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Old 10-23-2010, 08:00 PM
 
1 posts, read 8,664 times
Reputation: 10

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We are planning to be in California thanksgiving week. We plan to spend Monday-Tuesday nights in San Francisco and Wednesday-Saturday nights in San Luis Obispo.

Are we making a big mistake traveling south from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo Wednesday afternoon? Initially I wanted to leave at 2 or 3, but am now thinking closer to noon. Is this still too late? I don't want to give up too much time in the city if I don't have to. I did some google searching and it seems like everyone is complaining about traffic headed north from LA to SF, but no one is talking about going south. I certainly expect some traffic and am okay with that; I just want to plan appropriately and avoid pulling over at midnight in tears and sleeping in the car.
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Old 10-23-2010, 08:15 PM
 
Location: San Leandro
4,576 posts, read 9,164,063 times
Reputation: 3248
Thanksgiving in California is the most god awful traffic jam, on the face of the earth. Especially norcal.

I have been in and observed perpetual traffic jams from santa cruz, up through the bay, into sac, and out to tahoe.

One time it took me 7 hours to get from roseville to visit my brother in santa cruz. This is a trip that would take 2.5-3 hours.
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Old 10-23-2010, 08:15 PM
 
Location: Columbia, California
6,664 posts, read 30,617,939 times
Reputation: 5184
I have done most of my turkey day traveling on turkey day.
I was heading north on the I-5 at 105 mph at 9am, the only car I seen passed me was a CHP.
There is little to no traffic on turkey day.
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Old 10-23-2010, 08:21 PM
 
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
14,129 posts, read 31,257,288 times
Reputation: 6920
Quote:
Originally Posted by ferretkona View Post
I was heading north on the I-5 at 105 mph at 9am, the only car I seen passed me was a CHP.
Why does this seem somewhat unlikely to me? Also, it's either "the 5" or "I-5", not "the I-5".
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Old 10-23-2010, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,659 posts, read 67,539,821 times
Reputation: 21244
Quote:
Originally Posted by NorCal Dude View Post
Thanksgiving in California is the most god awful traffic jam, on the face of the earth. Especially norcal.

I have been in and observed perpetual traffic jams from santa cruz, up through the bay, into sac, and out to tahoe.

One time it took me 7 hours to get from roseville to visit my brother in santa cruz. This is a trip that would take 2.5-3 hours.
One thanksgiving evening, it took me 4 hours to drive from Oakland to Granite Bay. Stacked up the entire length of the drive.

Another thanksgiving weekend it took us 12 hours to drive from LA back to Oakland. It was stop and go for the 300+ miles. Just hideous.
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Old 10-23-2010, 09:14 PM
 
Location: San Leandro
4,576 posts, read 9,164,063 times
Reputation: 3248
Its really the only day I ever see traffic that bad. Its like everyone between SD and Sac is trying to save a buck and hit the road driving. Me and my wife either fly to chicago to visit my mom or fly to sd. It's just easier that way.
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Old 10-23-2010, 09:22 PM
 
25,619 posts, read 36,707,101 times
Reputation: 23295
Traffic on the 280, 880 and 101 are going to be murder at that time of the day on Wednesday. My suggestion is that you leave real late at night 10:00pm Wed or real early T-day like 3:00am. Good luck.
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Old 10-24-2010, 04:09 AM
 
27 posts, read 150,225 times
Reputation: 20
I agree with bulldogdad, which is to drive during the graveyard hours. Start sleeping late a few days before the drive so that you will be used to being up at that time. You don't want to fall asleep at the wheel.
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Old 10-24-2010, 10:12 AM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,156,794 times
Reputation: 3631
Any of the getaway routes like I-580, I-880/80, US-101, CA-152 are going to be insufferable. 101 in particular has a series of bottlenecks and goes gradually from 6 lanes in each direction to 2 as you drive from San Jose to Monterey County.
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Old 10-24-2010, 04:03 PM
CTC
 
Location: Pagosa Springs, CO/North Port,FL
668 posts, read 1,467,122 times
Reputation: 612
when I lived in the BA T-Day, or any other Holiday for that matter was a time to STAY in the BA. We would drive from Albany to Palo-Alto, or Burlingame to San Rafeal to see friends and eat,light traffic-drives that we would have usually hated

I remember one 4th of July (2000?) it was like the bomb had gone off-eery lack of traffic/people-if you can,just stay put
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