Day 25 Las Vegas, NV - Manhattan Beach, CA
After reading all the input from you guys on best times to leave and routes to take from Las Vegas to LA, and after much deliberation, we decided to leave Las Vegas at 4 AM. The reasons were many - all of which you guys already mentioned. First and foremost, we figured most of the drunk drivers would be back at home sleeping, or at a minimum, not traveling on interstate 15! Second, we wanted to beat traffic - again, we were hoping that traffic would be lightest during the early morning. This was important because we did not know what to expect out of the PX - would she quit again or was that a one time thing due to the extreme heat? Needless to say, I checked the insurance for PX and re-read over the roadside assistance details. Third, we really wanted to beat the heat. Need I remind everyone, our approach to Las Vegas was absolute brutal. Think hair blower one inch from your face. We REALLY didn't want to go through that again, and being aware that the Mojave and Death Valley regions are two of the hottest in North America, we decided to aggressively try and cross it was relatively cold.
In terms of route, we decided to take the first 50 or so miles on route 15. We assumed there would be few people on the road, and 15 south is by far the most direct route toward the LA area. Given our uneasiness with PX, we agreed to play it by ear - if PX starts shuttering, we'll get off and find another way, or else we ride PX as long as possible on the highway to get through the desert before it really started heating things up.
We were out the door by 4:10 AM, and after a quick stop by the Las Vegas sign to snap pictures, we headed down route 15 south toward California. The temperature on our departure was around 95 - relatively cool compared to the heat we had faced the day before. Traffic wasn't too bad in the first couple hours but by 7 and 8 AM, there were a steady stream of cars in my rearview mirror. Many of you mentioned that some cagers "haul ass" on 15 - and yes, this is very very true - a couple cars blew by us like we were standing still. But they came few and far between, most cars/trucks passed in a very orderly manner.
Before long, we found ourselves in the desert - the sun was not up yet but you could still make out the landscape - rolling hills of desert with small shrubs and cacti, surrounded by large, bare rock mountains in the backdrop. Pretty cool. The temperatures during this phase were noticeably cold - the temp dropped to 70 degrees at one point! The cold air was a nice change and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Couple things that really surprised us about this phase of the trip. First, the air quality west of Las Vegas is terrible (not sure if this area is in California or Nevada) - the worst air we encountered during our entire journey, bar none. It reminded me of Beijing. You could actually see the smog in the distance and the surrounding area, and could definitely smell it. I initially thought it might be smoke from a forest fire or the like, but it had a very industrial smell that made me gag. Was glad to pass through a mountain range and finally be rid of the smog.
We initially planned to only take route 15 down to Barstow, and if PX was running ok, perhaps take it a bit more down into the LA area. PX ran GREAT from the opening bell. I took it easy at first, but was surprised to find no remnants of the problems we encountered a few days before. I still took it easy, but was able to cruise about 50-55 without issues (and yes, I was on the right "slow" lane the entire time).
Approach to the Los Angeles area was pretty uneventful, unless you count crowded roads and aggressive drivers. We managed to hit many of the major highways on route to Manhattan Beach. 15 to 10 to 605 to 105 to 405. Got some weird looks - Vermont tags probably didn't help, but we managed to stay up with traffic relatively well while sticking together and hogging the right lane. Didn't really enjoy the highway that much, but it was quick and the most direct way for us to get to our destination. We will take more time in the coming months to explore the "real" roads in the LA area.
Arrived at our destination in the mid-afternoon, almost 12 hours after we had left (we took plenty of breaks along the way). What a great way to end our journey - sunny skies, 70-80 degree temps, and a nice breeze while gazing at the open ocean.
Thanks to everyone who has followed our journey - we hope you have enjoyed the trip as much as we have. We're in the process of compiling a list of suggestions for anyone thinking of going on such a trip - will post it in a couple days.
Total Miles Day 25: 300 miles
Las Vegas at 4:30 AM
Destination at Last - Manhattan Beach, CA!
