I-5 North (CA), Orange County South & Central, Exit 72 - Exit 103B

[OSTARAEB4]

Okay Brent.(1)O Orange Street in Redlands west on 10 all the way to the end of the 10 in Santa Monica. My guess is eighty miles.

2) On the 5 heading north at San Diego/exact Orange County border in San Clemente the 5 all the way up the Southland;at 60/10 follow straight up onto the 101 by Downtown LA all the way into the valley to exact Los Angeles/Ventura County line near TA, Westlake Blvd Route 23. Exact mileage please. My guess is ninety-five miles.

[fku8447]

What is a HOV lane?

[elteknoo38]

@fku8447

HOV Lane: High Occupancy Vehicles Lane.

[liquidmajic]

Another very enjoyable freeway adventure! interesting scenery

[Likeamojay]

I used to live there, right off of Oso at 3:59. Great fwy drive of South County! 

[DetroitLove4U]

Where do you live Brent?

[goldboy76]

Thumbs up if you came here to look what's interstate 5 in GTA 5

[casmatori]

Great video! Love the OC

[oldiesmusic76]

If you Google "Santa Ana Freeway Old" and scroll down to page 7, you'll see the picture. It shows a two lane freeway with puffy cumulus clouds in the sky. The picture is just to the left of the I-5 blue sign and above the state route 42 sign

[96justinpark]

Freewaybrent needs a new video!!

[FreewayBrent]

@96justinpark: lol, you asked and I delivered. Check out my I-105 West video, which was released just a few days ago.

[grvk]

Very nice video :)

Sometimes I wonder how you're doing such a perfect image stabilization...

[FreewayBrent]

@grvk: Hey there. I actually ended up purchasing a Flip Ultra 3rd generation camcorder (8 GB version). I really don't have to do anything now to keep it stable, as the image stabilization in that tiny lil' camcorder is unbelievable.

[MoviMalley]

This is really cool. ive always wanted to go to southern california and check out their roads. there way much better than the roads here in Michigan :)

[FreewayBrent]

@MoviMalley: California, in general, has a ton of great roads to drive. I've only explored the southern half of Michigan. Favorite city there is probably Ann Arbor; enjoyed Royal Oak a lot too.

[jasonmildward]

I drive from El Toro to Oso then Oso back to Exit El Toro in Lake Forest everyday. Cool Video thanks. I live in Lake Forest just moved here from a small town in southern Kansas in witch we had not one stoplight and population maybe 6 hundred people. Big Change but i Love it here in Orange County.

[FreewayBrent]

@jasonmildward: Haha, that's cool. I've been thru southern Kansas before (stayed with a family friend in Ulysses for a couple of nights). Did our super-wide and busy freeways scare you off a little bit at first? My friend from small-town Mississippi told me she was freaked out, the first time she drove an L.A. freeway. Wasn't used to seeing 12/14+ lanes and a ton of cars in a never-ending succession.

[jasonmildward]

@FreewayBrent I've been to Ulysses before when I was a like 10 thats way out western Kansas. I am from Southeast Kansas from a small town called Cottonwood Falls populating maybe 800 people,it's around Emporia Ks between Kc Kansas and Wichita Kansas. Maybe you've been on east and west 50 or I-35

[jasonmildward]

@FreewayBrent Yeah at first it was a bit scary to get on the freeways.

[TheDeen114]

Nice video! What camera and mount do you use btw? I want to start recording my trips.

[FreewayBrent]

@TheDeen114: Hey there. I use a Flip Ultra 3rd generation camcorder with 8 GB of built-in memory, and have a heavy-duty Manfrotto tripod that I situate on the passenger floor. I keep my laptop with me, so that when the 2 hours of recording time are up, I can quickly upload the footage to my laptop, then clear the internal memory to continue recording. Oh yeah, and keep a spare battery with you, as the battery life isn't really all that great (less than 2 hours).

[oldiesmusic76]

I remember when I-5 was only three lanes in each direction through Santa Ana, Irvine and Anaheim..etc.. It was very bumpy too, with concrete cracks!

[FreewayBrent]

@oldiesmusic76: Wow. Yeah, I've seen a few pictures of the pre-reconstructed freeway. I couldn't even recognize it. Amazing how Caltrans and the OCTA were able to push this super-wide freeway through OC, although a lot of that also had to do with the fact that the residents and business community wanted I-5 widened, and were open to the idea of losing properties in exchange for a much improved freeway. You don't see that too often, anymore.

