64Orange
Well-Known Member
On May 6, 2023, my father and I completed a 1000 mile drive up and down California. The inspiration for this drive was Sir Sterling Moss and his record breaking Mille Miglia from May 1, 1955. I wanted to experience a drive like that. Of course, I couldn't do it exactly like Sir Moss but I could get close. So I mapped out a route in my home state and named it the Golden State 1000. I even made t-shirts!
I set two rules for myself. It has to be a loop, no repeated pavement allowed. And the drive has to be completed in 1 day, so I decided the best time to start the drive would be 12:00am.
The course I mapped out started in Costa Mesa (Southern California) and traveled to Lake Tahoe (Northern California) via: Interstate 5 North, Highway 99 North, Highway 50 East. Leaving Lake Tahoe to Newport Beach: Highway 395 South, Interstate 15 South, State Route 241 South. Then finish!
The following is a log we kept of our drive. We tried to write things down on the hour and every 100 miles.
12:00am Start Costa Mesa 00 Miles
12:19am Leave Orange County 25 Miles
12:35am Downtown LA 44 Miles
1:00am Six Flags Magic Mountain 78 Miles
1:38am Interstate 5 to Highway 99 129 Miles
2:00am Bakersfield Central, Highway 65 157 Miles
2:16am Driver Change 172 Miles
2:28am Tulare County 186 Miles
2:41am Highway 99, Ave 128, Town of Quail 202 Miles
3:00am Middle of nowhere Highway 99, Passed Sequoia Nat'l Park offramp 226 Miles
3:58am Burning car (Bright orange spot in background), driver fell asleep and rear ended semi truck, both drivers ok, CHP was on the way 298 Miles
4:03am 30-40 miles South of Merced 300 Miles
5:00am ARCO Gas, Driver change 366 Miles
5:56am Highway 99 to Highway 50 East 424 Miles
7:00am On Highway 50, Past Pollack Pines, Fork of North American River 486 Miles
7:17am Highway 50, 25 Miles to South Lake Tahoe 500 Miles (Half way!!)
7:45am Arrived at South Lake Tahoe 522 Miles
8:00am Touched Lake Tahoe, Driver Change 524 Miles
9:03am Highway 395, Entered Walker River Shed 561 Miles
9:42am Highway 395, Devil's Gate Summit 601 Miles
9:58am Highway 395, Bodie State Park 617 Miles
11:00am Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Main Lodge 666 Miles
Lunch Break + Shopping
12:18pm Leave Mammoth Lakes, Driver Change, Back to Highway 395 670 Miles
12:45pm Enter Bishop (Pick up Schatt's bread) 705 Miles
2:00pm Highway 395, Lone Pine 766 Miles
2:29pm South Highway 395 800 Miles
3:00pm South Highway 395, Johannesburg 844 Miles
3:50pm 4 Corners, Kramer Junction 900 Miles (I like trains and this is a BNSF train in Cajon Pass)
5:00pm Interstate 15 South & State Route 60 958 Miles
5:47pm Jamboree & MacArthur (Newport Beach) 1000 Miles
When we finished the drive I was proud. We did it! I fulfilled a dream of driving 1000 miles just like Sir Moss. And here are my take aways from the Golden State 1000.
1) Going through Los Angeles in the earliest hours in the morning to avoid any kind of traffic was a golden play.
2) I need to plan the GS1000's route a bit more carefully. Pick the parts I want to make good time and pick parts that are slow. The stretch of 395 South from Adelanto to I-15 South Cajon Pass was a total drag.
3) Sleep! Get plenty of rest beforehand. Running on a few hours of sleep was challenging and potentially dangerous. Maybe a 4:00am start instead of midnight next time.
4) It was a challenging drive. Not in the way I expected but still unique and enjoyable.
5) California is an incredibly beautiful state. We traveled through a major metropolis, lush green forests, snow covered mountains and roads, raging rivers, formerly dry lakes filled with water, and high deserts. Simply stunning!
