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Old 24 Oct 19, 07:05 PM  
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smithlane
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The BIG Little Lies California Road Trip - 3rd August 2019 - Long drive to Bakersfield

Day 17

Moving day again. Apologies as today is a really boring one as we drive to Bakersfield.
When booking all the accommodation we had a family pow wow and it was decided that none of us fancied doing the 7-8 hour drive to Yosemite in one go so we added a night in Bakersfield as it is roughly half way.

Up at 9 we packed up the apartment making sure we hadn’t left anything behind. I packed my last 4 nights worth of clothes into a separate bag so I wouldn’t need to get my suitcase out in Yosemite.
By 11 we were all ready and had the car loaded up, I dropped the keys off to the HOA then we were on our way.

Another one of the lovely wall art they have in North Coast Village



Last night we’d looked on the map where half way was between Oceanside and Bakersfield so we could stop for lunch. Looked roughly to be a town called Castaic which was 2 hours away. Would only have just over an hour after that to the hotel. Famous last words
I drove the first leg so not much to report and no photos. Jim promptly fell asleep and the kids were plugged into their phones so it was just me and my playlist. Thank god for iTunes that’s all I can say!

What should have been a 2 hour journey turned into a nearly 4 hour one . The traffic around LA is just unbelievable! We pulled up to a Subway just off the highway at 2.50pm
I was starving! My very nutritious breakfast of a Honey Bun and a couple of cookies was feeling like a distant memory
I went with what I had in San Fran which is the chicken, mozzarella and pesto ciabatta, Jim had tuna and Hope had ham and cheese. Sam and Jenny didn’t want a Subway so they shared a BBQ chicken pizza from Dominos next door.
Mine was so good, I hope they bring this one over to the UK!

Back on the road at 3.30 the Sat Nav now said it would be a 1hr 45 minute drive and that there were 2 accidents on the I5. Jim took over the driving, this is what our journey looked like for most of the time.





The expected time of arrival was creeping up and up. It was so frustrating as we just wanted to get there. A lot of cars were going up the hard shoulder but a couple of lorries quashed their efforts by straddling two lanes stopping them go up! We could see funny looking helicopters up ahead, thinking they might be news crew.





Eventually we came upon what had happened, it wasn’t a car accident but a huge hillside forest fire . There were numerous fire engines, forest fire service trucks, police and ABC news.















We assumed the pink powder had been dropped from the helicopters to help put out the fire. It covered a huge area! If you zoom in you can see dozens of workers on the hillside.









Once we got past it the traffic completely dispersed.





Can you spot the other fire in the distance?



We needed fuel so did a short divert to the nearest petrol station in Gorman.
I went in to get $50 worth of fuel while Jim filled up, I don’t trust myself to not put diesel in again

We still had 45 minutes to go, hoping for no more hold ups.
We eventually arrived at 6.30, over 7 hours since we’d left this morning
Just as well we had booked this overnight stay!

Check in at the Whispering Meadows office was easy enough but unfortunately we were at opposite ends of the complex with nothing closer available.
Got in our cars and parked in the designated spots. Didn’t unpack just chilled for an hour in the air con. It was still 100 degrees outside!

I popped to the pharmacy up the road for Helen as she was in agony with something stuck in her foot. I was after Magnesium Sulphate to help draw it out. Asked a nice assistant who could only find it in a salt bath formula rather than a cream. Got that with some corn pads for cushioning. Also picked up an Elf under eye concealer whilst I was there. $9.89 altogether.

Back to the apartment we then all went down to the pool that was nearest the Leans’ apartment as it was quieter than the one outside of ours.
We didn’t fancy going out for dinner so decided to get a takeout. I found a delivery service called Grubhub and found a few restaurants that would deliver. Half of us wanted Del Taco and the other half pizza. I ordered the Mexican first. 2 chicken tacos and chicken nachos for me, chicken quesadilla and beef nachos for Helen and a burger and fries for Hope and Sean. Nick, Jim, Jen and Sam wanted a pizza/chicken wing combo so found a local restaurant called Bakersfield Pizza Co.
I had almost finished putting the order through then it chucked me out and emptied my basket . Nick said it would be quicker if he just went to pick it up. Saw that Pizza Hut was closer so went there instead.

Our Mexican was delivered at just after 9 (we’ve got to stop eating so late ) but was missing my tacos! Did a live chat to them but they refused to redeliver, only to refund which I lost out due to exchange rate! I wasn’t that hungry after my nachos so it was ok, I had a slice of Jim’s pizza as well though.

