.

Casa de Fruita- this is a must-stop for many Bay area families whenever they venture south... We usually stop to use "Casa De Restrooms" (I am not kidding!). There is also "Casa de Giftshop", "Casa de Coffee" and "Casa de Picnic Area". It's Casa de Crazy!

San Luis Reservoir- the last scenic portion of the drive before the central valley (more on that to come!) Last winter was a record low rainfall, so the water level was really low...

Shortly before reaching the beautiful metropolis of Los Banos, you officially merge onto I-5. The next three hours are straight and flat. Fortunately for you however the monotony is occasionally broken up by the occasional...

...Stock yard- with accompanying smell! If you're lucky the wind is blowing away from I-5 and you miss the stench. Today was not our lucky day.

...Big Rig- I-5 is the main trucking route through California, so there are plenty of semi's traveling with you. The fun part comes when one semi decides to pass another, so both lanes are blocked by slow moving big rigs travelling at 55, while you attempt to cruise along at 75 (speed limit is 70).

...Dust Devil- today was particulary windy so there was lots of dust blowing across the road and swirling around. It's not tornado country, but it was just enough to make me wonder if we've ever had one here...

After 3 hours through the not-so-scenic San Joaquin Valley you are rewarded with a 40 mile trek over "the Grapevine" a 4,000 foot pass that drops you down into Los Angeles County. If you time it just right, you get to experience the famous...

...LA traffic! Yup we hit it today! And for some insane reason, one of the busiest freeway systems in the US doesn't seem to have any commuter lanes. I guess they just like to keep you on your toes with the bumper to bumper traffic.

So there you go! Hopefully you get to experience it all for yourself one day- if not feel free to live vicariously through me...