6) A lot of people thought that the GS 1000 was crazy and kinda cool. I should invite more people
7) I absolutely want to do it again next year. I already have a few routes in mind.
I set two rules for myself. It has to be a loop, no repeated pavement allowed. And the drive has to be completed in 1 day, so I decided the best time to start the drive would be 12:00am.
The course I mapped out started in Costa Mesa (Southern California) and traveled to Lake Tahoe (Northern California) via: Interstate 5 North, Highway 99 North, Highway 50 East. Leaving Lake Tahoe to Newport Beach: Highway 395 South, Interstate 15 South, State Route 241 South. Then finish!
The following is a log we kept of our drive. We tried to write things down on the hour and every 100 miles.
12:00am Start Costa Mesa 00 Miles
12:19am Leave Orange County 25 Miles
12:35am Downtown LA 44 Miles
1:00am Six Flags Magic Mountain 78 Miles
1:38am Interstate 5 to Highway 99 129 Miles
2:00am Bakersfield Central, Highway 65 157 Miles
2:16am Driver Change 172 Miles
2:28am Tulare County 186 Miles
2:41am Highway 99, Ave 128, Town of Quail 202 Miles
3:00am Middle of nowhere Highway 99, Passed Sequoia Nat'l Park offramp 226 Miles
3:58am Burning car (Bright orange spot in background), driver fell asleep and rear ended semi truck, both drivers ok, CHP was on the way 298 Miles
4:03am 30-40 miles South of Merced 300 Miles
5:00am ARCO Gas, Driver change 366 Miles
5:56am Highway 99 to Highway 50 East 424 Miles
7:00am On Highway 50, Past Pollack Pines, Fork of North American River 486 Miles
7:17am Highway 50, 25 Miles to South Lake Tahoe 500 Miles (Half way!!)
7:45am Arrived at South Lake Tahoe 522 Miles
8:00am Touched Lake Tahoe, Driver Change 524 Miles
9:03am Highway 395, Entered Walker River Shed 561 Miles
9:42am Highway 395, Devil's Gate Summit 601 Miles
9:58am Highway 395, Bodie State Park 617 Miles
11:00am Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Main Lodge 666 Miles
Lunch Break + Shopping
12:18pm Leave Mammoth Lakes, Driver Change, Back to Highway 395 670 Miles
12:45pm Enter Bishop (Pick up Schatt's bread) 705 Miles
2:00pm Highway 395, Lone Pine 766 Miles
2:29pm South Highway 395 800 Miles
3:00pm South Highway 395, Johannesburg 844 Miles
3:50pm 4 Corners, Kramer Junction 900 Miles (I like trains and this is a BNSF train in Cajon Pass)
5:00pm Interstate 15 South & State Route 60 958 Miles
5:47pm Jamboree & MacArthur (Newport Beach) 1000 Miles
When we finished the drive I was proud. We did it! I fulfilled a dream of driving 1000 miles just like Sir Moss. And here are my take aways from the Golden State 1000.
1) Going through Los Angeles in the earliest hours in the morning to avoid any kind of traffic was a golden play.
2) I need to plan the GS1000's route a bit more carefully. Pick the parts I want to make good time and pick parts that are slow. The stretch of 395 South from Adelanto to I-15 South Cajon Pass was a total drag.
3) Sleep! Get plenty of rest beforehand. Running on a few hours of sleep was challenging and potentially dangerous. Maybe a 4:00am start instead of midnight next time.
4) It was a challenging drive. Not in the way I expected but still unique and enjoyable.
5) California is an incredibly beautiful state. We traveled through a major metropolis, lush green forests, snow covered mountains and roads, raging rivers, formerly dry lakes filled with water, and high deserts. Simply stunning!
6) A lot of people thought that the GS 1000 was crazy and kinda cool. I should invite more people
7) I absolutely want to do it again next year. I already have a few routes in mind.
