Back to the infamous road trip ....
I've revised my original trip theory based on what I think is a partial truth from Arias ... in her voicemail she left for Travis on 6/4/08, she mentions driving out of her way about 100 miles (the "thank you very much" quote).
In looking for routes from Mesa to Boulder City NV, Arias might have taken I-17 N to Flagstaff, I-40 W to Kingman and then US 93 N to Boulder City and the Hoover Dam (instead of US 60 N / US 93 N all the way to Kingman and beyond). She also mentioned to Detective Flores that she might have been on I-40 and also mentioned Flagstaff.
Another reason I think Arias went this way was to avoid construction projects on US Route 93 N, which would have been accompanied by a police presence. These construction projects most likely would be taken on in the evening hours to avoid the heat of the day in the desert. Can one of our AZ residents confirm the US 93 N construction efforts ? All I have is this to go on ...
http://www.azdot.gov/us93corridor/
When I factor in those miles to my original chart, I now see the rental car mileage as 2820 ... very close to the 2834 recorded on the rental car receipt. The other 14 miles could be accounted for very easily in her time in Utah.
I also believe she told a partial truth about getting gas in Buckeye AZ, just outside of Mesa. IMO, she filled the car up with the gas from the cans from Pasadena and then refilled the cans to get her through Arizona, before finally filling up with receipt in Mesquite NV. IMO, the receipt from Buckeye magically disappeared ...
Just a theory ....