Photos from the Road: Interstate 5 North to Bakersfield, California
March 5, 2008California: land of surf, sun, and… snow?
I took the photos below on the morning of Wednesday, January 23, 2008 between roughly 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. as I made my way North on Interstate 5 through the Grapevine portion of the freeway (the area between Gorman, CA and Lebec, CA). This was the start of what I believe was the first major storm of the season.
By 3 p.m. that same day, the California Highway Patrol closed the 5 between Castaic and the base of the Grapevine; it remained closed through a good portion of the following day. I had planned to stay in Bakersfield that night anyway so this development didn’t immediately affect me.
However, the continued closure of the 5 the next day, Thursday, January 24, 2008, necessitated my taking the “long way” home which I normally drove on Mondays to get to my class in Palmdale: the 58 Freeway East through Tehachapi — my “favorite” drive (the topography is beautiful; I feel as if I am driving through a train set!).
Here are pictures from my journey (click the image for a larger version):
Once I cleared the Grapevine and began the descent into the valley below (the portion of the 5 just before the 5/99 split) I saw a full rainbow! It began roughly over the freeway a few miles ahead and actually seemed to end at an IKEA distribution warehouse!
I hope you enjoyed these photos — more to come soon!
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[…] from the Road — California Highway 58 East May 20, 2008 On March 5th of this year I posted photos I took as I traversed the Grapevine portion of Interstate 5 in California on the mor… as I made my way to the DeVry University Center in Bakersfield where I have been teaching since […]
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[…] and unpredictable “grapevine” portion of Interstate 5. Earlier this year I drove through the grapevine in the morning en route to Bakersfield during a light snow that eventually grew into a snowstorm that shut down the freeway for two […]
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I googled the Grapevine tonight just for kicks and came across your beautiful photos. We were in a similar situation just this past Monday, 2/16/09. Traveling from Lost Hills to LAX we had to detour to 58 then to 14. It was like a dream! I couldn’t take enough photos of a long train passing thru the 4 tunnels, then to see the beautiful windmills in the high snow. And when we came down into the valley there was an amazing rainbow amidst the dark clouds and sun. The ride was intense but the roadway was totally spectacular! It was 1 1/2 hr. detour but so thankful for the chance. Glad you could share the same feeling.
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Glad you enjoyed my photos — I sometimes wonder if anyone ever sees them! It’s been several months since I’ve driven either direction on Highway 58, but I am looking forward to the next opportunity to do so. There is just something magical about the trip. Although your trip was unexpectedly extended it sounds like it wound up being a “happy accident.” Isn’t it funny how sometimes a detour can actually lead us to something unexpectedly enlightening?
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This is too funny! I was trapped the exact same day on the Grapevine! We ended up staying at the Econo Lodge in your picture! We, too, went back south the next day to go up and around to go to Bakersfield. Yikes….what a LONG trip!
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