Christmas Eve Drive in California

Shirley and I left downtown Los Angeles on the day before Christmas at 11:00am and headed north. We were driving to the Central Valley town of Modesto for Christmas, about six hours away, and the forecast called for heavy rain in the afternoon. That meant we faced the possibility of snow up in the hills so we needed to get over the mountain passes before the storms came through; snow at the high elevations had stranded thousands of motorists the previous week.

We followed rte 2 north into La Canada, then began our climb into the San Gabriel Mountains. As the road climbed higher, snow began to appear on the side of the pavement. We left the Angeles Crest above 4000' and turned left on the Angeles Forest Highway; this began the long twisting road that snaked through the San Gabriel Mountains before descending the north slope below the town of Palmdale. We often went this way instead of taking the direct route of Interstate 5 over the Grapevine; that stretch of highway could be a high-speed horror show and winter storms often snarled traffic near Tejon Pass.

An hour after leaving our home in LA we pulled onto Highway 14 just as it turned northwards, crossed over a pass, and descended into the Antelope Valley town of Palmdale. We continued north into Lancaster and then across the high desert to the town of Mojave. Here we gassed up and grabbed a quick bite before continuing on our way. A few miles up the road to the north, we exited Highway 14 and turned left onto rte 58 which we now followed west towards Bakersfield.

After we left Mojave, which sits at an elevation near 2700’, the road began a long and gradual climb towards the town of Tehachapi, the highpoint of our travel on rte 58 at an elevation of 4000’. Rain began to patter softly against the windshield and it gradually grew more determined before it turned completely to snow with the gain of elevation. We entered a mean-looking gray cloud and drove for several minutes in a snow-squall of limited visibility and furious wind-driven snow. Near Tehachapi, the snow stopped and we glimpsed blue sky and sunlight, and the mountain vistas all around us were sporting a fresh dusting of white.

We crested the pass and began the 38-mile descent towards Bakersfield. Finally, we could see into the Central Valley itself. After the road had leveled off, I stopped on an an exit ramp on the valley floor and let Shirley drive. I climbed into the passenger seat and quickly dozed off. When I awoke, we were 100 miles north of Bakersfield and driving on Highway 99 through Fresno. To the east, we had intermittent glimpses of snow in the Sierra near Kings Canyon and Yosemite before storm clouds obscured the view. We pulled over for coffee and a rest near the town of Madera, and I took over as driver. In an hour, we were home in Modesto.

California is an incredible state, filled with diversity and wonder at every turn. On our six-hour drive we left the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles, went over and across the San Gabriel Mountains, drove across the Antelope Valley and the high desert of the Mojave, crested another 4000’ pass before descending into the Central Valley, and then watched storm clouds collide with the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

How sweet it all is. Merry Christmas.