Correction. The Grapevine Grade was named after the grapevines that were grown at the base of the hills going up to the Tejon Pass, not because of the curves the road took.
Solid white lines on a lane means the motorist is not supposed to change lanes. Between 8.00 and 8.13 on this video the southbound lanes show solid white lines between all 4 lanes instead of the regular broken lines where cars can regularly change lanes. Why did Caltrans do this?
@Juliansworld They had to relocate the freeway to the left away from the hill on the west side. That hill was slowly sliding down and under the southbound lanes, causing the roadway to buckle upwards. Then caltrans spent the next few years digging away that whole section of hillside. Notice at 8:05 where the hill side has been regraded and terraced. Caltrans should be finishing it up this year (2010)
It's called the grapevine because of the grapevines growing on the mountainside on the right (west) side of the road as you ascend up out of the valley going south.
It's called the grapevine because of the grapevines growing on the mountainside on the right (west) side of the road as you ascend up out of the valley going south.
It's called the grapevine because of the grapevines growing on the mountainside on the right (west) side of the road as you ascend up out of the valley going south.
At 2:28 on this video to the right of the freeway you'll notice Southern California Edison transmission lines whose pylons are the oldest ones on the grid.
@FreewayBrent , Oh God! I have got to get out of Sacramento. This place makes me want to vomit my guts out and then put a bullet in my brain. I just want to drop a nuclear bomb on this whole place with it's trees grass, landscaping, and semi suburban shit !!
I love this video. It's cool how the carriageways switch sides on the downslope. The only other place I know where this happens is on route 20 in Montreal between the Mercier bridge and the Turcott interchange.
@glane30hotmail There is a section of I-8 near Yuma, Arizona that switches on a small grade. Also a section of Arizona 89 switches on a grade south of Payson. I-95 switches on the north side of Baltimore, Md. to simplify an interchange. I-65 and I-59/20 interchange switches also in Birmingham, Al.
I want to be south of Stockton, south of Modesto, south of Fresno, south of Coalinga, south of Bakersfiled, south of the Tehachepis and south of the Grapevine. I will be glad when I get back to L.A
It's raining here in Sacramento and watching this video really makes me want to go back to L.A. I love the way you have to go all down the San Joaquin Valley and through all those mountains to get to L.A. This is my favorate video. I like that song too. When I drove through there next, I'll play that music.
I like driving highway 5 between Sacramento and L.A. I only like to go south on the 5 because L.A is my destination. I've alwaysliked driving through the Grapevine. I love the topography of the Transverse Ranges and seeing the mediterranean and desert flora on my way through. Great video.
Nice video buddy.. i like to see the grapevine ascent and notice you're leaving the bored Central Valley.. i drive through there.. my route is Sacramento-Los Angeles-San Ysidro-Tijuana..
Hey man, I'm really glad you enjoyed watching this video. I'm not doing this for YouTube popularity; I just know that there's others like me, who love to drive, and this FreewayBrent project is my way of showing the world the freeways that I've been on. One of these days, I'll love to take this project over to Australia and South Africa (which also has some of the most modern and American-like freeways in the world).
So even the folks over in the UK know this freeway well, huh? Haha. This seems to be everyone's favorite freeway video from me. And I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. :-)
from the video, it looks like it hard to tell u are climbing in the mountains ( cause u dip, then climb continously) untill you are actually coming down.
Hmmm, I dunno if it's just your monitor or not, although the hills do give off a glowing "golden brown" color.
I'm driving all over North America right now (currently staying in Quebec City), and won't be coming back to California until October or November. I'd love to do some PCH videos in the future. Stay tuned, perhaps?
The reason there are so many trucks is because it's the quickest way into the LA basin from points north.Also, the Central valley is one of the largest agriculture regions in the U.S...There are two highways with high truck volumes that merge into the grapevine from the north..I-5 and SR99...A good portion of these trucks will turn off on I-210 to link up with I-10 to head east..
Just mesmerizing! Yet another engineering marvel! It's very much like highways of West Virginia, North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, Pennsyvania with the winding curves and dips through mountains. Hard to believe that's this is in California! Mountains are just beautiful on that stretch along with the ranges!
Actually, I take on the most conservative approach when descending. I simply turn on my emergency blinkers, and keep it to about 62 - 65 MPH. I've seen a couple of fairly bad accidents from people either driving too fast, or tailgating (I try to leave 3 1/2 to 4 seconds of space, as I descend down the Grapevine).
