Costa Mesa

The 405 and 55 freeways converge just outside Costa Mesa, and if you time it right on a clear morning, you can smell the ocean a few miles before you ever see it. For most families using this as a home base, Costa Mesa is where the trip actually starts — you load the cooler, fill the tank, and pull out of the driveway knowing exactly what's ahead. A lot of travelers hit the In-N-Out right off the 405 or I-10 before getting on the road in earnest. It sounds small, but starting a long drive with a double-double and a bag of fries sets a certain tone. On the way back, that same stop feels like a finish line. From Costa Mesa, most routes head east toward the Mojave, where the Bagdad Cafe in Newberry Springs makes a good early detour off I-40, and Barstow Station is an easy fuel-and-stretch before the desert opens up. Keep going and you're looking at Flagstaff by late afternoon, Gallup the next morning, and Richardson's Trading Post if anyone in the car has even a passing interest in Southwestern rugs and jewelry. If you're mapping out a Southwest road trip and you live on the west side of Orange County, this stretch of highway is a pretty solid place to begin.