I-5 North (CA & OR), Siskiyou Summit

[nostalgiamelancolia1]

The mountain scenery will start getting greener as I-5 enters Oregon.

[abysmalatrocious]

@nostalgiamelancolia1 I'm from Seattle, and you're right, once I get into California, it gets less green. Of course, the farther South you do, the hotter, so that makes sense.

[anttrap321]

is the crashed truck the same one as the one on 7:56? (the crazy speedy truck passing on a downhill.) I drove this route last summer and it was fun! lots of curves and lots of trucks going 10 MPH on the right with their hazard lights on cuz it was so windy. I can feel the wind even in my mini van lol.

[FreewayBrent]

@anttrap321: Nah, those are two different trucks (positive on that). I forgot to take this version down. I have an edited version of this same video available here (sorry, YouTube doesn't allow complete links in comments) /watch?v=Z8w5kNtdxAc

[spredelectric]

I never realized how crappy Oregon's roads were until watching this video. Nice and smooth for the first part of the video. Hit the Oregon line and it's all shaky. Great video (not so great roads, Oregon!)

[jediforce64]

10,000 views YEAH!

[FreewayBrent]

@jediforce64: lol, wow. I forgot to delete this video. I have an edited version of it on YouTube, complete with graphics and custom-designed annotations. youtube.com/watch?v=Z8w5kNtdxA­c

[BiGSaUcY88]

I LOVE this drive... but I got nailed by CHP going about 90 about 2 miles south of where this video begins... so be really careful when driving here :P

[jaarmen3]

Hey Brent, one of my favorite videos of yours, I've got to try this trip on my Ninja. Love your videos. take care

[gilhuus]

I'm from Norway and I drove that stretch of road in late June '09. Absolutely wonderful scenery between Yreka (where I spent the night) and Mt Siskiyou. I stopped somewhere along the way and took a picture of the morning fog coming over the mountains, creeping over the hillsides like something out of another world. Just beautiful.

[FreewayBrent]

@gilhuus: Yeah, it's truly a special stretch of freeway, and definitely an engineering marvel, when you consider what the old roadway was like.

[vzeu019j]

That Jersey Barrier originally wasn't there as Interstate 5 goes up the mountain from 1:33.....

[FreewayBrent]

@vzeu019j: I think I do remember the old guardrails, but I was a young kid, back in those days.

[SaltyTestes]

7:46....I will never forget the time that I saw a car go down that escape ramp. I guess they lost their brakes. What they did not count on was sinking into the gravel. Thankfully, they survived the ordeal.

[FreewayBrent]

@SaltyTestes: I'm always conscious about the "what-if" scenarios, when I drive down mountain passes like Siskiyou Summit. That's why I stick to the speed limit and the advisory speed signs along the curves; you just never know if you're gonna have to swerve around some unexpected hazard.

[19crash84]

@SaltyTestes I don't know how it is in other places but in Tennessee if someone winds up going on a runaway truck ramp they also get ticketed. The reason behind this is that they figure if you hit a truck ramp you were not driving safe. I remember a few years ago passing a truck on Monteagle whose brakes were smoking. I have no clue if it made it down or hit a runaway truck ramp and I was not going to stick around to find out.

[PowderBlue3]

Wow amazing scenery ! Great Video !

[savtasaba]

FANTASTIC! *****

[DrivingJapan]

nice driving.

good bgm!

[jcmynt]

Good footage......gotta be carefull coming down the oregon side of the summitt.....in addition to the grade,after you pass the railroad under crossing you hit a semi straight away that leads into a set of "s" curves and a couple of blind shoulders for highway patrol to catch you speeding thru. I like interstate mountain driving alot and i thought siskiyou,Mt. Shasta,and grapevine were the best until I drove thru I-90 snoqualmie pass!!!

[FreewayBrent]

As many times as I've been up to Seattle, I *still* haven't driven I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass yet. Hopefully sometime in the next 2 or 3 months, I'll get back up there to finally film the whole thing in HD.

[abysmalatrocious]

@jcmynt I know!  I'm from Seattle, and I've heard numerous people get speed trapped in this area.

[CptSchmidt]

Very nice drive, Brent. I think that if you zoomed your camera out, it wouldn't get blurry or shaky. Just a suggestion from a fan.

[FreewayBrent]

Unfortunately, the camcorder is already set to be as far zoomed out as possible. I'd have to get myself an Acura or even a BMW (or heck, a Ford Mustang has a great, smooth suspension) to eliminate any vibrations, but overall, this video came out great.

[CAMINOANDALUZ]

great video!!

Highway with two lanes, Mediterranean climate and mountainous landscape.

for me, these images are very familiar.

[FreewayBrent]

Thank you!

I would imagine that going from California to Spain would look remarkably the same.

One of these days, I'll definitely get out to your part of the world.

[TheDriverfan]

wow :D It 'so nice to California and this video

[peanyous1]

I thought so, the curves and a lot of warnings that kind of scary so, this is the best video.

[edgexxi]

FreewayBrent, you ever plan to shoot Snoqualmie Pass on the 90 fwy east of Seattle? I bet that one's intersting.

[FreewayBrent]

Funny you mentioned this; I was recording around Seattle today, haha. I may end up recording Snoqualmie Pass, early next week, if the weather cooperates. That's certainly one amazingly beautiful drive.

[sonysnob1]

That's a wicked video. I wish we had some freeways like that around here.