Ha, my address in So Cal is literally only 5 minutes away from UCI. In & Out off Campus Dr. sounds good, right about now, but I'm in Detroit for the time being, about to cross the border to start filming Canadian freeways.
Calling I-5 over the Transverse Ranges is a misnomer. The name actually comes from Grapevine Canyon, named so for the wild grapes that grow within it. Its original name was Canada De Las Uvas (Canyon of the Grapes). The name "Grapevine" somehow got applied to the rest of the roadway because the original 1915 Ridge Route wound around quite a bit, especially climbing into Grapevine Canyon. It doesn't show up well in the video, but at KER-5-8.0, you can see my Adopt-A-Highway sign on the left.
that lon,long straight away down going south into the santa clarita valley at the seperation is o.k. but, the view on top northbound were it opens up into the central valley on a clear day is so beautiful.. you could see for miles and miles.
I agree with you about going down the grade in the northbound direction. It may be months, however, until I can find the Grapevine on such a clear day; I was so fortunate to film this video on a day with no smog OR clouds.
Going up the actual Grapevine, about 55 - 60. The rest of the way, I was doing anywhere from 70 to as high as 85 MPH. Going down the very last stretch, about 62, 63, 64 MPH.
I became interested in that song right after seeing this video, since I never had heard that song before. That was why I favorited it, since I hadn't had checked internet sites I use to download music on for this song yet.
Have you ever done any expressway videos of interstates near the San Francisco area, and/or northern California? Doesn't seem like you have, with the exception of the I-80 video you did around Colfax.
Actually, I'd consider myself to be a resident of the Bay Area, although now my residence is in Sacramento. I've been shooting most of my So Cal videos over the past couple of weeks, since I've been down here for most of the past 6 weeks. As for Bay Area videos, I lost most of my footage when my internal HD went poof on me; didn't back up those files. It's okay, I drive *a lot*, so I'll have plenty more opportunites to record again.
Actually, I also have CA 99 through Sacramento up on my page too, although I'll need to reshoot it, since CalTrans finished a widening project awhile back...8 lanes of freeway now extend an additional 2 miles further down 99.
Okay, I did finally see you had several videos of northern California expressways that I kept not realizing you had already uploaded. Excuse me for not realizing you had several northern California videos already up, besides the I-80 Colfax one.
I look forward to seeing you redo your video for CA 99 in the future, if CalTrans widened 99 recently.
Wriddle082 is correct; the Grapevine is usually covered in a thick cloud of smog. I basically drove 120 miles round trip to take advantage of the rare conditions. A bit windy, but that's always expected over the Grapevine and Tejon Pass.
Indeed, a great tribute to a legendary freeway on a rare clear day! That pavement really looked horrible, especially towards the end! At least your vehicle appeared to handle the bumps well. What do you drive, incidently?
Actually, I drive a 2009 Corolla. For a small car, the car handles great and soaks up bumps and potholes reasonably well. I used to have a 2006 Corolla, and that car felt like I was riding a jackhammer; I couldn't take it any longer, so I traded it in for the current '09, which I plan on keeping for a very long time.
I actually tried avoiding as many potholes as possible in this video, and just in general; it helps extend the life of the C/V boots and joints.
Well it's good to know that new Toyotas ride better than they used to. It's the primary reason why I bought a Honda a few years ago. Unfortunately I ended up trading it in for a truck, 2005 GMC Sierra, cause occasionally I have to tow a trailer. Full size trucks definitely ride better than mid-size or compact trucks.
Very true, but the Tacoma's have a pretty good ride, nowadays. Technology just keeps on improving every year. Can't imagine what nanotechnology will do for suspensions.
th e pass grows out of the desert from about 40 miles back n looks seemingly unpassable
deangmoxon 2 months ago
Loved it.... Hope you can do it in HD soon. The downhill side ( going South ) is a more difficult drive, especially when the weather is bad....
jkacarab 2 months ago
god.. i remember driving through the grapevine when i moved up to san francisco from phoenix. my car almost died every time going through.
pnnzr 7 months ago
The southbound lanes of I-5 used to be the north and southbound lanes of the old US-99. The northbound lanes were constructed in the 1960's.
alphakky 7 months ago
Comment removed
alphakky 7 months ago
Correction. The Grapevine Grade was named after the grapevines that were grown at the base of the hills going up to the Tejon Pass, not because of the curves the road took.
alphakky 7 months ago
"Notorious?" You don't get out much, do you?
proffromgview 11 months ago
When I was going back from visiting my cousins in Bakersfield, looking at the view was a view I couldn't forget.
