We were driving to Palm Springs Thursday October 15, making good time, when we got caught in an unexpected rainstorm as we were approving the Grapevine (where I-5 crosses the mountains North of Los Angeles, over Tehon Pass). There were bad mudslides (some cars got stuck in the mud) so CalTrans closed the pass. We were creeping and crawling South up from the Valley, only to be sent back North again at the first turn-around point.

So we headed back North on 99, to 233, to 58 over Tehachapi Pass. Suddenly the rainstorm hit us - with hail. The road came to standstill, and we saw rivers of mud. We turned around on the shoulder, drove through some moderately deep water, and up an on-ramp to a bridge, where we were pretty safe. However, as the pictures show, we weren't going anywhere.

Around 2am some cars were guided back a zig-zag course along shoulders onto dry ground. After about one more hour, we were back in Tehachapi, and got gas at Love's truck stop. There were thousands of vehicles parked along 58 and every possible space, waiting. We drove back to Bakerfield, and then 178 via Lake Isabella to the far side of the Sierras, and then via 395 to Palm Springs, finally arriving about 9am on Friday.

Mudslide on the Tehachapi Pass   2015/10/16 02:52.  1 of 35