[oldiesmusic76]

There is a link at the O.C. History Roundup website and it shows the 5 freeway at only two lanes in each direction, yes TWO LANES at 1st/4th streets, Santa Ana. The color Kodachrome photo was taken in the late 1950's.

[orangefiona1]

@FreewayBrent good thing you didn't get on the 405 freeway last weekend, it was Carmageddon, they shut it down for the weekend. Thanks for filming in Orange County, my home. 5 freeway is my most traveled route by the way.

[FreewayBrent]

@orangefiona1: Hey you, thanks for watching. :-) I actually intend on editing the remaining footage of I-5 in Orange County (to the OC/LA County line) and releasing it in the coming weeks ahead. As for the I-405 closure, I was (and still am for a few more weeks) 400 miles north during Carmageddon. No traffic up here in the Sierra Nevada, haha.

[OSTARAEB4]

@oldiesmusic76 I remember three lanes each way also. They started the widening in the late 1990's if I remember correctly.

[ScrewdUPClickV2]

visiting you channel this was playing. again i will say there is only 4 freeways that capture my attention 2 in my state and 2 in yours. I-110 AND THE 5OC !!!

[HoltCalifornia]

So many CHP.

[websproket]

love your videos. what software do you use to speed up the film?

[danie123182]

WOW. That was nice.

[FreewayBrent]

@danie123182: Glad you enjoyed!

[georgiaroadgeek]

Great job as always, Brent! Loved the ride. Would like to go back and drive even more of the SoCal freeways! :)

[FreewayBrent]

@georgiaroadgeek: And likewise, I'd like to go back and drive around the ATL again!

[WashfromCali]

That was an interesting touch, the police car hauling off the freeway! I am now living in Washington state, but I miss OC so much. I don't care how people say "It's changed." I miss it.

[FreewayBrent]

@WashfromCali: Hey man, I feel ya. Some things *never* change in the OC, such as the good weather, the beaches, and the hot women, lol.

[Gamerzde]

@FreewayBrent: There are a lot of autobahn´s in Germany but only a few of them carry so much traffic. And not as much as arround Los Angeles =) I will make a video of our autobahn A 29 from Oldenburg to BadZwischenahn and upload it on youtube. Hope you´II like it =)

[GeoffJennyOliver]

.. that is some ride Brent, that is some serious freeway action - the West Gate road works are yet to be completed - including major side barriers (a psycho thru his kid of there last year!) - I will post a vid as soon as it is finished ..

[edgexxi]

Never tire of seeing the El Toro Y, even if by virtual means :)

[FreewayBrent]

@hOpE237ful: Thanks! It's kind of a unique electronica beat. Not sure what else to quite compare it to.

[HoltCalifornia]

As in time/speed to get from San Diego to lets say Torrance-- would it be worth the money to pay for the 73 toll road-- or should I just take the I-5 to I-405

[FreewayBrent]

@HoltCalifornia: Depends on the hour. In the mornings going northbound, you can probably save up to 30 minutes in time, by taking the 73. Going southbound during the afternoon/evening commute, you might achieve even more savings in time. This is because of the severe southbound bottlenecks along I-405 thru Irvine (where 7 lanes merge down to 5 lanes at Culver), and once you get onto I-5 south at the El Toro "Y" interchange. Expect more stop-and-go down I-5, down to the 73 freeway.

[adogg619]

@HoltCalifornia

I think it's worth the money to take the 73 toll road as a shortcut. I have on a couple of occasions. A lot less traffic and you are treated to a more beautiful scenery.

[Gamerzde]

@FreewayBrent: A really nice view. In Germany you can look 3 till 5 miles over the freeway when you are in the south middle of Germany. Also nice views over the landscape. But not so much traffic like in this video

[FreewayBrent]

@Gamerzde: I know there's just a handful of autobahn's in Germany that have traffic counts, similar to what you'd find on L.A.'s freeway network, but otherwise, the busiest ones usually carry somewhere in the 100,000 - 150,000 vehicle per day level. Definitely nothing like Greater Los Angeles, where many freeways carry in excess of 300,000 vehicles per day, or more. I'm also not aware of any autobahn's that have 20+ lanes for that matter, or are there?

[FreewayBrent]

@Larry4009: Thanks!

[MrLamade]

i LOVE it... its pretty  cool... thanks bro!

[FreewayTitan]

Very nice video, Brent. I always forgot how scenic that stretch is at the beginning. Also, I'm thinking about getting a new camera, and how much did you rack up on this camera for cost? Just out of curiosity, because I like it.

[hooeybrown]

i used to live in SoCal so i love these CA highway journeys. still using the mute button....... LOL

keep up the good work Brent. your videos are top notch.

