Amtrak

Another fun activity for the family could be taking the train to different places along the coast. It appears that our condo is but three to five blocks from the Oceanside Amtrak Station. Disneyland is only 2.5 miles from the Anaheim station (a short taxi ride), and Old Town San Diego has a station right next to the State Park (which includes a museum for the Mormon Batallion, old west buildings and lots of other attractions). Fares are about $13 per person between Oceanside and Old Town San Diego ($6.50 per child, infants are free) and about $14 per adult to Anaheim ($7 per child). The route to San Diego is right on the coast - I mean RIGHt ON The Beach in some places. Could be fun. See the schedule for the Pacific Surfliner.

Incidentally, it is $114 to the Oceanside station from Maricopa Arizona (sorry, no trains operate through the Phoenix area) and takes 8 to 9 hours to LA, with another 1.5 hours south to Oceanside (not counting the transfer in LA). From Salt Lake City - I am afraid that the train would take considerably more time than driving - so I didn't even look into it.