Road Trip (Seattle to Denver)

[bngcruiser]

Hey guys,

I will be flying and driving my new to me BMW M2 home from Seattle to Denver this upcoming weekend.

I don't have time to mill around, strictly driving, but I wanted to come to the forum to see if there were any routes that I absolutely need to take. I have driven Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado before - but wasn't sure if there was any first hand knowledge of a route I should do over another.



Trying not to extend the drive too much further than 21 hours total.

[bngcruiser]

Duplicate ..

[4Hockey4]

drove that Rt 200 two years ago to GNP, and then south to Yellowstone. Stop in Coeur d'Alene for lunch, few great spots there, and the views of Lake, Cheers and enjoy.

(we jumped on Rt 200 around there, north to Sandpoint, (also amazing lake, smaller town) could push you out a bit, but that road is fantastic - my guess about another hour out of way)

[bngcruiser]

Any concerns with new contis on dry cold roads? West Yellowstone showing a high of 46 on Saturday as I drive through it ..

.. I've been in blizzards in West Yellowstone in my Subaru STI with snow tires on and my front bumper acting as a plow before. I know I won't be able to deal with snow at all with new contis .. but what about the colder temps?

[4Hockey4]

Assuming the summer performance version, at 46 you'd be "ok" but I wouldnt want to drive my PS4S under that much.

[bngcruiser]

Originally Posted by 4Hockey4

Assuming the summer performance version, at 46 you'd be "ok" but I wouldnt want to drive my PS4S under that much.

They are actually the all season conti extremes .. so I think I'll actually be okay.

Which is nice, now it gives me an excuse to buy some new ultra summers with my new set of wheels!

[RM7]

Originally Posted by bngcruiser

Any concerns with new contis on dry cold roads? West Yellowstone showing a high of 46 on Saturday as I drive through it ..

.. I've been in blizzards in West Yellowstone in my Subaru STI with snow tires on and my front bumper acting as a plow before. I know I won't be able to deal with snow at all with new contis .. but what about the colder temps?

Road temp in the day will be warmer than the air temp in most places (while at night it can be colder than the air temp). Tire temp will be even warmer from friction usually. My tires have temp sensors and after a fair bit of driving, they get into the "normal" temp just fine, even when it's a little chilly.
Combine all of that with a trip where you will have ample time to warm the tires up from friction (not launching at 7am to tear up the 38 degree mountain canyon most likely with cold tires). We autocross in some fairly chilly temps and the change as the tires and ground warms is significant, but at the same time it's not some cliff that once it's below 45 degrees all of a sudden nothing works either.

[GOLFFRR]

wow thats some trip, can't wait to see all the pics. Curious to see what your thoughts are in comfort of the M2 on that long of a trip. Good luck and be safe

[bngcruiser]

Did the thing. Made it to Bend for night 1. Snow up north kept me south.

Drove it like hell up to government camp. Feels so good, definitely not quite the same torque as the Porsche's I've tracked, but oh it is a sweet shove in the back.

[Mardio]

Originally Posted by 4Hockey4

drove that Rt 200 two years ago to GNP, and then south to Yellowstone. Stop in Coeur d'Alene for lunch, few great spots there, and the views of Lake, Cheers and enjoy.

(we jumped on Rt 200 around there, north to Sandpoint, (also amazing lake, smaller town) could push you out a bit, but that road is fantastic - my guess about another hour out of way)

Sandpoint is definitely worth the detour, such a beautiful scenic town. I still haven't found apple pie as good as the Pie Hut restaurant to this day.

[RM7]

Really nice looking car.

[cfm56d7b]

Great car. Love the color!

[4Hockey4]

Originally Posted by Mardio

Sandpoint is definitely worth the detour, such a beautiful scenic town. I still haven't found apple pie as good as the Pie Hut restaurant to this day.

That drive and cabin in Montana/GNP, was highlight of our trip. (we missed the apple pie)

Love the car and color !

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by bngcruiser

Did the thing.

I think I know why you chose your original route, but was the one below more or less what you ended up driving?

Whichever way you went, that entire corner of the country is spectacular territory.

[bngcruiser]

Originally Posted by dradernh

I think I know why you chose your original route, but was the one below more or less what you ended up driving?

Whichever way you went, that entire corner of the country is spectacular territory.

Exactly what I drove.

The road leaving Bend all the way to Idaho border was SPECTACULAR early morning driving. I was able to cruise as fast as I was comfortable with the temperatures in the low 50's and zero traffic.

I left Bend at 5:20am and was barely bothered by any traffic at all until I-84 E.

I highly recommend the route I took out of Bend for spirited driving groups. It was fantastic, car felt like it was on rails around the bends and I felt like I had great vision through plenty of curves to push the car safely.

[bngcruiser]

dradernh the only thing I would've changed with the amount of time I had, I wish I would've turned off I-80E at 287. I-25 South has horrible construction that I hadn't noticed until I was driving it in the M2. Realized I was clenching my jaw pretty tightly for a dozen or few miles trying to dodge all the crappy roadwork.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by bngcruiser

Exactly what I drove.

