Model A driving old US395 in winter
 

Undated photo from CalTrans. Old US 395 over Sherwin Grade, northeastern California.

Re: Model A driving old US395 in winter
 

Funny to think about how if it was 1935 and you needed to get to Tom's Place, how unremarkable this would seem. Still, I'd rather be going up than down in that stuff.

Re: Model A driving old US395 in winter
 

I've NEVER driven 395, it's just over the mountains from me. I hear it's strange country, with POINTY mountains, just POPPING up from the FLAT Desert!!! Cindy drove it to Mammoth Mountain, to ski, in her Old VW Bug.
On MY side of the mountains, you gradually ascend through the FOOTHILLS, with lots of friendly Model A roads, come over for some FUN cruising!
Cindys' Dad

Re: Model A driving old US395 in winter
 

395 up the eastern Sierras is one of the most beautiful drives in California, in the same category as Highway 1 along the coast.!

Re: Model A driving old US395 in winter
 

The road is much more "civilized" now than the era in the photograph. 4 lanes with gentle curves. I'm old enough to remember when the "new section up Sherwin grade" was built. A steady 6%. The old road in my time was 2 lanes with some 8% I think. The road in the picture is even before that. Single lane gravel improved. Now you do 70 if you have the horsepower. Then an average of 20 mph in that section would have been fast.

Re: Model A driving old US395 in winter
 

I've driven that highway many times over the last 45 years, vacationing in the northern part of CA and in NV and OR. Beautiful drive now, but I can't help thinking that we are missing quite a bit as we whiz by at 65 mph in our comfortable, modern cars, and it's not just scenery that we are missing out on. I suppose that someone from the past would tell us that while the Model A was an improvement over horse and buggy, they'd prefer the warm, dry comfortable modern mode of travel we have now. It's all a matter of your perspective.

Re: Model A driving old US395 in winter
 

I used to drive it 2-3 times a week . but I soon learned to stay on the NV side until bishop . the canyon is a pain in the winter

Re: Model A driving old US395 in winter
 

My experience with US395 is mostly in summer and fall - I can recall only one time driving in the winter, and it was a fairly benign day, fortunately. I'm not a skier, but used to camp and fly fish in the Sierras. 395 ranks up in my top 5 favorite scenic drives, along with I-70 thru Colorado and Utah, CA highway 1, the Natchez Trace Parkway, and I-90 from Washington thru South Dakota.