Flying a small airplane to Southern California is quite easy when the winds aren't too bad, my suggestion is to get some ground instruction from a local instructor, no need to fly at 11,000 feet, fly IFR (I follow roads), much easier to fly around the terrain. Also, there are some VFR corridors near the the Grand Canyon, spectacular scenery, Grand Canyon airport is at 7000 ft MSL, can be a challenge!
