[roastbeef]

If you're seriously considering flying into LAX, going to the beach, driving around exploring, then driving to Vegas and stopping along the way, you're talking about being awake for 24+ hours.
Unless I missed something and you're planning on spending a night in LA...
It's going to take you much more time than you think. Alien jerky is highly over rated. There is literally nothing else to see along the i15.

so vancouver to lax is about a three hour flight. add an hour and a half to get to the airport and get through security, plus another hour just getting out of lax and to the rental place. if you really want to see a bunch of bums, drive around for three hours. driving from the middle of LA to vegas is going to take longer than usual, you're talking 5-6 hours depending on when you leave LA. thats almost 15 hours of travel and driving around doing almost nothing. i'm telling you man, its a shit plan. too much for one day.