Stayed chatting until 10 when security kicked us out as they were closing the pool area.
Back to the apartment to watch Fast and Furious then bed at midnight (again got to stop going to bed so late!)
Another long drive ahead of us tomorrow as we head to our final () but most exciting stop of the holiday, Yosemite

Edited at 12:04 PM.
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Old 25 Oct 19, 06:37 AM  
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Macca04
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Long driving day today, when we were there in 2013 We always found the drives a lot longer than google estimated.

Our longest drive was from Yosemite to Lone Pine this was due to Tioga Pass being closed due to forest fires. We had to drive the Sonora Pass, very scary and arrived at our hotel well after dark.

Looking forward to seeing how you enjoyed Yosemite, we were due to stay at Evergreen Lodge for three nights but because of the fires only had a morning in the valley.

Edited at 06:39 AM.
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Old 25 Oct 19, 04:38 PM  
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Originally Posted by Macca04 View Post
Long driving day today, when we were there in 2013 We always found the drives a lot longer than google estimated.

Our longest drive was from Yosemite to Lone Pine this was due to Tioga Pass being closed due to forest fires. We had to drive the Sonora Pass, very scary and arrived at our hotel well after dark.

Looking forward to seeing how you enjoyed Yosemite, we were due to stay at Evergreen Lodge for three nights but because of the fires only had a morning in the valley.
The traffic is just crazy isn't it. It has to be seen to be believed!
Only takes one accident or hold up for there to be miles of tailbacks. I drive frequently on the M25 but the I5 is far worse!

It's horrible driving in the dark when you don't know where you're going

We really did fall in love with Yosemite, but if or when we return it would be out of peak season as they just can't cope with the sheer amount of visitors in the summer hols.
Such a shame you only got one morning there, the forest fires they get in California are awful. Good excuse to go back though!
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Old 26 Oct 19, 07:40 PM  
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What a long drive today and then your dinner order was mucked up, how annoying!
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Old 1 Nov 19, 11:23 PM  
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Originally Posted by Goldia View Post
What a long drive today and then your dinner order was mucked up, how annoying!
Yes not the best day at all! At least we got there in the end
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Old 3 Nov 19, 01:29 PM  
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Oh dear. Driving days are a pain at best but this was a nightmare with the traffic and then the rubbish food delivery . It’s so terrible with those forest fires, so sad the destruction that happens so quickly.
Ah well on the bright idea you are half way to Yosemite ! Hope Helens foot was ok. Sounds painful. You are all in the wars a bit this trip.
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Old 3 Nov 19, 05:43 PM  
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Originally Posted by WileyCoyote View Post
Oh dear. Driving days are a pain at best but this was a nightmare with the traffic and then the rubbish food delivery . It’s so terrible with those forest fires, so sad the destruction that happens so quickly.
Ah well on the bright idea you are half way to Yosemite ! Hope Helens foot was ok. Sounds painful. You are all in the wars a bit this trip.
This day was beyond boring, it seemed like we would never get there!
It’s very sad to see the damage from the fires, every year locals must live in fear that one will get out of control.
Yes we were very excited to be moving on to Yosemite!
Haha we really were in the wars this holiday, the kids were the only ones that seemed ok. They’re obviously a lot fitter than us oldies 😂
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Old 21 Nov 19, 11:53 PM  
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I'm not pleased at all to hear about the bad traffic around LA. Next year we have a long driving day ending in LA and I need to try and work out what time we'll return the hire car at the end of it... could be tricky

Anyway, back to your day... your subway meal sounds nice, just as well you had that since half of your dinner was missing. I hope Helen's foot is better before you get to Yosemite.
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Old 10 Dec 19, 11:32 PM  
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Originally Posted by Fuellady View Post
I'm not pleased at all to hear about the bad traffic around LA. Next year we have a long driving day ending in LA and I need to try and work out what time we'll return the hire car at the end of it... could be tricky

Anyway, back to your day... your subway meal sounds nice, just as well you had that since half of your dinner was missing. I hope Helen's foot is better before you get to Yosemite.
It's so hard to judge the traffic in LA but I would definitely ere on the side of caution. Where will you be driving in from?
I do wish Subway in the UK would bring that sandwich over here, it's so good!
Thankfully Helen's foot was better by the morning, I think that was the last of our injuries this holiday
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Old 11 Dec 19, 01:40 PM  
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Originally Posted by smithlane View Post
It's so hard to judge the traffic in LA but I would definitely ere on the side of caution. Where will you be driving in from?
I do wish Subway in the UK would bring that sandwich over here, it's so good!
Thankfully Helen's foot was better by the morning, I think that was the last of our injuries this holiday
We’re coming into LA from Las Vegas, but rejoining Route 66 at Needles first. It’s about 380 miles, so quite a long driving day. Probably leave Vegas about 9am. Any advice? 😁
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