Yesterday we drove home from Lake Tahoe, and, with inspiration I can describe as well-intentioned but mistaken in retrospect, decided to take US-50 instead of I-80 (on which we’d driven to Tahoe). Here’s the route:View Larger MapThe whole point of the last-minute Tahoe trip was to get some snow, which we missed completely on the [...]

Yesterday we drove home from Lake Tahoe, and, with inspiration I can describe as well-intentioned but mistaken in retrospect, decided to take US-50 instead of I-80 (on which we’d driven to Tahoe). Here’s the route:

View Larger Map
The whole point of the last-minute Tahoe trip was to get some snow, which we missed completely on the New Year’s road trip. So, says I, checking the Caltrans road conditions site, US-50 seems to be clear with no restrictions and it’s the scenic route. Let’s try that.

We got as far as South Lake Tahoe and then, wow, sudden stop. I rechecked Caltrans and saw that chains were now required for a portion of highway 50 through Eldorado National Forest. Since we were in Jennifer‘s Subaru Forester, with full-time all-wheel drive, we didn’t actually need to install the chains but had purchased some just in case some well-meaning CHP officer insisted we have them.

I really didn’t know what was holding up traffic, but later I determined that we covered the next 25 miles in a little under five hours. It wasn’t accidents, though there were a few. It wasn’t severe weather, as that didn’t start until we were well up in the mountains. It wasn’t chain-on areas—those were pretty well organized off to the side and not really blocking the road. I think it was mostly just volume of traffic combined with less than competent drivers. Think of how badly the average person drives in the rain, and then double or triple that for snow and ice conditions.

Anyway, Jennifer was driving so I was fiddling with my phone—Tweeting, checking road conditions, getting news, the usual. For some very odd reason, although I had good coverage through most of the drive, my Tweets didn’t arrive until many hours later and, of course, were all out of order. I’ve reassembled the correct timeline here:

• Checked out & heading home via I-50.
• Correction: US-50, not I-50. I’m so embarrassed.
• No rain here (outside S. Lake Tahoe on US-50) just snow. Lots and lots of snow.
• It’s snowing sideways.
• Making average 4mph. Whee.
• Live video: http://qik.com/smartwatermelon (archived video clips here)
• There is something ever so slightly surreal about a Mexican cantina in an alpine-style building in a snowstorm. (it was El Papagayo Grill & Cafe, and we stopped for a quick snack and restroom break)
• Close to white-out.
• Cars & trucks skidding out as we descend.
• We’ve gone from snow to rain.
• Annnnd now back to snow.
• Torrential rain in Placerville.
• I think my Tweets are not going through.
• I suspect a whole load on on-the-road blathering will show up sooner or later.
• HOME.

The trip home took around eight hours, and for comparison it was fewer than four to get there on I-80. But hey, snow!

Claim Jumper, Santa Ana California Grill (Hyatt Regency Orange County) Mint Julep Bar Cafe Orleans More to come.

• Claim Jumper, Santa Ana
• California Grill (Hyatt Regency Orange County)
• Mint Julep Bar
• Cafe Orleans

More to come.

A mostly-complete list of places we ate and/or drank on the road trip. I’ll be reviewing most of these soon. Claim Jumper. 2250 E 17th St, Santa Ana, CA California Grill. Hyatt Regency OC, 11999 S. Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove, CA Mint Julep Bar. Disneyland, CA Cafe Orleans. Disneyland, CA Networks Bar. Hyatt Regency OC [...]

A mostly-complete list of places we ate and/or drank on the road trip. I’ll be reviewing most of these soon.

We did a road trip from December 27 to January 4. Here was our route, with most stops highlighted:View Larger MapMiscellaneous driving around Anaheim and Scottsdale/Phoenix is not shown, nor are a few taxi rides in Vegas.The itinerary: December 27: Drive from home to Jen’s grandmother’s house in El Segundo for belated Christmas, then on [...]

We did a road trip from December 27 to January 4. Here was our route, with most stops highlighted:

View Larger Map
Miscellaneous driving around Anaheim and Scottsdale/Phoenix is not shown, nor are a few taxi rides in Vegas.
The itinerary:

• December 27: Drive from home to Jen’s grandmother’s house in El Segundo for belated Christmas, then on to Hyatt Regency OC for a couple of days at Disneyland. (397 miles)
• December 30: Drive from Anaheim to Scottsdale, AZ. Stay at the Hotel Scottsdale for two nights. See Lewis Black in concert at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix on New Years Eve. (368 miles)
• January 1: Drive from Scottsdale to Las Vegas. Stay at Caesars Palace (the main room!) for two nights. Have much fun, refrain from gambling. (311 miles)
• January 3: Drive from Vegas to Bakersfield via Death Valley. Having underestimated length & intensity of this drive, arrive at Four Points Sheraton exhausted and not wanting to do anything. (382 miles)
• January 4: Drive home from Bakersfield via CA-99. (274 miles)

Map points:

• A: home.
• B: Jen’s grandmother’s house in El Segundo.
• C: Disneyland.
• D: Hotel Scottsdale.
• E: Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner, Kingman, AZ.
• F: Caesars Palace.
• G: Rhyolite, NV.
• H: Ranch House Cafe, Olancha, CA.
• I: Four Points Sheraton, Bakersfield.
• J: home.

More to come.

There are several ways to visit this happy place; today we’re doing the “fly to LAX / borrow Jen’s grandmother’s car / drive to Anaheim / spend the afternoon and evening at the park” thing.Tomorrow morning we’ll try breakfast at Cafe Orleans, and tomorrow night we’re meeting two out of three of The Abominables for [...]

There are several ways to visit this happy place; today we’re doing the “fly to LAX / borrow Jen’s grandmother’s car / drive to Anaheim / spend the afternoon and evening at the park” thing.
Tomorrow morning we’ll try breakfast at Cafe Orleans, and tomorrow night we’re meeting two out of three of The Abominables for dinner at Tortilla Jo’s Cantina.
I’m not sure what we have planned for Monday, but Tuesday is Disneyland’s 52nd birthday so we’ll be at the park early and stay until it’s time to fly home.
Staying at the Hyatt Regency a mile or so down Harbor on a travel agent rate. It’s a nice place but way too pricey if we were paying anywhere close to rack. And they want $9.99 a day for Internet access!
(Posted via Treo with Vagablog.)