This post may only help one or two of you but that's one or two more than most of mine do. It's for anyone who thinks they're going to get to Comic-Con in San Diego on Friday, July 22 by heading down from the north on the 5 Freeway…
Beware. That's Opening Day at Del Mar Race Track, which has been known to back traffic up to around Medford, Oregon. It also means a large number of people who ride the Pacific Surfliner train down from points north, disembark at the Solana Beach Station and take the free shuttle to the track. Similar problems can occur on the way home as well. This doesn't seem to cause a snarl every year but when it does, it does. Don't get trapped like I did a few years there.