[FreewayBrent]

@hooeybrown: Very cool, thank you! Where do you live, nowadays?

Any particular types of music that you'd prefer to listen to? I like to be predictable with my music selections on here, but I did use some of Devo's stuff, not too long ago.

[IsoscelesKramer]

Awesome, loved the curves at the beginning!

[FreewayBrent]

@IsoscelesKramer: I may attempt to film this in the southbound direction.  Encountering those very same curves is a much bigger thrill, as you drive them going downhill!

[Gamerzde]

Thumbs up: Red Storm wherever you are * :D * Nice video Brent ;-) Greetings from Germany far far away ^^

[FreewayBrent]

@Gamerzde: Catchy tune, huh? I felt like it worked brilliantly, especially between 5:18 and 6:04, where the lack of bass lines "allowed" me to slow down the footage to display the most impressive portion of this freeway; the El Toro "Y" interchange.

[aswchris]

Incredible freeway!

[FreewayBrent]

@aswchris: It really is. I've been driving it, off and on for the past 10+ years, and it *never* gets old!

[espdavid21]

nice video!! ;)

[FreewayBrent]

@espdavid21: Thank you!

[colder47]

enjoyed



[FreewayBrent]

@colder47: Awesomeness; glad you enjoyed watching this particular video.

[cpDq231]

I really enjoyed this video.

[FreewayBrent]

@cpDq231: Thank you!

[superdevins]

what an awesome ride!! and you always choose the perfect song!!! where exactly is the cam placed?

[FreewayBrent]

@superdevins: Glad you enjoyed both the ride and the song. I place my camcorder on a tripod, situated on the floor of the passenger side. I place the tripod legs so that they are wedged between the glove compartment and the bottom edge of the passenger seat for maximum stability.

[superdevins]

@FreewayBrent oh ok. i thought you had the cam on the roof of the car or something. lol

[bondosho]

55N to 91E exit Lakeview, and then you are near my place.

[FreewayBrent]

@bondosho: Cool, just passed by there yesterday, lol.

[bondosho]

I'm surprised you got through it so smoothly! What time and day did you do this?

[FreewayBrent]

@bondosho: Well, "thanks" to the recession, generally speaking, the freeways aren't quite as congested as they used to be, and the duration of congestion tends to be a bit shorter in time. You still won't ever catch me driving I-5 between 7 - 9:30 a.m. or 4 - 7 p.m., lol.

I filmed this, starting after 10:30 a.m. on a Monday.

[Freewayjim]

Great job, definitely better than your first OC I-5 video, nice work with the syncying/timing as well.

[FreewayBrent]

@Freewayjim: Thanks, Jim!

[kitme]

Great vid. Looking forward to driving it next month.

[FreewayBrent]

@kitme: Oh yeah? Your first time to So Cal? Where are you from?

[kitme]

@FreewayBrent Used to live in Socal. Living in HI now. Haven't been back to LA for awhile.

[rockersk08]

There is no comparison with the older video. This was an awesome ride, and the song still rocks. One of your best videos to date. Can't wait to see more new and improved videos!

[FreewayBrent]

@rockersk08: Great to hear from one of my long-time subscribers. I humbly agree with you, regarding the improvement vs. the old video I have of this same stretch. I really worked hard at trying to compose this video together, because it really is a pretty unique stretch of freeway; a combination of elevation changes, super-wide stretches and modern engineering.

[HoltCalifornia]

Woah-- when did you take this video?

[FreewayBrent]

@HoltCalifornia: Just a couple of months ago, actually.

[ScrewdUPClickV2]

i gotta contact cal trans and get information on the elevated hov in orange where your vid ends.

[ScrewdUPClickV2]

nice video . i remember it vividly. definitaly at the top 'sections of freeway' in the usa.

[FreewayBrent]

@ScrewdUPClickV2: Word!

[ScrewdUPClickV2]

@FreewayBrent to me on a firsttime experience of 5OC . the freeway seemed layed back with 90% slow at speed limit drivers compared to the other routes in the L.A frwy network . is that accurate assumption or was it just a single experience that i encountered ? the speed limit if i remember was 65 and most kep to it . i drove SB at about 75 and had very few pass ?

[FreewayBrent]

@ScrewdUPClickV2: Yeah, the El Toro "Y" isn't an area that's really known for notorious speeding, mainly because you have a lot of merging going on in that area. Some drivers will kick it up to 80 MPH, but since it carries so much traffic, doing anything faster might be a bit risky, at least not until you drive south of the 73 tollway, where traffic volumes begin to drop.