TVisawesome432 1 year ago
Wonderful video! Awesome!
mexicubano49 1 year ago
went thru this about a week ago kinda windy at the top shook us a lil bit
IntuneGames 1 year ago
Solid white lines on a lane means the motorist is not supposed to change lanes. Between 8.00 and 8.13 on this video the southbound lanes show solid white lines between all 4 lanes instead of the regular broken lines where cars can regularly change lanes. Why did Caltrans do this?
Juliansworld 1 year ago
@Juliansworld They had to relocate the freeway to the left away from the hill on the west side. That hill was slowly sliding down and under the southbound lanes, causing the roadway to buckle upwards. Then caltrans spent the next few years digging away that whole section of hillside. Notice at 8:05 where the hill side has been regraded and terraced. Caltrans should be finishing it up this year (2010)
jjohn2k 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
It's called the grapevine because of the grapevines growing on the mountainside on the right (west) side of the road as you ascend up out of the valley going south.
BrainEatingApe 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
It's called the grapevine because of the grapevines growing on the mountainside on the right (west) side of the road as you ascend up out of the valley going south.
BrainEatingApe 1 year ago
It's called the grapevine because of the grapevines growing on the mountainside on the right (west) side of the road as you ascend up out of the valley going south.
BrainEatingApe 1 year ago
At 2:28 on this video to the right of the freeway you'll notice Southern California Edison transmission lines whose pylons are the oldest ones on the grid.
Juliansworld 1 year ago
@Juliansworld: Have you watched my HD video of I-5 North, over the Grapevine? It's way better in quality than this low-quality, webcam version.
FreewayBrent 1 year ago
@FreewayBrent , Oh God! I have got to get out of Sacramento. This place makes me want to vomit my guts out and then put a bullet in my brain. I just want to drop a nuclear bomb on this whole place with it's trees grass, landscaping, and semi suburban shit !!
Juliansworld 1 year ago
Why is this road historic?
diane1341 2 years ago
I took it going 90 on the way back, really nice drive
NoelLozano 2 years ago
Thanks for the ride!
So different from driving in the UK.
localdriver 2 years ago
I love this video. It's cool how the carriageways switch sides on the downslope. The only other place I know where this happens is on route 20 in Montreal between the Mercier bridge and the Turcott interchange.
glane30hotmail 2 years ago
Ahhh, yes. Funny you mentioned A-20 in Montreal, because that's actually going to be one of my very next videos.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
@glane30hotmail There is a section of I-8 near Yuma, Arizona that switches on a small grade. Also a section of Arizona 89 switches on a grade south of Payson. I-95 switches on the north side of Baltimore, Md. to simplify an interchange. I-65 and I-59/20 interchange switches also in Birmingham, Al.
tz138 2 years ago
I want to be south of Stockton, south of Modesto, south of Fresno, south of Coalinga, south of Bakersfiled, south of the Tehachepis and south of the Grapevine. I will be glad when I get back to L.A
Juliansworld 2 years ago
Cool, I drove this on my way from Bakersfield to Los Angeles. Very curvy interstate!
Ubeans2001 2 years ago
This is me driving through the grapevine at 100mph, getting the FUCK out of sacramento !!
Juliansworld 2 years ago
lol!
Ubeans2001 2 years ago
I fuckin love the song that goes with this video !!
Juliansworld 2 years ago 2
Good job
angelafly 2 years ago
Well, guess what just got added to my "to do" list?
BudinOK 2 years ago
Thank You!
steve7112004 2 years ago
It's raining here in Sacramento and watching this video really makes me want to go back to L.A. I love the way you have to go all down the San Joaquin Valley and through all those mountains to get to L.A. This is my favorate video. I like that song too. When I drove through there next, I'll play that music.
Juliansworld 2 years ago
I like driving highway 5 between Sacramento and L.A. I only like to go south on the 5 because L.A is my destination. I've alwaysliked driving through the Grapevine. I love the topography of the Transverse Ranges and seeing the mediterranean and desert flora on my way through. Great video.
Juliansworld 2 years ago
Nice video buddy.. i like to see the grapevine ascent and notice you're leaving the bored Central Valley.. i drive through there.. my route is Sacramento-Los Angeles-San Ysidro-Tijuana..
Js00312 2 years ago
Beautiful
deadweaselroad 2 years ago
im headed that way once i get loaded today. im just gonna put it in ga overdrive and roll out since ive only got 11k on the deck. =)
antsHUGEmule 2 years ago
lol, nice. I'm going northbound on Sunday, up to Sacramento. I'm going to eventually film this, all in HD. Should be a great video to watch!
