The long drive home after a winter visit in southern
California offers a variety of highway choices for us to follow. Several things lead us to decide which one it
will be, and with all the mountain passes between California and British Columbia,
weather is a big factor. We have
travelled most of them more than once but do not tire of the sights we will
see.
 |
| Heading up to the Grapevine |
We’ve decided to head up through “the Grapevine” on
Interstate 5. The Grapevine is best
known for its bad winter road conditions that can close it down but it is
seeing good weather and not going to be a problem for us on this trip. The Grapevine is only one part of the road
ahead so we can also enjoy other sights on the drive.
 |
| A different view of the Grapevine |
The 65 km (40 mi) journey passes over the Tehachapi
Mountains from northern Los Angeles County to the San Joaquin Valley in Kern
County with the highest point of this pass is 1275 metres (4183 ft). After reaching the summit we will pass the
state historic monument of Fort Tejon, which was established in 1854 to protect
the people of the San Joaquin Valley from the stock rustling that was a big
problem at that time.
 |
| Pyramid Lake |
Passing by with all the traffic does not allow for the best
photo but this is Pyramid Lake, which was named after the pyramid shaped rock
carved out by engineers building the Old Highway 99. This earth and rock dam is 123 m (386 ft.)
tall and is part of the California Aqueduct, which is part of the California
State Water Project.
 |
| Citrus and cattle |
There is a stretch of I-5 south of Sacramento, California,
which offers several different varieties of citrus fields, as shown here, as
well as fields of cattle, many of which seem to be in these stock yards. You won’t miss the stock yards, you can
smell them before you get there. Sorry
to say the citrus don’t offer their fragrance for us to enjoy from our truck,
though.
 |
| Roadside Art |
“Art is in the eye of the beholder” is an old expression and
comes to mind when we pass these metal art sculptures of the dinosaur/dragon
and the cow with calf near Yreka, Calif.
They are not in the same field but although they have a similarity to
one another, they may or may not be made by the same person. The ‘bravo farms’ is a wooden billboard
farther south.
 |
| Lake Shasta |
Lake Shasta is one of the largest lakes in the western
United States with a shoreline of 587 km (365 mi) when the lake is full. We have seen the lake at so many lower levels
than this one shown, but not the lowest which was in 1977-’78 when the
shoreline was only 199 km (124 mi). It
was down 71 metres (234’) from the top level.
There are several sights in this area we have yet to see, including the
Shasta Caverns and the Shasta Dam.
 |
| Castle Crags |
Also in the Shasta area is the Castle Crags State Park. This incredible rock formation is on the
northwest edge of the park, giving it the name, and the park offers many
amenities for fishing, camping and hiking.
For those inclined, this sounds like an incredible place for the hiking
enthusiasts with its miles of trails.
The Pacific Crest Trail winds through the park on its path between
Mexico and Canada.
 |
| Mt. Shasta |
I have taken dozens of photos of this beautiful Mount Shasta
as we have passed by, on this route as well as another route taken on travels
heading south. It has been shrouded in
winter clouds at times but most often Mt. Shasta is seen offering this pristine
cover of snow with the prettiest blue sky as the backdrop!
 |
| U.S. I-5 to B.C. Hwy 5
For the most part, I-5 is a very busy freeway from top to
bottom, and we will continue on this road through Oregon and Washington until
we cross the Canadian border into BC.
We will get onto Highway 5 in British Columbia, which will take us up
and over the Coquihalla Highway where there can be very little traffic, no
matter the weather conditions! Breathing
comes a little bit easier here. lol
Traffic can be a problem due to such things as accidents because
of the winter climates. Another one is
passing through the big cites at rush hour, which, by the way, can last more
than one hour! Considering all of this
and choosing good travel times all comes into the planning of the trip. You do not want to end your day driving
through a big city during rush hour after spending hours on the road.
Happy travels!
|