[FreewayBrent]

Thank you so much! I feel like this is my best video, thus far.

[rpm773]

Great vid, great music.

I got a chuckle out of the beginning mentioning I-5's Exit 776. You don't a number that high too much around here in the northeast.

[wooga78]

There are a lot of warnings through the Siskiyou Summit! I would be afarid to drive there!

[FreewayBrent]

For the straight sections, there's certainly nothing dangerous about driving 5 over the 55 MPH limit, but for those curves, I always stick to what those yellow advisory signs say. For me, it's not worth saving less than a minute, for the risk involved. Plus, it allows me to take in the scenery by driving slower.

[necroslair]

Great video, Brent. That stretch going down from the summit looks like a fun drive. Five stars...

[FreewayBrent]

It sure is...one of my favorite stretches of freeway in the country.

[JD2635]

Is it also true that in Oregon/Washington that you can't self serve your gas over there? If so why do they have that law?

[FreewayBrent]

I'm not sure when it was established, but it's a way to provide some low-wage jobs.

[Freewayjim]

You can't pump your own gas in NJ either.

[JD2635]

I know that, in NJ, it's a state law, don't know why though?

[aswchris]

Awesome! Why are those trucks stopped at Siskiyou summit? (I don't mean that one in the ditch).

The scenery is awesome.

[FreewayBrent]

Oh! I probably should've mentioned that the resting area for truckers is actually a brake check point, before descending down Siskiyou Summit. A lot of truckers also simply stop there to rest up, or to sleep for the night.

[adogg619]

@ 7:56 that big rig blew right past you man. He must have been extremely late for his delivery.

[FreewayBrent]

He was doing about 10 MPH over the recommended advisory speed for those turns. At one point, I really thought he was at risk of flipping over, not apparent in the video. For that section of I-5, I just drive the recommended advisory speed, and turn on my emergency yellow flashers, to keep any potential tailgaters off my rear bumper.

[8laneblacktop]

@FreewayBrent

Yeah, that guy was going too fast - he might have been empty so he wasn't really worried about burning up his brakes (I've seen brakes on fire at the 2nd escape ramp and near the bottom). If he has to stop suddenly on those curves and grades, he's going to lose it. I don't think I ever went over 45mph, even with a light load. Usually 25mph at 80k lbs.

Some of the curves approach 7+% grade for short distances and sometimes cars end up in the escape ramp.

Great video.

[booklover691]

Awesome video. How much different this pass is from the "Grapevine". It must be nice to drive an interstate in CA where you can actually look at the scenery instead of 3 or 4 other lanes of crazy traffic. I thought it was kinda of ironic that you were passed by someone who might have been gone 80mph after you remarked the speed limit as 65 at about 1:30. I hope none of the truckers were hurt.

[FreewayBrent]

Unfortunately, it appears that the occupants involved in that accident suffered some sort of injuries. When I started heading back into California, about half an hour later, there were 7 Oregon State Police troopers, 3 ambulances, and 2 fire trucks on scene.

[booklover691]

Thats too bad; Hopefully no serious injuries.

[Freewayjim]

Yeah, this is your 'Freebird", Your "Stairway To Heaven", your "Layla", incredible footage and the music worked really well with it, 6-Stars!

[Bigmikelakers]

I always thought the Tejon Pass in Southern California was the highest point on the 5. Its close though at 4,160 feet. That is so funny that after a few miles into Oregon, the surroundings turn into an evergreen forest.

[JD2635]

I also noticed that the U.S. Shield in CA does not include a box in between the signage, Does the signage always have a box in other states?

[FreewayBrent]

I believe so. I really like how California does the cutout for their U.S. shields; it look aesthetically more pleasing, in my opinion.

[ScrewdUPClickV2]

WOW . I must say this is your best looking video to date .. Not to mention that the views were awesome .. great work

[Bryant5493]

Cool video, Brent. That's a windy stretch of Interstate.

Oregon has a weird font for their speed limit signs.

So, the shoulder must not be graded, for the trucks to be able to use it as a travel lane.

[FreewayBrent]

Yes, I always thought it was an interesting font. However, whenever ODOT replaces a speed limit sign, due to wear-and-tear, they now post the standard "Speed Limit xx" signs in a typical font, seen throughout the rest of the country. I believe the change started in 2006.

[Bryant5493]

That's good. The standard font looks a lot better.

[JD2635]

I think that the speed limit in OR does not exceed higher than 55 or 60 mph in some cases am I not correct?

[FreewayBrent]

That's correct. 65 MPH is the absolute maximum limit in Oregon; most of which is signed along I-5, I-82, I-84, and a portion of I-205 in the southern Portland metro region.

[techman224]

Great Vid, 5*. What are those Agricultural Inspection Stations for?

[FreewayBrent]

Hey, thanks!

I believe the number one priority right now is preventing the fruit fly from becoming commonplace in California, but it's to prevent all sorts of foreign agricultural pests, not common to California, from wreaking havoc.

[IsoscelesKramer]

So does everyone have to stop for them?

[FreewayBrent]

Depends. Most of the time, all vehicles must stop, although they may lift the restrictions during holiday periods.

[lharvill]

Another one I think they make a big deal about is the fire ant. There is actually a fair bit of cooperation on that between CA and AZ; AZ will crack open trailers to check for fire ants if you're coming from most anywhere in the Southeast.