Next week I will be driving down I-5 from San Jose to LA - well technically I wont pick up I-5 until I get to Los Banos, but you know what I mean.

I haven't taken this route since I was a kid, but know this is the longest, most boring drive known to humankind, so I am loading up on the CDs and audio books and will settle in for the drive.

The question is, where is a good midway point to stop? I have heard there is some sort of large truck stop or something along the way where people like to stop, but I can't remember the name or location. I am thinking some place with a coffeeshop or similar would be great where I could take a little time to be out of the car, have some lunch, read the paper.

Any ideas?

There is Harris Ranch which you will smell before you see. There is also Kettleman City which probably the truck stop you are referring to.

J - You will be surprised how much has been built along the route since you last took it! I remember when it was first open and you went what seemed like a gazillion miles to the "next gas". How about Buttonwillow?

I went back and forth between Kettleman City and Buttonwillow but Buttonwilow is getting pretty close to Bakersfield.

Where Harris Ranch is about 90 miles from Los Banos and Kettleman City is a little over 100, Buttonwillow is 150 miles. There are fewer than 30 miles between Buttonwillow and Bakersfield.

I've driven the route many times.

Suzie is correct in naming Harris Ranch, it's not quite half way, but close.

Dont' know where you are starting out from, but here are the approximate times:

From Gilroy to Los Banos intersection with I-5 is 45-60 minutes. Closer to an hour to be on the safe side.

On I-5, from that intersection to Harris Ranch, approximately an hour. Look for Coalinga and you and your nose will tell you you're close. (BTW, you can't smell the cattle from the restaurant - strange but true)

From Harris Ranch to the foot of the Tehachapis, about 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours.

Crossing the Tehachapis -approximately an hour.

In the Tehachapis, after you get over the Pass, there is another stopping point which few people visit. It's the California Department of Water showcase building. Believe it's called Lago di Vista or something like that. It's by the reservoir and makes for a good second stop.

Once over the Tehachapis, it'll take you another hour to glide down from the foothills into the plains of Los Angeles.

Approximately travel time: 6 hours.

You are in for a surprize. You will be able to stop WHEN ever you feel hungry or need a break.

My Exit Authority book show what is within a mile of each exit. Los Banos is at milemarker 402. There is food at milemakers 368, 333, 308, 282, 263, 252, 217, 215, 205, 202, 177, 176, 170, 167, 165, 159, 157, and L.A. is between milemarkers 137 & 112.

Grasshopper, I drove on I-5 right after it opened too!

Utahtea

LOL Grasshopper and Utahtea! We used to drive 101 from southern CA to the Bay area, spend the night and then onto Lake Tahoe every summer. Then I % opened and immediately the stories of people running out gas and needing comfort facilities had us nervous on our first trip there. We arrived at the Kettleman City stop and it was gas station skeletons that pumped gas and rows of porta potties that were very well used, Yikes! Still brings back great memories of the early days of that road. Before major potholes and lots of traffic!

My horror story about I5: Must have been about 1972? I was in school in San Diego and my boyfriend, my sister and I were driving south. We picked up a couple of guys at a gas station who had had a breakdown to take them to LA. A few miles along one of them threw up on my sister's head! It was 57 miles to the next stop. So awful!!!

My parents use to take Hwy 99. When I-5 opened I was engaged to the man I am married to. We went down right after it opened to pick up my Grandparents to drive them up to the Bay Area. DH's had a gas guzzling hot rod so we were really worried about the gas, but we didn't have any problems....just got gas everytime we saw a gas station! LOL!

Utahtea

Thanks! I knew you guys would have all the answers. I guess I will be surprised. I just remember miles and miles of absolutely NOTHING.

My family is from the Sac valley, but moved to the Ventura area for a few years when I was a kid. We made "the haul" up I5 at least a couple times a year to visit family. We'd take 99 occasionally when we needed a change of scenery - LOL!

Hi J_Correa...yes, it can be a boring drive...but you can thank your lucky stars you arent me....my husband and I have been driving I-5 from Portland to Santa Barbara and back(we take the cut-off at Kettleman City, the truck stop you probably want) every two weeks for 3 years!...talk about Boring! but,I can tell you where All the good rest-stops are!
minnie

Grasshopper -- I hope your sister wasn't in the driver's seat when that happened!!!

J, it is boring, but as others said, it is getting built up along the route, so looking for that proverbial tree stump in the desert isn't the problem it used to be. . . .