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
I want to drive in California!
Vigormaster 2 years ago
Hey man, I'm really glad you enjoyed watching this video. I'm not doing this for YouTube popularity; I just know that there's others like me, who love to drive, and this FreewayBrent project is my way of showing the world the freeways that I've been on. One of these days, I'll love to take this project over to Australia and South Africa (which also has some of the most modern and American-like freeways in the world).
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Excellent stuff Brent! I'm from the UK and have driven this stretch of highway a few times and it's very impressive stuff!
funkysi79 2 years ago
So even the folks over in the UK know this freeway well, huh? Haha. This seems to be everyone's favorite freeway video from me. And I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. :-)
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
from the video, it looks like it hard to tell u are climbing in the mountains ( cause u dip, then climb continously) untill you are actually coming down.
also is the video red or is it just me?
also, would u please do a video for PCH ( Ca 1)
iowndisciti 2 years ago
Hmmm, I dunno if it's just your monitor or not, although the hills do give off a glowing "golden brown" color.
I'm driving all over North America right now (currently staying in Quebec City), and won't be coming back to California until October or November. I'd love to do some PCH videos in the future. Stay tuned, perhaps?
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
you must don't work in that u travel so freely across the north america
thighfetish 2 years ago
Wonderful videos; But they all seem slightly out of focus. I dont know if its because of the speeding-up or my computer.
booklover691 2 years ago
Glad you enjoyed the ride. :-)
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
best highway video on the internet. period .. dont care what any1 says .. most impressive miles of freeway in the country ...
ScrewdUpClick2000 2 years ago
Also, I saw a lot of trucks traveling on that stretch, both north and southbound, maybe over 100 to 200 at one point!
north5880 2 years ago
The reason there are so many trucks is because it's the quickest way into the LA basin from points north.Also, the Central valley is one of the largest agriculture regions in the U.S...There are two highways with high truck volumes that merge into the grapevine from the north..I-5 and SR99...A good portion of these trucks will turn off on I-210 to link up with I-10 to head east..
rare12inchsingles 2 years ago
Truckers absolutely hate driving the Grapevine on a Friday afternoon or Sunday evening!
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Truckers hate driving US 101 any day of the week...LOL
rare12inchsingles 2 years ago
Just mesmerizing! Yet another engineering marvel! It's very much like highways of West Virginia, North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, Pennsyvania with the winding curves and dips through mountains. Hard to believe that's this is in California! Mountains are just beautiful on that stretch along with the ranges!
north5880 2 years ago
Not only that, but it's an 8 lane freeway too. That's what makes the Grapevine such an impressive engineering feat!
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
The fog looks really cool along the Grapevine, but it's certainly not fun to have to actually drive in it!
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Great video, man
uptownbronze 2 years ago
Thank you!
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
wow neat video, i havent seen those parts in about 10 years. you needa watch out for them cops on the declines.
Japopeye 2 years ago
Actually, I take on the most conservative approach when descending. I simply turn on my emergency blinkers, and keep it to about 62 - 65 MPH. I've seen a couple of fairly bad accidents from people either driving too fast, or tailgating (I try to leave 3 1/2 to 4 seconds of space, as I descend down the Grapevine).
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
goodshit bro, Seeing this is so nostalgic. Reminds me of my socal days... :(. Hopefully i'll be able to drive down there soon.
xrangerx 2 years ago
What general area do you live in now, if you don't mind me asking?
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Bay Area, San Jose. Went to UCI for college, don't know why i didnt stay down there. Counting down the days...
xrangerx 2 years ago
Ha, my address in So Cal is literally only 5 minutes away from UCI. In & Out off Campus Dr. sounds good, right about now, but I'm in Detroit for the time being, about to cross the border to start filming Canadian freeways.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Calling I-5 over the Transverse Ranges is a misnomer. The name actually comes from Grapevine Canyon, named so for the wild grapes that grow within it. Its original name was Canada De Las Uvas (Canyon of the Grapes). The name "Grapevine" somehow got applied to the rest of the roadway because the original 1915 Ridge Route wound around quite a bit, especially climbing into Grapevine Canyon. It doesn't show up well in the video, but at KER-5-8.0, you can see my Adopt-A-Highway sign on the left.
sdmike99 2 years ago
Los Angeles is a big county. It takes about 2 hours and 50 minutes to drive it all on Interstate 5.
