Des Moines to San Diego
- Thread starter baller1
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We just drove out there in August! Drove out through Colorado; stopped in Vegas for a couple of days...then on to San Diego. Came home via the "Southern" route...near the Mexican border, through Phoenix, New Mexico, Wichita, etc. It's a LONG drive, two really long days; but with several drivers it shouldn't be too bad.
With there being just three of you, you should really compare the cost to flying. Gas, food, hotel, etc. will likely be fairly similar.
Be sure to put in one of those foreign language tapes so that you can get out of the car in San Diego and start arguing in a foreign language.
It's cheap to fly to both LA and SD from Des Moines. I usually get tickets around $250 (except during spring break). Driving will probably cost at least that much. Only problem is a car while you are out there. Not sure how old you are (rates cheaper if you are 25 or older) but renting a car for a few days is not expensive at all.
Quick Kayak search shows flights DSM-->SAN roundtrip over the first tournament weekend for $424 roundtrip.
Alternatively if you are going to rent a car anyway you could fly DSM-->LAX roundtrip that weekend for $284 right now, rent your car there and drive down to San Diego
Of course by the time we know if ISU is in San Diego on Selection Sunday, these flight prices for less than one week in advance may have ballooned
Alternatively if you are going to rent a car anyway you could fly DSM-->LAX roundtrip that weekend for $284 right now, rent your car there and drive down to San Diego
Of course by the time we know if ISU is in San Diego on Selection Sunday, these flight prices for less than one week in advance may have ballooned
These aren't quite DSM to SD, but I've done Kansas City to Los Angeles through Colorado, and then Los Angeles to Denver via the southern route.
Before you drive through the mountains, be sure to check the road conditions and bring extra washer fluid. I-70 gets closed quite a bit.
There are no gas stations in Eastern Utah on I-70. There's a nice meteorite crater in eastern Arizona. The drive from Las Vegas to San Diego sucks. Both routes are really beautiful in sections. I'm definitely happy I did them.
Haven't done it for years, but DEFINITELY go the southern route (south til OKC, then west til you hit CA). Pretty easy drive. Too much weather BS to worry about going through the mountains.
My wife and I have driven various routes across the country multiple times and it's always a good time that gives us an appreciation for all America has to offer. When we drove from New York to California, we made the call to go through Oklahoma City then across New Mexico/Arizona rather than deal with the mountains uncertainty.
If you do the drive, make sure you take the time to appreciate the sights/detours along the way!
If you do the drive, make sure you take the time to appreciate the sights/detours along the way!
If you fly, fly to LAX, its like a 2 hour drive to San Diego, and a good portion is a along the coast so makes for a great view along the way.
Car rental is cheaper at LAX as well. Or if you want you fly to LAX take a shuttle to union station and take the train down to San Diego, another fun alternative. (It also goes along the coast).
Car rental is cheaper at LAX as well. Or if you want you fly to LAX take a shuttle to union station and take the train down to San Diego, another fun alternative. (It also goes along the coast).
I would recommend flying into John Wayne (SNA) and bypassing the chaos of LAX entirely. Since it's a Southwest hub, I would imagine you should be able to get there from Des Moines. From there, you can take the Pacific Coast Highway down to San Diego. We especially love the Laguna Beach area not too far from Kagavi headquarters. But . . . there are some great sights that would indeed be missed if LAX is bypassed. We enjoy the Palos Verdes area just north of us. It's where a bunch of movies have been filmed including Pirates of the Caribbean.
Concur with everyone. We have done Iowa to LA many times, and I love going the more northern route with stops overnight in Denver and Vegas with a short driving day the third day (some beautiful scenery in Colorado and Utah, worked in Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde several times, cheap rooms in Vegas), but this time of year southern route through OKC and Albuquerque is the way to go. I hate that drive across New Mexico though, incredibly boring. It does look like Breaking Bad in the middle of nowhere, even saw some dilapidated RVs that seemed familiar, and we did go see Walt's house on the way through town. Sadly, Amarillo seemed like a little oasis of heaven on the way back home after New Mexico.
Also flew a few times and I would also recommend John Wayne if going to San Diego. Airport kind of reminded me of Des Moines.
Also flew a few times and I would also recommend John Wayne if going to San Diego. Airport kind of reminded me of Des Moines.
I agree about the drive being boring through New Mexico. I drove to the Insight Bowl when Iowa played there. If Iowa ends up in San Diego, I might drive out and fly back. Friends I am going with plan on staying longer. Found a round trip out of Twin Cities for around $450. I did the northern route a few years back. I prefer that but would have weather concerns in March.
I think we were driving through around the same time, if that was the year ISU was in the Pinstripe and the weird camera thing fell on the field in the Iowa game. We stopped to watch the Pinstripe on tv, went to Rose Bowl parade and game. We flew through the Twin Cities one year from John Wayne, seemed like a very long flight. We were right by the bathrooms, kind of the worst place on the plane. Must have been cheaper through John Wayne.
Yep that was the year the camera FELL. I planned on driving straight through but hit Tucumcari and was beat. I did drive straight through coming home. I t was 30 degrees colder in Amarillo that year than Northern Iowa. Roads worse in AZ and NM than 35.
