We will go from Las Vegas, through Barstow, CA onto Desert Hot Springs, CA.  The return trip is through the open desert to the Parker Dam, Lake Havasu City, Laughlin and back to Las Vegas.

Our trip began leaving Las Vegas early in the morning.  Whiskey Pete's is a good breakfast stop on I-15 about 40 minutes South of the strip entrances.  The quick buffet leaves time to "play a few" before leaving Nevada for a day or two.  Another hundred miles or so, you will be approaching Barstow - a larger than average desert town.  Barstow has a few diversions such as the Calico Ghost Town, a commercial version of what Knotts Berry Farm thinks a ghost town should be; there's an outlet mall at the Lenwood exit just past Barstow; and I found an excellent restaurant (Idle Spurs) just off I-15 on old Hwy 58 just before you  enter the town..

But you need to remain on I-15 south onto I-215 at San Bernadino.  Stay on 215 until you see I-10 east  towards Palm Springs.  It's about 2 hours from Barstow to Palm Springs where there are many elegant hotels, resorts and golf courses.  My preference is Desert Hot Springs - the poor side of I-10. Here, there is the Desert Hot Springs spa and a couple others that have hot mineral pools.  The natural pools are said to be therapeutic.  I don't know if they are, but I always feel good after a good soak.  Rooms are moderate, but nice and it's a good place to relax in the sun.

From here, it's 10 miles to Palm Springs attractions and shopping.  The Palm Springs Aerial Tram is a good investment - especially if you buy the combination that includes a dinner at the top.  Up top, you can see all of Palm and Desert Hot Springs. The San Andreas fault line is visible (right about under the bed I slept in the previous night).  There's also the desert botanical museum, Rancho Mirage and other nearby things to check out.  The shoppers seem to like to stroll through downtown streets and visit the big mall a few miles east of town.

Leaving the area, I really enjoyed being in the Joshua Tree National Monument for some sunrise photos.  From the spa, you really have to check out early to make sunrise at the monument, but I would gladly do it again.  Joshua Tree borders the town of Twentynine Palms and is the center for studying this desert tree.  There's both high and low desert vegetation and animal life inside the huge park.  A trip to the library will help you maximize getting around the roads and highlights.

Leaving the Monument, highway 82 goes for 130 miles of open desert to Parker, Arizona.  Gas, food, and services are thankfully unavailable.  Here's where you can often stop and stand on the yellow line for 20 minutes without seeing another car or person.  For me, it was the first time EVER I was not within 10 miles of another human [just my wife].

The Parker Dam contains the Colorado to form Lake Havasu. The city with the same name has a nice  hotel right on the lake overlooking the genuine, reconstructed London Bridge.  Some rooms have balconies and there's a small strip of shops and eateries. There's more food and hotel choices in the small town away from the lake.

An hour's drive North is Laughlin, NV - the boomtown strip of hotels and casinos right on the river. Avoiding weekends, rooms are often less expensive than those in Las Vegas.  Buffets and gaming galore, but don't look for big name entertainment in Laughlin.  You can still often find a room for under $25 in Laughlin, sometimes this will include breakfast.  If the weather is nice, you can stroll the river from casino to casino - even take a "taxi" across the river and back for free.  Each casino has a "detour" to entice you to enter and it's fun on a nice day. Best video poker is at the Pioneer.

The return to Las Vegas can be scenic (US 93 over the Hoover Dam) or quicker via US 95 to where it meets US 93. Follow the Las Vegas signs from within Laughlin. It's not necessary to cross back into Arizona.

 This whole circle is about 650 miles. My preference was for 2 nights at the Desert Hot Springs and one night at Lake Havasu City. The first time I planned this, I cancelled the trip realizing that spring break would bring crowds to Palm Springs.  The second time though, I did Spring Break and really enjoyed seeing the kids cut up under the careful eye of the locals.  Also, remember that the highest U.S. temperatures are often recorded near Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City and Laughlin, so August might not be too nice!  Budget conscious travellers will prefer Laughlin's rooms to those at Lake Havasu City or even Bullhead City.