The Grueling 5

Most Californians have experienced firsthand the long, flat hours of Interstate 5 spanning northern and southern California. We've traveled it many times. Virtually all of our extended family lives in northern California, both in the Bay Area and in the Central Valley. Heading north, you have only to deal with LA traffic until you approach the Grapevine, a winding stretch of highway bounding the north end of the LA basin. The pass tops out at 4000 feet then descends into the Valley. After the Grapevine, civilization consists of periodic clusters of motels and fast food joints spaced every 30 miles, plus or minus 10. Food stops, gas fills, and bathroom breaks rely on careful planning to exit at the optimal oasis. You shouldn't exit too soon or your trip will be unnecessarily prolonged; if you wait too long, though, bladder distention can compound the boredom of straight shot highway with physical discomfort and the chance, though slight, of an embarrassing disaster. Highway 5 is not for crybabies or the excessively fastidious. It probably builds character, but are you ever glad when you finally reach home.