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I'd hightail it up, trying to arrive before Thursday. Supposed to stay above freezing for the most part and snow levels are 9,000ft+
Enjoy Prineville, I'll swing by and wave every so often on my way through.
(the person needlessly honking horn @ 3 AM )
My B-I-L is up there almost every weekend fetching a load of hay.
Good to know! Eventually I'll NEED a load of hay, so we may have to talk!
I've got my pickup loaded and am set to head out Monday morning, so plan to be in Prineville on Wednesday afternoon. Good news is, my stuff all fits nicely into the bed, I don't think we're overloaded, although we won't be accelerating very quickly. I'm also going to call a couple of folks every evening so somebody knows where I'm supposed to be, just in case.
Word of caution: If you're carrying anything in an old milk crate, hide it. It's illegal to have one in California without being able to produce a bill of sale to show where you bought it and the CHP WILL stop you if they see it and don't have much else to do right then.
Wow, who knew? That is good to know!
I have also heard that they take their speed limits very seriously in CA, as opposed to NM - is that your experience?
I have also heard that they take their speed limits very seriously in CA, as opposed to NM - is that your experience?
In NM, it comes and goes, depending upon politics and past traffic history.
In CA, yes and no. It very much depends upon where you are and what you're doing.
For instance, their focus out on the high desert between Needles and Barstow on I-40 is rescuing stranded motorists, especially at night. It's not that you can't get a ticket out there, but you really have to be asking for it. The big truck limit is 55, but I've spent many a night flying through there at 85-100 mph and never had them say "Boo!" to me, though I did have one tell me on the radio one night to slow down.
However, once you pass Barstow and head over toward Mojave on CA-58, it's a different story. There's more people there and it's not as wide open as it is east of Barstow, so they've got a bad habit of sitting off on a side road judging your speed without the use of a radar (which they didn't even use until about 10-15 years ago). You can't get away with much there.
Similarly, from Bakersfield north to Sacramento, they're much more strict on CA-99 than they are on I-5. The reason is that I-5 goes through pretty much empty country along the foothills of the coastal mountains, while CA-99 heads up through populated farm country and several big cities, such as Fresno, Modesto and Stockton. At night on I-5, you can just about get away with murder while 2 or 3 over on CA-99 will get you a ticket.
The thing about California is that they still practice a rule called "reasonable and proper." In other words, except in certain places and under certain conditions, they're much more interested in the flow of traffic than they are individual vehicle speeds. So long as you're rolling with the flow, not hanging out in the left lane or weaving your way through traffic, you'll be fine. If everyone else is doing 80, you do 80 too. If they're going 40, you go 40. What attracts their attention is when you're passing one vehicle after another or jumping from one lane to another regularly. That tells them you're going faster than everyone else and that'll get you nailed. Worse, you'll never see them until they pull up on your bumper with the lights on. I don't know how they manage to hide those bright, shiney black and white cars, but it's like they have an invisible cloak around them. The CHP is VERY good a gauging your speed without the use of a radar or clocking device and you can't beat them in court, so the trick is just to drive at all times as if there's one watching you. There probably is.
As an example of how they operate, when you come down off Tehachapi Pass, between Mojave and Bakersfield, at the very bottom of the mountain you'll come to an exit marked Gen. Beal Rd. Look to your left, way over there at the end of a grove of orange trees. If there's a CHP cop watching the speed of those coming down the last leg of the mountain, that's where he'll be, with the nose of his car just visible past the trees. From there, he can see nearly the whole 4 mile downgrade and watch for weavers or left lane sitters. If he sees someone going too fast, the victim will never know he's been caught until it's too late and probably won't have a clue how he got caught.
One more thing. In the daytime, on I-5 within 50 miles or so either way from Kettleman City, watch for an airplane on a clear day. They're easy to spot since they tend to fly very low, right over the highway (unlike other states such as Ohio which tends to orbit a mile or two away from the road), but they're so visible that nobody sees them until the chase car has arrived. By then, it's too late.
After you leave the great central valley at Redding, keep your speed down to the limit all the way to Oregon, especially after you get off on US-97.
I thought you were leaving yesterday? I figured you'd be way out in California by now.
Wound up having to delay a day to take care of some stupidness, but we reached Barstow a couple hours ago and are flopping here for the night - would love to make it to Weed or so tomorrow. It was a perfect driving day, for sure - I almost needed the AC in Arizona! So far so good...
Wound up having to delay a day to take care of some stupidness, but we reached Barstow a couple hours ago and are flopping here for the night - would love to make it to Weed or so tomorrow. It was a perfect driving day, for sure - I almost needed the AC in Arizona! So far so good...
We got here safely on Wednesday afternoon - really the only yucky part was a few sections of 97 between K Falls and Bend, but I waited in K Falls till late morning so it would be melted off as much as possible. I was so glad to get here, especially since it snowed last night, and I knew there was nothing to be gained by waiting.
I like Prineville! It's more pleasant than I remembered from my brief visit, and prettier too - also every person I've had occasion to speak with has been exceptionally nice, and that includes my new co-workers. I'm looking forward to exploring the town and surroundings when the snow melts - for now, I'm enjoying being a pedestrian (my rental is only 6 blocks from my new office, right in the middle of town), and my 3 cats are enjoying our new house too. We're all enjoying them NOT being in carriers in the cab of the truck with me 12 hours a day!!!
I wish happy holidays to everyone who has contributed to this thread - I know it was an infinitely better trip (and I was much more confident) because of you. May you all have a blessed Christmas and New Year!
We got here safely on Wednesday afternoon - really the only yucky part was a few sections of 97 between K Falls and Bend, but I waited in K Falls till late morning so it would be melted off as much as possible. I was so glad to get here, especially since it snowed last night, and I knew there was nothing to be gained by waiting.
I like Prineville! It's more pleasant than I remembered from my brief visit, and prettier too - also every person I've had occasion to speak with has been exceptionally nice, and that includes my new co-workers. I'm looking forward to exploring the town and surroundings when the snow melts - for now, I'm enjoying being a pedestrian (my rental is only 6 blocks from my new office, right in the middle of town), and my 3 cats are enjoying our new house too. We're all enjoying them NOT being in carriers in the cab of the truck with me 12 hours a day!!!
I wish happy holidays to everyone who has contributed to this thread - I know it was an infinitely better trip (and I was much more confident) because of you. May you all have a blessed Christmas and New Year!
Best,
PK
GREAT! I'm sure you haven't gone wrong chosing Prineville as a place to make your future. I don't know about the entity you're now a part of, but the people in that town are wonderful and you could have done a helluva lot worse.
And, I'm glad we were of some help.
Don't be a stranger. When you get the time, come on back and visit.
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The CHP is VERY good a gauging your speed without the use of a radar or clocking device and you can't beat them in court, so the trick is just to drive at all times as if there's one watching you. There probably is. 
