Any Las Vegas drivers out there?

I live on the Monterey Bay. My GF and I will drive to LA, pick up some friends and head out to Vegas.

Now flying is fast and all but for me, nothing, NOTHING beats driving. The anticipation is something I will never be able to recreate. No to mention all the stuff you can bring as far as food and drinks.

The desert is really pretty and seeing Primm, knowing you are only an hour out. It might be a 9+ hour drive but boy is it fun.

 

On our last visit to Vegas, we rented a convertible and drove out to Death Valley. We could have gotten a car for much cheaper but a convertible just seemed to be the thing to do. It was perfection.

I love a road trip, especially with great company.

 

We've got the "commute" from SoCal down to about 3.5 hours now. I wouldn't call the scenery pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but there is that something when M Resort appears over the rise and you can see Vegas in the distance.

 

If I could make the drive in 10-12 hours or less, I’d never fly. I quite enjoy driving. And I really like driving out west.

Sadly, as the trip from Virginia is about 30 hours even with my lead foot, Delta will have to be my chauffeur for the foreseeable future.

 

Done the to-Vegas or through-Vegas route on the 15 a kagillion times. I'm far less intrigued by it since moving out of So Cal simply because it's twice as long and a real pain in the ass given the route. I too love the road trip; we just don't road trip that direction as often. Hell, I think I've been to Tahoe and Reno more the past three years than Vegas. In fact, I know I have. Looks like I'm going to drive to PDX via Bandon then over to Bend for the guys' golf trip/H.S. reunion this summer. I drove to Vancouver, BC (actually Whistler) three summers back. Love the Canuckistani border agents. I'll say just about the opposite for our folks coming back over.

 

Another road warrior here. I've honestly lost track of the exact amount of times I have visited Vegas, but have only flown San Diego to LV 4 times, and two of those were a one way hitch where I met a friend and rode back. Alot of people I know swear that they won't make the drive because Sunday traffic back to SoCal after a Vegas weekend can be so ridiculous. Even though flying takes 1/5th of the time, I've found McCarran first thing on a Sunday morning to sometimes be equally excruciating.

Theres something about the desert drive that I will never tire of. I love stopping at the Mad Greek in Baker or Peggy Sue's in Yermo to break up the drive home. The best Vegas road trip I ever made was when I bought my 68 Deville Convertible and took her to Vegas, top down, under a full moon with a carful of buddies. When we got to our hotel, we were covered in dust. . .we must have looked ridiculous at check-in.

I also have a bad habit of noting of my "elapsed time" from my front door to the casino parking garage. I feel one of my E.T.'s in particular is pretty damn impressive, given that I had to make a gas stop in Barstow, but I don't wanna post up my record for fear of the finger waggers.

 

I live about 5 hours from Tunica or Shreveport so we make that drive routinely. Any farther than that is almost too far for us to drive anymore. We just fly.

 

I enjoy the high desert drive on I-15 especially if I rent a car with satellite radio. I often combine my Las Vegas and Los Angeles vacations so I make this roundtrip on average once a year, on the way back I usually detour along the Pearblosssom highway as I have the time.

Am I the only one that thinks they need to add another lane each direction to the I-15 corridor?

 

Wife and I usually drive down (8 hours), but if we can get a cheap flight (out of Stockton; on Allegiant) we do it...however, thur-sun flights are usually $$$ and renting a car is only $50 + gas ($100)
So it's either drive for $150 or fly for $350...lol...

 

Absolutely. A truck-only lane perhaps. The whole way, not just on inclines.

Anyone ever said screw the I-15, and take Kelbaker rd from the state line to the I-40 through the Mojave preserve and Kelso? It's a killer drive. It takes a bit longer to get to Barstow but is way less stressful (absolutely no traffic or CHP) and twice as scenic. Sand dunes, Salt flats, an ancient volcanic formation and tons of joshua trees. Make sure you have a full gastank and some water, just in case. . . .

 

We only drive from LA to Vegas. I can't imagine justifying the price to fly and cab. Our usual MO recently has been to drive out on Friday morning and back on Monday to avoid the rest of the traffic, but we have also spent Friday evening on the road before and it's not so bad on Sunday if you can get on the road before 9 AM. I love driving out. I can feel the stress falling off behind me on the road.

 

We've gone through Cima and Kelso many many times -- and I used to camp a whole lot out that way over on the flip side of the NY and Providence mountains. Love it. For Vegas, we'd typically only route this way, adding Amboy and 29 Palms, when heading from or to the low desert.

 

AllNetMom and I routinely drive down from Silicon Valley. I absolutely love the drive.

Will drive 101, 152 (San Louis Reservoir), I-5, cut over around Bakersfield to 58 (Tehachapi Pass) all the way to Barstow and pick up I-15. Takes 7.5 to 8.5 hours, depending on pit stops.

Least favorite part is getting through Bakersfield. The traffic isn't bad, but the Highways are filthy.

Favorite part is the desert and the Joshua trees. I think the desert is beautiful.

The company is excellent and, yeah, SIRIUS helps.

 

Central Valley to Vegas at least seven hours. Best road trip with my three boys, last June. Yes, I could have flown, got there faster. Yet, to me half the fun is getting there and time together with each other. Once again we will be hitting Vegas in June.

 

I live outside Dallas, and I've never flown into Vegas. I always drive. I love road trips, and I love bringing a carload of my own booze with me. I usually skip out of work early on Friday and drive to Albuquerque, then spend two nights there and leave for Vegas on Sunday morning and stay through Friday. It takes about twenty hours total.

 

I live 4 hours from Vegas. I fly because I hate driving for long periods of time.. and i know its way more pricey, but i like seeing the hotels upon landing and getting free drinks and bathroom access

 

Only takes me 4 hours from San Diego so we always drive. Mostly always arrive on a Sunday and leave in Wednesday so traffic isn't an issue.

 

It's been a while since I flew allegiant out of Fresno, but the 3 or 4 times we did, we usually got a BOGO offer from them. But that was to Laughlin, nevermind.

Our drive takes about 5 hours. We'll get on the road about 2AM and get there in time for breakfast. Mandatory stop at the Boron Rest area just west of Kramer junction, and a tank fill up at Barstow. No traffic at all at those hours, especially on a week night.

 

We flew out of Fresno once (Signature; Private Jet to Reno via Gamblers Xpress) it wasn't bad...
LoL, we're all suckers to stop at Barstow for gas...it's freakin EXPENSIVE there! (always drive over to the 76 by Carls Jr rather than the Chevron by McDonalds)

 

LA to L.V. Ferrari vs Plane

Loled at this episode!
Faster way from LA to Las Vegas.
[YOUTUBE]3RHVc3nx3GA[/YOUTUBE]