The road leaving Bend all the way to Idaho border was SPECTACULAR early morning driving. I was able to cruise as fast as I was comfortable with the temperatures in the low 50's and zero traffic.

I left Bend at 5:20am and was barely bothered by any traffic at all until I-84 E.

I highly recommend the route I took out of Bend for spirited driving groups. It was fantastic, car felt like it was on rails around the bends and I felt like I had great vision through plenty of curves to push the car safely.

On an Amarillo to Oregon Coast run back in 1977, I was fortunate enough to enjoy driving Boise to Yachats, OR via Bend.

That route was likely more wide-open then than it is now; but still, the biggest thing about the West (where I was born (Denver) and lived for may years (age 0-47)) is the openness of the country, and that definitely includes the roads when you're outside the major and minor metro areas.

Placing my '85 M635CSi astride the middle line of a two-lane "back highway" and rolling at 85-110 MPH for extended periods of time is easily the most enjoyment I've ever had in a high-performance vehicle. To this day, I am firmly convinced that my M240i is in so many ways the reincarnation of that M635CSi. And I'm not exactly into that reincarnation stuff.

Frankly, taking much more capable cars to the track has never been more fun than some of the mid-80s M6 drives I had the opportunity to enjoy. My peak experience was a 16:15 Denver – San Francisco run during daylight hours. I left at first light and arrived in time for an 8:30 PM dinner watching the sunset with friends. Now...THAT...was a car!

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by bngcruiser

dradernh the only thing I would've changed with the amount of time I had, I wish I would've turned off I-80E at 287. I-25 South has horrible construction that I hadn't noticed until I was driving it in the M2. Realized I was clenching my jaw pretty tightly for a dozen or few miles trying to dodge all the crappy roadwork.

Yeah, I get it. Despite all of our current aids, it's still doesn't seem possible to adjust for all of the obstacles we're headed for during our travels.

I've certainly stiffened-up my suspension...bigly...and while I'm more than generally willing to accept the trade-offs...ahhhh...ummm...there are limits, ya know!

Thinking about it now, especially in retrospect, I'm grateful for the lack of obstacles I encountered while running back and forth across the West from 1969-1997. Driving-wise, I suppose I think of them as my "good old days." That said, times are very different now, and I believe most old guys like myself sharing with younger drivers how cool it was to be running hard and wide-open back-in-the-day isn't necessarily very productive. It was what it was, and, as always, now it is what it is.

I presently live in a fairly congested part of the country. Here, back roads are where enthusiasts tend to find enjoyable driving experiences. This includes less traffic and the opportunity to exercise our cars.

Unlike the West, however, sight lines in the Midwest tend not to be nearly so open. Wise drivers allow for surprises so that when they roll hot into a corner only to discover water, sand, or pebbles strewn across their path, they're able to manage the challenges presented to them.

Given a choice, I feel that rural and isolated Western roads, including many interstate sections, are much more conducive to rockin'-n-rollin' hard in cars like our 2 Series.

That is separate from the issue of retaining your D/L, an issue I've had the opportunity to engage with on more than one occasion, going all the way back to the 1960s.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by dradernh

Yeah, I get it. Despite all of our current aids, it's still doesn't seem possible to adjust for all of the obstacles we're headed for during our travels.

I've certainly stiffened-up my suspension...bigly...and while I'm more than generally willing to accept the trade-offs...ahhhh...ummm...there are limits, ya know!

Thinking about it now, especially in retrospect, I'm grateful for the lack of obstacles I encountered while running back and forth across the West from 1969-1997. Driving-wise, I suppose I think of them as my "good old days." That said, times are very different now, and I believe most old guys like myself sharing with younger drivers how cool it was to be running hard and wide-open back-in-the-day isn't necessarily very productive. It was what it was, and, as always, now it is what it is.

I presently live in a fairly congested part of the country. Here, back roads are where enthusiasts tend to find enjoyable driving experiences. This includes less traffic and the opportunity to exercise our cars.

Unlike the West, however, sight lines in the Midwest tend not to be nearly so open. Wise drivers allow for surprises so that when they roll hot into a corner only to discover water, sand, or pebbles strewn across their path, they're able to manage the challenges presented to them.

Given a choice, I feel that rural and isolated Western roads, including many interstate sections, are much more conducive to rockin'-n-rollin' hard in cars like our 2 Series.

That is separate from the issue of retaining your D/L, an issue I've had the opportunity to engage with on more than one occasion, going all the way back to the 1960s.

I've driven that part of the country several times. Of the rememberable roads I drove, one was Route 12 out of Lolo, Montana to Kooskia, Idaho. Some 4,000 foot drop over 130 miles or so sidelining a river. I'd have recommended it, but the OP was going the wrong direction and was time limited.