Traveling in Southern California

Traveling in Southern California means many things to many people. This is not a travel guide. This is how to survive the freeway system and information on how to calculate distances. The freeway system scares many people. Heck, it terrifies some Southern California natives. What if I get stuck in traffic? What you see on TV is lines of cars going nowhere. Yes, that happens but it is not as bad as the media would have you believe. What do you need to know?

The freeways in Southern California appear to cross each other every few miles. It is easy to get confused. Do I want to go south or north when the freeway looks like it is heading east? If you are geographically challenged this can be a problem. An easy trick to remember, freeways are numbered. Even numbered freeways (Interstate 210, Interstate 10, and Route 60) are always east and west. Odd numbered freeways (Interstate 15, Interstate 5, and Route 71) are north and south. If you know your destination and your map gives you the direction, even if the freeway looks like it is going in the wrong direction, you will be all right. If you missed the 91 freeway and got on the 22 freeway instead, do not worry. Both of them will cross the 57 freeway.

Travel in Southern California is measured in time, not distance. If you ask anyone how far something is, they will give you a time frame. Miles are inconsequential and mean absolutely nothing. A four-mile trip could be 4 minutes or 20 depending on the area and traffic. If there is an accident, all bets are off. While the distance from Riverside, CA to Palm Springs, CA, is 41 miles, it is actually an hour.

You wake up in Palm Springs, CA, and know that it is going to be 110 degrees. You think that it would be better to enjoy the day in a cooler spot. It is going to be 80 degrees in Oceanside, CA and you really want to watch the sun set over the ocean.

Given what you know, it will be an easy drive. It is 98 miles, which is an easy 2-hour trip. Oceanside is west and south of Palm Springs. Take Interstate 10 and go west. Merge onto Interstate 15 and head south. Take CA-76 west towards Pala/Oceanside and you are there.

In spite of its reputation, traveling in Southern California is not scary. Having an estimated time and a working knowledge of the freeway system takes away the confusion. Southern California is a great place to visit. It is possible to start out in the desert, make a trip to the mountains, enjoy the pines, and end up at the beach to roast marshmallows.

Before you leave, you may want to check the Sig-Alert maps covering all of Southern California and now, most of the major cities in the United States. If there is an incident, you will be able to plan a route that avoids the problem. Sig-Alerts have been around a very long time. According to the California Department of Transportation, Sig-Alerts are unique to Southern California." In the 1940's the LAPD notified a local radio reporter, Lyod Sigmon, of bad accidents on city streets. Mr. Sigmon then notified his audience and they became known as Sig-Alerts. Mr. Sigmon created an electronic system that allowed authorities to alert the media of incidents. This system still notifies the media of any traffic incident that will tie up two or more lanes of a freeway for two or more hours.

Reposted from a Helium article created on July 10, 2009.   

D is for Description

This is going to sound presumptuous. Am I really going to try to describe California?

Picture what you know about California. Do you see the streets of Hollywood or the beautiful Yosemite Valley? Do you picture the alien landscape as you leave the Coachella Valley towards the Chiriaco Summit where the dirt colored hills do not support any life at all. Even in spring, there are no plants, weeds, or trees.

If you start the day in the Redwood Grove at Yosemite, you can end up at Mono Lake. The redwood grove is spectacular and the last time we took a friend to see it, the magnificent trees overwhelmed him. Then we headed for Mono Lake by way of Bodie, my favorite ghost town.  

Ending our day at Mono Lake was just the icing on the cake. If you have not been there, the Tufa is otherworldly and it’s fun to play with the ground flies.  It is hard to believe that all three places are within a day’s drive. 

California is a land of extremes. It is not only the landscape; it is just about everything else. 

California has some of the best surf beaches in the world. It also has some of the best places to ski. Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States and Death Valley is on the list as one of the hottest deserts on the planet.  

Everything is more expensive in California. We love it when we travel out of state; gas is so much cheaper. However, if you are looking for a selection of fruits and vegetables, we have everything. 

The freeway system in the Los Angeles area is extreme. As much as I would like to describe it, all I can say is that culture shock is inevitable. It seems like hundreds of freeways cross each other every few miles. You just need to know that if you get on the wrong freeway, another will cross it in a few miles to take you to your destination. 

Distance is measured in time and not miles. I can’t tell you how many miles it is from my house to San Diego but it's an hour and a half away. If I want to eat dinner at Anthony’s Fish Grotto on the San Diego wharf, I need to leave home around 3:00 pm. BTW, it’s my favorite restaurant in San Diego and be sure to ask for a window seat. 

My husband, grandson and I on Mother's Day at Anthony's Fish Grotto

California is a little hard to explain. I guess the best way to describe it is to say that if you are looking for a certain something, it will be here.