jfs1988 2 years ago
that lon,long straight away down going south into the santa clarita valley at the seperation is o.k. but, the view on top northbound were it opens up into the central valley on a clear day is so beautiful.. you could see for miles and miles.
socalltd 2 years ago
I agree with you about going down the grade in the northbound direction. It may be months, however, until I can find the Grapevine on such a clear day; I was so fortunate to film this video on a day with no smog OR clouds.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Cool video, beautiful scenery. How fast were you actually going? I'm thinking 65-70 and the other cars are doing 80-90?
skywatcher75 2 years ago
Going up the actual Grapevine, about 55 - 60. The rest of the way, I was doing anywhere from 70 to as high as 85 MPH. Going down the very last stretch, about 62, 63, 64 MPH.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
I see why you slow down and use your emergency flashers on that descent -- you're going straight down.
What's the speed limit through there, anyway?
Bryant5493 2 years ago
Yup, I figure the emergency blinkers *do* get the attention of those behind me. I basically want people to keep back as much as possible.
Speed limit is 65 MPH. For trucks, I believe it's 35 MPH, going down the final grade.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Oh, okay. 35? Wow! I
Bryant5493 2 years ago
very nice .. i dont care what they say about cali , i like it
ScrewdUpClick2000 2 years ago
Very interesting and great video! I loved how scenic the Tejon Pass was, and wouldn't mind driving through there for myself one day.
Too bad much of I-5 is in rougher shape than one would suspect, but an enjoyable drive otherwise!
prfsnlwannabe 2 years ago
It's funny how your favorite video on your YouTube page happens to be the song that's played in my drive over the Grapevine & Tejon Pass. :-)
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
I became interested in that song right after seeing this video, since I never had heard that song before. That was why I favorited it, since I hadn't had checked internet sites I use to download music on for this song yet.
Have you ever done any expressway videos of interstates near the San Francisco area, and/or northern California? Doesn't seem like you have, with the exception of the I-80 video you did around Colfax.
prfsnlwannabe 2 years ago
Actually, I'd consider myself to be a resident of the Bay Area, although now my residence is in Sacramento. I've been shooting most of my So Cal videos over the past couple of weeks, since I've been down here for most of the past 6 weeks. As for Bay Area videos, I lost most of my footage when my internal HD went poof on me; didn't back up those files. It's okay, I drive *a lot*, so I'll have plenty more opportunites to record again.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Actually, I also have CA 99 through Sacramento up on my page too, although I'll need to reshoot it, since CalTrans finished a widening project awhile back...8 lanes of freeway now extend an additional 2 miles further down 99.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Okay, I did finally see you had several videos of northern California expressways that I kept not realizing you had already uploaded. Excuse me for not realizing you had several northern California videos already up, besides the I-80 Colfax one.
I look forward to seeing you redo your video for CA 99 in the future, if CalTrans widened 99 recently.
prfsnlwannabe 2 years ago
Nice! Thanks for the ride!
necroslair 2 years ago
No problem! Glad you enjoyed it. :-)
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Wriddle082 is correct; the Grapevine is usually covered in a thick cloud of smog. I basically drove 120 miles round trip to take advantage of the rare conditions. A bit windy, but that's always expected over the Grapevine and Tejon Pass.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Indeed, a great tribute to a legendary freeway on a rare clear day! That pavement really looked horrible, especially towards the end! At least your vehicle appeared to handle the bumps well. What do you drive, incidently?
wriddle082 2 years ago
Actually, I drive a 2009 Corolla. For a small car, the car handles great and soaks up bumps and potholes reasonably well. I used to have a 2006 Corolla, and that car felt like I was riding a jackhammer; I couldn't take it any longer, so I traded it in for the current '09, which I plan on keeping for a very long time.
I actually tried avoiding as many potholes as possible in this video, and just in general; it helps extend the life of the C/V boots and joints.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Well it's good to know that new Toyotas ride better than they used to. It's the primary reason why I bought a Honda a few years ago. Unfortunately I ended up trading it in for a truck, 2005 GMC Sierra, cause occasionally I have to tow a trailer. Full size trucks definitely ride better than mid-size or compact trucks.
wriddle082 2 years ago
Very true, but the Tacoma's have a pretty good ride, nowadays. Technology just keeps on improving every year. Can't imagine what nanotechnology will do for suspensions.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Awesome video of a legendary piece of freeway, bravo!
Freewayjim 2 years ago
Hey, cool video! (It's susy)
:)
waterindreams 2 years ago
I'm surprised you didn't refer to me as Brenda. :-P
FreewayBrent 2 years ago