The Route Home
Fish Camp → Hwy 41 south → Fresno → Hwy 99 south → Bakersfield → I-5/166 → 101 → Camarillo
The drive (~6 hours, 330 mi)
- Fish Camp → Oakhurst: 15 min · last "mountain" town before the Central Valley
- Oakhurst → Fresno: 1 hr · descend into the Valley on Hwy 41
- Fresno → Bakersfield: 1.5 hr · straight south on Hwy 99 (or skip Bakersfield via I-5)
- Bakersfield → Camarillo: 2.5 hr · Hwy 166 west → 101 south OR I-5 south through Grapevine
Two paths home from Bakersfield
- Hwy 166 → 101 south — scenic, less truck traffic, through Cuyama Valley
- I-5 south over Grapevine — faster, but Grapevine is notorious for traffic + weather (check before driving in summer afternoons)
- Most days, 166 → 101 wins if you don't mind 15-20 min extra for less stress
Heads up
- Fill gas before leaving Oakhurst — Central Valley gas is cheapest, but stations are sparse on Hwy 41
- Saturday weekend traffic on I-5 Grapevine peaks 2-6 PM — leave Bakersfield by 1 PM if possible
- This is a real road day — plan stops every 1.5-2 hours
~15 min south of Fish Camp on Hwy 41 · last mountain town
Quick stops
- Coffee + breakfast pickup
- Gas (cheaper than Fish Camp)
- Last-minute Yosemite souvenirs at the Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau
Central Valley city — quick lunch / gas stop if needed
Fresno-only lunch stops worth the detour
Halfway home · classic BBQ + roadside stops
If you want a real Bakersfield lunch
Or just keep driving
- If kids are toast, push through to home — 2.5 hr to go
- Sub Bakersfield stops: Buttonwillow / Tejon Pass rest stop
- Harris Ranch (Coalinga, off I-5 between Fresno + Bakersfield) — the classic I-5 stop if you take 99 → I-5
🏠 Home — Camarillo
5040 Via Fresco · arrive ~3-5 PM if you leave Fish Camp by 9 AM
MooMoo reunion · unpack tomorrow · sleep in Sunday
Trip wrap-up
What to do once home
- Update Obsidian Places — log Casablanca Inn, Tenaya Lodge, Hotel Zephyr, Big Sur Lodge, Santa Maria Inn, Fireside Inn (Ava will help)
- Share photos in Google Photos shared album with Karen + family
- Restock the truck/camper, oil change if needed (you put on ~1,500 mi)
- Write a few-sentence trip summary in
travel/overview.md trip log
The full trip in one line
- 5 night-stops × 8 days × ~1,500 miles × 4 humans × $0 MooMoo's emotional damage 😼
- Camarillo → Santa Maria → Cambria → Big Sur → Santa Cruz → SF → Manteca → Yosemite → Home