Carefree Driving In California?

Is that an oxymoron? Could there actually be such a thing as carefree driving in California? Maybe not, but having an onboard navigation system is as close as one could ever come. I was pleased to be able to focus on traffic and not when the next exit was coming up.

We got up at 4:00 this morning, so we could leave Palm Springs by 5:00 in order to beat the rush hour through the high traffic areas. We were on the road by 4:50, and I was amazed at how much traffic there actually was at that time of day! But, we did get through without ado. "Maggie", our onboard navigator, makes weaving through the maze of southern California freeways a breeze.

We were braced for rainy and snowy conditions today as per the forecast. We did experience on again and off again rain throughout the day (and a little snow through the Grapevine). Later in the day, we were shocked to find a 2-3 mile stretch of highway with a thick blanket of hail on the ground just north of the town of Willows. It was very bizarre. One minute we were breezing along at 70+ mph, then we were immediately slowed to about 40.

Tonight, we ended up in Redding, California which is about 650 miles from Palm Springs. It was a long day of driving, but this puts us in a good position to evaluate the weather conditions for the Siskiyous tomorrow and take off if conditions permit, or stay put if that's more prudent. I-5 has been closed on and off over the last few days, including today because of numerous accidents. With our all-wheel drive, we're not so worried about getting through the passes, but I do worry about some of the other drivers out there. I'm constantly amazed at how many dumb drivers there are in the world. Many of them have macho 4-wheel drive rigs that they think can go anywhere they want... as fast as they want.

Will check in again tomorrow or the next day to let you know how we progressed.