Latest report (via Skype message) from my daughter unit on the road from Seattle to San Diego (8:58PM) Just went up the grapevine Now traffic For those unfamiliar with The Grapevine At an elevation of 1,499 feet (457 m), the community of Grapevine is located at the foot of a grade known as The Grapevine that starts at the mouth of Grapevine Canyon, immediately south of the community, and ascends the canyon to the Tejon Pass in the Tehachapi Mountains via Interstate 5 (formerly U.S. Route 99). The village and grade are named, not for the once-winding road known as the Grapevine that used to climb the steep mountain canyon, but for the canyon it passed through with its wild grapes that still grow along the original road. Its Spanish name was La Cañada de las Uvas. The Grapevine was infamous for its high accident rate before the road was straightened and widened. There are escape ramps branching off both sides of the downward part of the road for heavy trucks whose brakes fail on this very long, 6% steep and now straight grade. The road is still occasionally closed due to heavy snowfall during winter storms. It has also been closed for fire and severe dust storms. As the Grapevine is the major route between Northern and Southern California, any closure is a major disruption to traffic along the West Coast. youtu.be/eZu5TwRbYiA
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 04:16:01 +0000