This is not a trip report.

Phoenix has 2 good airports. Why don't you fly there in the first place? Depending on the weather and how many economic migrants that are headed north, you should be OK but you won't want to do much in Phoenix once you drive there all night.
The other way to do it would be the #591 Amtrak Surfliner from SAN to LAX and the Sunset Limited to Yuma arriving in Yuma about 4AM and taking a taxi to the airport to rent a car there.
The problem is that the Sunset Limited only runs 3 days a week out of Los Angeles.

We are flying to San Diego from Bellingham, WA to watch 2 softball tournaments, one in Tempe this weekend and then back to San Diego for the other tour Feb.15-17th. We wanted to drive to Tempe for the weekend, up to Sedona for a few days and back to SDSU. Just needed to know re. Highway 8 and and interesting route and food stops back from Sedona. We thought we would drive through Blythe and are open to the route south back to S.D?

I take it that you are flying on Allegiant out of Bellingham.
Would it work to fly to Las Vegas and rent the car there and cover scattered locations? Cars are a little cheaper in LV.
The route using I-10 is only half an hour longer than the I-8 route 8 hours to Sedona vs. 7.5 hours.

It's about a six hour drive, and Yuma is fine to drive through. If you come up I-10, you'll end up right in Tempe.

I was always more concerned that the semi-trucks could see me, more than driving through Yuma.

So are you driving I-10 or I-8? I've done both a million times over the last 35 years. Family lives in AZ and I've lived both in LA and now San Diego. Never thought either route wouldn't be safe. They are major interstates.

Thanks for the info.

Neither one is an especially pretty drive - but both are well traveled/safe. Leave with a full gas tank just to be sure.

Enjoy Sedona - which we love for a few days.

Actually - from Sedona to SD - you could drive through historic Jerome - which is in the hills. http://tinyurl.com/a5o3pau

That makes for a little longer trip - but is more interesting for the first couple of hours - and then it too morphs into the low/flat desert.

Thanks for your replies.

Interstate is perfectly safe.

Anza Borrego State Park isn't too far out of the way. I liked it but you might get enough desert scenery without making a stop there.

Sedona is not far from the Grand Canyon, certainly you should drive up there if you haven't seen it before. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a bit southwest of Phoenix and very nice.