Cincinnati to San Diego on I-70

Just returned from very enjoyable road trip with my 21 year old son from Cincinnati to San Diego using I-70.

I-70 is a great road but gets a bit tedious going across the wide state of Kansas. Beautiful scenery in the plains though. Even saw a heard of buffalo (or bison?)

Ended up driving 1000 miles on day one due to the sunshine factor. It seemed like the longest day driving west and gaining two hours. We stopped overnight just past the Colorado border. Day 2 drove 900 miles to Las Vegas (had special summer promo room rates on Fremont Street)

The mountains west of Denver on I-70 were interesting. More than I've experienced in the Smokies. Our Honda Civic with a 4 cylinder engine struggled in the highest elevations near the Eisenhower tunnel and slowed down to 60 MPH at times with full gas pedal. Going downhill was no problem except it is one fast wild ride. Tried to be kind to the brakes and was afraid to downshift driving so fast. (and I was in the slow lane.)

I-70 through eastern Utah is like driving through the Grand Canyon with breathtaking scenery. Keep your gas tank full out there, since they are few and far between. One sign said "gas ahead." As I came closer to the exit I saw an arrow pointing north which said "Gas 25 Miles." The 75MPH speed limits in CO, UT and NV are great for making time though.

Deserts were extremely hot, but not really that uncomfortable in the shade. There must be something to the "dry heat" theory. Reaching San Diego after the barren desert was like coming into an oasis. Cool ocean breezes and magnificent beaches. Only downside is car traffic and the cost of gas, ($3.19 - $3.45 I found)

It was a ton of fun and I'd do it again. JoeT

Did you stop and see anything interesting that you'd like to share about?

Re 4-cylinders in high altitudes: Yeah, it's amazing how much power they lose. On a trip through the Sierras a few years back with some other cars, those of us with 4-cylinder turbos zipped past those with 4-c engines. It's the thin air.

Glad you had a great time.

1900 Miles in two days, wow! That's somewhere between really impressive and really insane. How many hours were you on the road those days?

Where'd you stay on Freemont St? I've found some really great deals there in the past too, and I actually prefer downtown to staying on the strip.

Glad you had a good trip!

I enjoyed reading about your trip. I'm driving from Cleveland via RT-80 down through Denver to Vegas and onto San Diego in October. We will be driving home from San Diego via RT-8 and up to Flagstaff and east on RT-40. You made it sound very interesting.

Thanks to all for the replies.

Didn't have much time to stop other than for picnic lunch and pitstops. The scenery was fantastic out the window though. Would like to take some time later to see sites in CO and UT.

First day we drove 1000 miles in 15 hours. We had planned to stop after 12 hours, but with 2 drivers and lots of remaining sunshine my son talked me into driving on. We were tired at the end, but not so tired that the road lines began to blur. 4 cylinder engine was a bit week at high altitudes but we did 80 MPH the majority of the time and got 38-40 MPG and it's not a hybrid.

Stayed at Golden Nugget on Fremont St. in Vegas. Had promo for $49/weeknight. First class hotel/casino at half the price of the strip hotels. (even at their normal rates)

Can't wait to do it again.