104 replies to this topic

[nhardy]

Traffic was HORRENDOUS. 50 was a parking lot! We actually planned on going today but we bailed because it was so backed up. We plan on taking light rail in tomorrow. If you drive, I would say it will take you around 2 hours to get in.

We left the house at 1:30 and parked at around 2:30. We figured everyone would get there as soon as the gates opened at 10am. We mostly just wanted to see the Blue Angels. We got there about 30 min prior to them taking off! Awsome display as usual.

Getting out wasnt too bad either. Rancho Police were directing traffic.

If anyone just planned on seeing the Blue Angels, they are the last act, so try to get there at around 2:45pm.

[kaybird]

We left the house at 1:30 and parked at around 2:30. We figured everyone would get there as soon as the gates opened at 10am. We mostly just wanted to see the Blue Angels. We got there about 30 min prior to them taking off! Awsome display as usual.

Getting out wasnt too bad either. Rancho Police were directing traffic.

If anyone just planned on seeing the Blue Angels, they are the last act, so try to get there at around 2:45pm.

Did you get any kind of sense of when the other acts started?

[FamilyMan]

Awesome day for an awesome show. Thanks Blue Angels! You made my kids pretty happy.

[Joe]

We did the samething as John. We left around 10:30 near Sunrise and gave up after 2 hours of sitting in traffic with about another hour of traffic ahead of us when we were on Bradshaw. Tomorrow we will go again but on a motorcycle instead.

[john]

I heard CHP literally had to make people move on - the parking lot was full and it was futile to even try; it was causing such a mess on 50. Next year, they should consider having the Blue Angels do a show on Old Sac or something in addition to the air show. A lot of people went to just see them - I would imagine Rancho Cordova would still have a very successful event and the traffic wouldn't be as bad.

[nhardy]

Ugh! My camera battery died so I only got a few decent shots:

http://img59.imagesh...ather0094ud.jpg

http://img114.images...ather0137ms.jpg

http://img114.images...ather0114yn.jpg

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

We left the house at 9:30 am yesterday, and could tell on 50 that getting off at Mather Field Rd. wasn't going to be a good idea. My husband headed for Bradshaw, and made his way over to Old Placerville Road (sorry, I don't have the map in front of me, so I'm not sure which roads you take -- but you can look at a map to figure it out). This was MUCH quicker and we bypassed a lot of the traffic.

Friends of friends of ours left Folsom at 11 am and didn't get to the field until around 1:30 pm. And I guess it was shortly after they arrived that other cars were turned away. We heard that there were shuttle busses from light rail, but I don't know how efficient those were, how many people used it, how long a wait they had for a bus, etc.

Leaving was a zoo. We stayed and visited with friends for an hour, went to the parking lot, and sat there another hour because traffic wasn't moving at all. People who arrived late were obviously furtherst from the field, and were the first to be able to drive away. If you're going early, just plan on hanging around a while -- go see the planes on display, visit with friends, read a good book -- cause your car isn't moving for a while.

The show was spectacular and the weather perfect. I took a bunch of photos; I'll forward some of the best to John when I download them.

[FamilyMan]

We started monitoring traffic on 50corridor.com about 8:30 yesterday morning. We saw it was a zoo by 9:15.
We got into Mather in 20 minutes yesterday with this route.
50 > south on Sunrise> Right on White Rock > First left on Kilgore > Right on International. Stay in the right lane until you get to the stoplight to turn left into Mather and nudge over. There are a couple cops at this light, so the two lanes merge rather peacefully. Total time to get in at 12:15 yesterday was 20 minutes.
Next hint: walk back to your car just before the Blue Angels take off and watch them from there. Total exit time 4 minutes.
Enough time to get to Chicago fire before the wait started.
P.S. eat before you go, cuz there didn't seem to be enough vendors to feed all the people and don't drink anything, the porta potties are out of paper! Still a great show though.

[Dave Burrell]

John,

Thanks for the info. Any thoughts about the back way in on White Rock? Think it will be just as bad?

That was some of the worse traffice I've ever been in, took about 2 hours to get there - and I'm only 12 miles away. We ended up getting off the Freeway at Zinfindel and by pure accident found a back way in there. we parked about 1/4 mile away and walked in.

but it was all worth it and I'd do it again!

This was the best airshow I've ever been to - all the big planes on display that you can walk thru, the vendors, foods and the show was out of this world spectacular! Got some great video and photos of it all

Here's one of my favorite shots from the day

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

That was some of the worse traffice I've ever been in, took about 2 hours to get there - and I'm only 12 miles away. We ended up getting off the Freeway at Zinfindel and by pure accident found a back way in there. we parked about 1/4 mile away and walked in.

but it was all worth it and I'd do it again!

This was the best airshow I've ever been to - all the big planes on display that you can walk thru, the vendors, foods and the show was out of this world spectacular! Got some great video and photos of it all

Here's one of my favorite shots from the day

That's a great shot, Dave! Where were you seated?

[Solartide]

traffic out was even worse... 1 hour netted us a whole 10 yards...

[Dave Burrell]

That's a great shot, Dave! Where were you seated?

Thanks on the shot - I took over 300 photos...and just posted about 60 of them on my website www.californiarides.com under the California Capital Airshow album

we stood and walked around a bit but we were mostly right in front of where the Blue Angels were parked for the shows.

[dlutz]

We got into Mather in 20 minutes yesterday with this route.
50 > south on Sunrise> Right on White Rock > First left on Kilgore > Right on International. Stay in the right lane until you get to the stoplight to turn left into Mather and nudge over. There are a couple cops at this light, so the two lanes merge rather peacefully. Total time to get in at 12:15 yesterday was 20 minutes.

Familyman, Got to say thanks for that info. Left from Empire Ranch at 11:30, pulled onto the tarmac at 11:55. Getting out was a little worse. Any way Great show today. Loved the A-10 and the Wall-o-fire.

Did anyone notice that Blue Angel #6 seemed to have some probems after the first head-on pass? It actually had to land for about 5 minutes while the show continued. It than took off again and joined the others for the finally. Wonder what happened.

[FandKJacobs]

We found the show excellent. However, the organizers need a great deal of improvement… The food seems to have run out a little afternoon. None of the on site vendors had enough help nor supplies… There were not enough trash cans for the event by the end trash was blowing around…

Hope the organizers do a better job next time!!!! The Blue Angles & the A-10 were great!!!!

[Erika]

Thanks on the shot - I took over 300 photos...and just posted about 60 of them on my website www.californiarides.com under the California Capital Airshow album

we stood and walked around a bit but we were mostly right in front of where the Blue Angels were parked for the shows.

Thanks for sharing!