Fly/drive to Fullerton for used van

[dhally]

Well I pulled the trigger on a 2009 E250 with 207 miles in Fullerton, CA. :a1: Will be flying in tomorroow to drive back to Washington.

Any wisdom from you Kalifornia members about where to stay about 10-12 hours north of Fullerton? I'll be bringing a sleeping bag etc. and starting the stealth camping right off the bat.

Also is there anything to know about Fullerton? The dealer is located on Harbor Blvd near Riverside Hwy 91. It will be mid-day.

And finally, is there a good (fast) alternative to I-5. I hate most of I-5 but want to get home by Sunday night. I'm worried that 395 or 95 might make me slow down too much through towns?

Thanks :b4:

 

[BroncoHauler-SMB]

10-12 hours of driving will get you to the Lake Shasta/Mt. Shasta area. Lots of oppotunities to camp in that area, but don't have any specific recommendations, sorry.

As for an alternative to I-5? If you're looking to maximize the speed of your trip, I don't see any alternative. Yeah, the "scenery" along much of it sucks, and some people drives parts of it at 85+mph, but it least that gives the cops someone else to pull over besides me.

You could cut over to 99, and swing through Fresno. There's some camper van company located in that city.


Herb

 

[dhally]

Thanks Herb you have confirmed my suspicions about I-5 alternates. I have been to Fresno quite a bit, including a visit to SMB. I like SMB but not Fresno or the roads in/out....

I have a cousin in Redding, maybe could crash at his place if it's not too early.

10-12 hours of driving will get you to the Lake Shasta/Mt. Shasta area. Lots of oppotunities to camp in that area, but don't have any specific recommendations, sorry.

As for an alternative to I-5? If you're looking to maximize the speed of your trip, I don't see any alternative. Yeah, the "scenery" along much of it sucks, and some people drives parts of it at 85+mph, but it least that gives the cops someone else to pull over besides me.

You could cut over to 99, and swing through Fresno. There's some camper van company located in that city.


Herb

 

[charlie56]

My recommendation (actually I would not drive that far in one hop) but... try this route

http://goo.gl/maps/2jqJ

13 hours 8 minutes up 395.

Plum Valley Campground is a small primitive campground about 3 miles off 395. I would bet you would be the only one there.

The towns along 395 are not going to slow you down much at all and the scenery is 1000x better than I-5, especially this time of year.

 

[EMrider]

My recommendation (actually I would not drive that far in one hop) but... try this route

http://goo.gl/maps/2jqJ

13 hours 8 minutes up 395.

Plum Valley Campground is a small primitive campground about 3 miles off 395. I would bet you would be the only one there.

The towns along 395 are not going to slow you down much at all and the scenery is 1000x better than I-5, especially this time of year.

Ditto!

395 north is a great drive, especially the section north of Bishop. Lots of places to boondock along the way too.
R

 

[bettyford-SMB]

395 I drove it today it was great. In Lone Pine you can camp in the Alabama Hills anywhere off Movie Road.
Heading north into Lone pine turn left at the only light in town about 3miles turn right on Movie road after 1 mile pavement ends you can camp anywhere you want and stare at MT Whitney.

Congrats on the van. :b5:

Ron

 

[Aldercrest]

Your signature says you're heading for SE Washington. According to Google, your fastest route is up 395. As stated above, 395 is a big improvement over I-5. The Alabama Hills are a great place to camp. Of course, if I read your message, right, you're probably already on the road. In any case, this is what I would do:

 

[Silver350]

Congratulations in the van! Alloy wheels? Looks great in silver.

 

[dhally]

Got back

Thanks for all the replies. I also thought 395 looked good on Google. However when I left the dealer I sort of forgot and got back on the road heading towards I-5. So I ended up going I-5 and 97. HOWEVER I was able to spend the night with my cousin in Redding.

While I was in Redding I got a text message from a friend to get her some Scotch. Which I did, and delivered it to her in Sunriver, OR. So the van has already been put into "service".

Hey, Silver350,
I like gold better but yes it does look good in silver, in fact the color and the bling are the main reason I flew down to LA. I found another one in Seattle but it was white with a black grill. (OBTW I just figured out your handle.)

I'll start my build thread soon!! :d2:

 

[rockbender]

Do a friendly wave to those of us in Bend as you head north in the morning!

Safe travels - if I had checked this earlier I would have offered some hospitality but seems you have it dialed in pretty well.
cheers!

 

[dhally]

Do a friendly wave to those of us in Bend as you head north in the morning!

Safe travels - if I had checked this earlier I would have offered some hospitality but seems you have it dialed in pretty well.
cheers!

I blew through there this afternoon at 55 mph!! That sure is a nice parkway they put in. There's nowhere for radar cops to park....