Driving from Washington

[jordansmomma]

I am leaving in a mere 15 days to DL
I will be driving I-5, 82 scares the crap out of me and driving through Yakima that way and down the middle of Oregon in the winter time scares the crap out of me once again!
We are either leaving at 7am 12/21 unless DS7 convinces me that he really needs to attend his class Christmas party. He has no clue that we are going to Disneyland for Christmas. We will be taking I-90 to Seattle then I-5 the rest of the way. We will stop either in Vancouver or Portland for the night. Then the next day get up at 5am, and leave by 6am and drive as far as Redding, but I am hoping for Sacremento, Ca. Depending on the weather. Then from either location the next day drive until DL. But if DS really, really needs to go to his party then things will change.

But my real question is what is the grapevine and where is it located? Some guys at work were telling me that it can get ugly this time of year. Where would I encounter the grapevine???
Sorry I have never been to California, let alone driven there.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Here, this kind of explains it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapevine,_California

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Hi. We just got back from DL today and live in Sacramento so the Grapevine is fresh in my mind The Grapevine is about an 60-90 minutes before DL. It is about a 30-40 mile stretch of highway that goes very high up in altitude then comes back down very quickly. I suppose it can be dangerous but honestly I don't think you have anything to worry about unless you are driving a really old car, then you might have some problems with overheating. Coast down and don't use your brakes too much. I think you will be fine.

One thing I would suggest is to try to make your drive only 2 days long and get to DL sooner!

 

[Anater]

But my real question is what is the grapevine and where is it located? Some guys at work were telling me that it can get ugly this time of year. Where would I encounter the grapevine???
Sorry I have never been to California, let alone driven there.

The only worry you might have with driving the Grapevine is the Tule Fog. It seems worse around this time of year and can reduce visibility to 1/4 mile or even less. If you happen to hit fog just drive carefully, stay aware of your surroundings and you'll be fine

 

[trodrigue]

We are making the same trip, but starting in Seattle. We leave on the 15th, and are driving to Redding (about a 12 hour day). We will arrive at DL on the 16th after traveling 8 hours. This is our first road trip with kids (age 5 and 11). We have stocked up on surprises, movies, and distractions and are hoping for the best. Plan on staying at the Best Western with pool on Sat. night and letting the kids swim to their hearts content, and then again in the morning before we head out. I understand why you are planning two nights on the road. Not sure I could make in with one, if we had any more miles to travel. We are going to Arizona to spend Xmas with my Gram, and then driving home, and that will be 4 more hours. I have already warned my husband that we will be stopping two nights, but he doesn't think we will need to. I will post after we get down there!

 

[CruisinEars]

Just had to chime in here. We are fellow Washingtonians going south for Christmas too. We are flying though. We leave on the 22nd and fly into LAX. Staying that night with my aunt who lives near DL and driving to Tucson the next day. That is an 8 hour drive through very boring desert. We then come back to LA on the 29th and are going to DL on the 30th, American Girl Place on the 31st along with some other stuff like visiting the relatives and flying home on the 1st.

Have safe travels both of you who are driving and see you in CA!

 

[jordansmomma]

We are making the same trip, but starting in Seattle. We leave on the 15th, and are driving to Redding (about a 12 hour day). We will arrive at DL on the 16th after traveling 8 hours. This is our first road trip with kids (age 5 and 11). We have stocked up on surprises, movies, and distractions and are hoping for the best. Plan on staying at the Best Western with pool on Sat. night and letting the kids swim to their hearts content, and then again in the morning before we head out. I understand why you are planning two nights on the road. Not sure I could make in with one, if we had any more miles to travel. We are going to Arizona to spend Xmas with my Gram, and then driving home, and that will be 4 more hours. I have already warned my husband that we will be stopping two nights, but he doesn't think we will need to. I will post after we get down there!

I will be leaving from Moses lake. I am pretty sure I could make it one day, but I just dont want to push it. I dont check into the hotel until the 23 so we are kind of taking out time. Plus the weather can be so unpredictable. But if we end up leaving on Saturday instead of Friday then well will drive to Redding and then on Sunday down to DL.
Thanks

 

[blackjackdelta]

If you are coming from Moses Lake, why not come over to 395 South, thru the Tri-Cities down to 84 then on to Portland and I-5. With I-5 thru Chehalis down to 1 lane and mey be for a time. You also may find the trip shorter after and much less traffic.

Jack

 

[RangerPooh]

I wouldn't worry about the Grapevine. I'd worry about the Siskiqou (sp) pass just south or Oregon near Mt. Shasta prior to hitting Redding. That one can get very hairy during the winter. DH and I drove it many times during thewwinter while moving from Ca to Wa and it can be a nightmare in the dark with ice and snow. I'd drive it duirng the day and take your time if snow is present.

When we drive from Pullman we go through Yakima/Tri Cities down to Portland to connect with the 5 and have no problems. We're doing it Friday night to catch a flight out of PDX for WDW.

Have a nice trip!

 

[TidoubleGerrr]

I am leaving in a mere 15 days to DL
I will be driving I-5, 82 scares the crap out of me and driving through Yakima that way and down the middle of Oregon in the winter time scares the crap out of me once again!
We are either leaving at 7am 12/21

We are leaving the same day, from just north of seattle. We are stopping just south of portland to stay with family that night and Sacramento the next night staying with the MIL...we are planning on being in DL the 23-26th and headed back to Sactown. I am a bit worried about the drive weather wise myself. I have done the drive before many years ago, but it was not December! And well, our car was a bit newer! Hopefully it all works well for you! Good Luck!

 

[jordansmomma]

We are leaving the same day, from just north of seattle. We are stopping just south of portland to stay with family that night and Sacramento the next night staying with the MIL...we are planning on being in DL the 23-26th and headed back to Sactown. I am a bit worried about the drive weather wise myself. I have done the drive before many years ago, but it was not December! And well, our car was a bit newer! Hopefully it all works well for you! Good Luck!

Maybe we will run into each other?

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[jacky b]

I am driving to DL from WA, but from Spokane. We have to hit MT first to pickup my parents and then my son and parents and I will be heading to I15 and taking that all the way into CA. We are planning on leaving the 20th out of Missoula and getting into DL on the 21. We are staying the night in St George UT (12 hr drive from Missoula) and then only a 6 hour drive to Anaheim.

 

[JulieNMM]

My FIL told me that he heard the grapevine was closed a few days ago. Weather in So. Cal is usually pretty mild, but it can actually snow on the grapevine and like another poster said, it is very windy and steep and there are lots of trucks there going super slow. So be careful around there. Especially because it's at the very end of your trip when you're tired and it could be dark.

We are in San Jose and will be driving down on Wed. 12/19. I plan on leaving here super early (7am?) so that we will get to DL before dark. The traffic in and around LA is crazy and it's even worse in the dark.

JULIE