San Franciso Bay Area to Joshua Tree route tips?

[Kchula-Rrit]

We are thinking of going from the San Francisco Bay area to Joshua Tree Park in southern California in a few weeks. The GPS just say "take I-5 south to I-10 and turn left." Given the legendary Los Angeles traffic, I would be open to routing suggestions for a 31-foot Class C motor home. I'm not sure I want to go that deep into city. We'll be taking two days to go, stopping halfway down. I think I saw a wide spot to stop near Lost Hills.

I've been using Google Earth to map out the "wide-spots," rest areas, and truck stops along the way, and am amazed at the lack of "car crawls" on the freeways down there.

A friend and I drove through there in 1976. The friend always made sure to hit Los Angeles at midnight, and I remember the roads were fairly empty.

K-R.

[JLeising]

We usually cut east on hwy58 from Bakersfield. Then stop overnight at Red Rock Canyon State Park (beautiful sites, no hookups) (a little north of 58 on hwy14). Then hwy395 to I15 to I10 south of LA. Longer route, no problems with our 24 foot Solera, avoids LA.

For a quite pleasant, beautiful, but even longer drive, we have cut through Yosemite on hwy120 picking up hwy395 at Lee Vining. When we've gone this way we have added another overnight - often near Lee Vining. Several no hookups options off 120 before Lee Vining; a full hookups campground in Lee Vining (as I remember).