Should the drive scare me???

[dizzyami]

I know - stupid question - but it is getting closer and I am freaking out. DH moved me 3 hours farther from DL (9 hours now), and we are planning on arriving at midnight or 1am. (Original plan was to stay the night in Blythe, but we were scared of the early morning CA traffic), so instead we added a night to the PP and are planning on driving straight through.


So - the question - are the roads scary at night (scary drivers, bad lighting, or anything else you know of that I should be freaked about???)

 

[Tink208]

We usually drive at night because it is more likely the kids will sleep and not be as antsy on the boring drive. I do find the drive is easier on the way to Disneyland because a) I am excited about going and b) I haven't spent several days putting in way more hours at Disneyland than asleep. The only time the drive was at all scary was a few years ago when I ran into fog in the valley. Visibility was very bad, but at least it wasn't so bad I had to get off the freeway to find somewhere to stay, which is what had happened to the friends I was meeting in Disneyland when they tried to drive down the night before we did. This was in December, and I don't know if the fog is a seasonal issue, or what. I have never experienced before or since.

 

[ctamama]

The only time the drive was at all scary was a few years ago when I ran into fog in the valley. This was in December, and I don't know if the fog is a seasonal issue, or what. I have never experienced before or since.

We ran in to fog in mid-November this year on our return trip home on a Sunday morning. A little scary.

We did a 10+ hour drive from Utah. We have found that travelling on weekends helps a great deal. LA area traffic was not bad at all when we arrived Sunday afternoon.

 

[Albort]

All i can say about LA traffic is that if you dont plan to drive fast, make sure you dont drive in the fast lane... LA drivers will tailgate you down...

 

[Tink208]

All i can say about LA traffic is that if you dont plan to drive fast, make sure you dont drive in the fast lane... LA drivers will tailgate you down...

Not an LA driver, but I have to add that the HOV lanes can be very tricky...don't get into them if you don't know when your exit is coming up! Once you are in the HOV lane, you cannot get out whenever/wherever you want...

 

[Padstack]

You made a good choice driving straight through and adding the night at PP. During the weekday mornings, LA freeways are at a standstill. The afternoons are horrible anytime after 3:30 pm.

The best thing to do is to avoid any LA area freeways during the weekdays.

Check out this link: Sigalert for traffic information.

 

[dizzyami]

Thanks for all the replies - I was really scared of my decision - but now definitely think it was for the best. The hotel is only $15 more then I would have paid at the Holiday Inn in Blythe - I don't have to unpack anything - and I will be at the park in time for EE!!!

 

[Albort]

Not an LA driver, but I have to add that the HOV lanes can be very tricky...don't get into them if you don't know when your exit is coming up! Once you are in the HOV lane, you cannot get out whenever/wherever you want...

Carpool lane? Well, if you take the 5 south no matter what, theres a carpool lane exit to Disneyland... so i think your good on that

 

[dball213]

We're coming in from Phoenix. Anyone ever done that? Then we're going from Anaheim to San Diego. Bringing my GPS, so no worries.

 

[shkeogh]

I-10 is probably one of the most boring highways ever. Once you get past the wind farm the drive will steadily become more interesting.

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

We've driven to Orange County area several times but never at night as we need the kids to stay on schedule. All I can tell you from experience is to check the map w/ MapQuest AND check their tansportation site for any detours. My family ran into that for my wedding (Huntington Beach 06) & were a bit lost at freeway changes, etc.

It took us 7 hrs to get to Newport, I think it will be a tad less to Anaheim.

 

[Hofmanns4]

We're coming in from Phoenix. Anyone ever done that? Then we're going from Anaheim to San Diego. Bringing my GPS, so no worries.

You can't always count on the GPS. On the way home from our trip in November, we took a wrong turn and tried to use the GPS to get back to the freeway. Due to the fog/cloud cover....no signal. We had to wing it and found our way. =)

 

[dball213]

You can't always count on the GPS. On the way home from our trip in November, we took a wrong turn and tried to use the GPS to get back to the freeway. Due to the fog/cloud cover....no signal. We had to wing it and found our way. =)

I know to always have a mapquest backup...and a google maps double backup!