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Las Vegas or Bust

2K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  GarySL 
#1 ·
I'll be leaving Tampa bound for Vegas in about two weeks to deal at the World Series of Poker. I'm looking forward to some major seat time in my 335i coupe as I drive the 2400 or so miles across the country. Just wish the roads had no speed limit as I found on the Autobahn last year when I took delivery in Munich. Along those lines...

Does anyone have a recommendation on the best interstate road to take to burn up miles as fast as possible? Google Maps show routes along I-10, I-20 or I-40 with the I-20 route about 100 miles shorter. Is one route more interesting or scenic to take? One route with better roads (hate those expansion joints!)? Years ago I took I-10 out and I just remember a very boring road that took forever to cross Texas. I'm kind of leaning toward the shortest route as I would have to average 10 miles an hour faster for 10 straight hours to kill the extra 100 miles. I guess that might be possible through Texas (85-90 mph?) but I'm sure I would burn a bit more gas doing that.

Anyway, I would appreciate any input from those that have some local knowledge or past experience with those interstates.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
#4 ·
To quote the late, great Paul Harvey, "For what it's worth"..... Back in 1999 I took a 2 month solo road trip across the US covering over 12,000 miles and one of the Interstates I hit was I-40. From what I remember (It's been 10 years!) is that it was straight and fast, although I wasn't solely concerned about speed and most definitely was not driving a 335i. I remember plentiful rest stops and wide open spaces. (Side note: ANY road takes forever to cross Texas - even the panhandle, although I-40 skips more of Texas than the other two you're considering, but then you already know that.)

The great thing about I-40 is that it's a bit further north than the others and takes you right through Albuquerque, NM (Which I thought was a great city) and Flagstaff, AZ (Which is so close to the Grand Canyon that it would be a sin to skip if you haven't been. Seriously, I though it would be kind of hokey, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip.)

Anyways, hope that helps a bit. If you do take that route on my suggestion and I ever sit down at one of your tables and get dealt 2-7 off-suit I'll know you didn't care for it much. Good luck!
 
#5 ·
The great thing about I-40 is that it's a bit further north than the others and takes you right through Albuquerque, NM (Which I thought was a great city) and Flagstaff, AZ (Which is so close to the Grand Canyon that it would be a sin to skip if you haven't been. Seriously, I though it would be kind of hokey, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip.)
+1 on I-40. You can stop at The Big Texan in Amarillo and try to eat the 72oz steak ala Great Oudoors with John Candy. Then you will cut through the Sandia Mountains into Albuquerque. I recommend Mexican food at Sadies or Gardunos. West of Albuquerque you can really open 'er up. Just watch out for drunk Indians when you approach Gallup. Per capita the amount of DUIs and pedestrians being struck by vehicles there is insane.
 
#6 ·
...Years ago I took I-10 out and I just remember a very boring road that took forever to cross Texas. I'm kind of leaning toward the shortest route as I would have to average 10 miles an hour faster for 10 straight hours to kill the extra 100 miles. I guess that might be possible through Texas (85-90 mph?) but I'm sure I would burn a bit more gas doing that.
Don't worry about the mileage. Even with the cruise set on 90, you'll still get almost 28 mpg. I've found the most dramatic drop-off in mpg comes as you push past 95.

I've driven the I-20 / I-10 route to El Paso and into New Mexico many times. I agree there's not much scenery other than the Davis and Franklin Mountains or the wind generating farms around Roscoe and Sweetwater (if you consider that scenic). The advantage is the amount of miles you can quickly pile up.

I-40 is definitely a more scenic route. Besides the sites already mentioned, there's also the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest along the way.
 
#12 ·
I'm going to be a radical here....

Though I realize it may be impossible or impractical, I'm going to suggest you do hundreds of miles away from the interstate. I would find out which roads were the most important cross country roads in the 50's... before the interstate. I would then plan on spending as much time on those roads as I could. The drive will take twice as long, true. But you'll see a side of America which is quickly being forgotten. Your trip will be far more interesting. It's likely that the driving itself will be far more interesting. It's likely that your trip will be far more memorable.

I often challenge my students regarding such trips. (I don't think I've had any real takers.) See if you can make the trip with 0 miles on an interstate. Zero!!

Even if I only manage to get them to spend one day off the interstate, I figure they'll come away with a new perspective on things.
 
#13 ·
Can't speak about the I-40 route..but definately can compare the I-10 to I-20 routes in Texas atleast. I-10 goes through the hearts of Houston and San Antonio, while I-20 grazes the southern portion of DFW Metroplex. Seems like less hassle and likely a lot less traffic.
 
#17 ·
I'll be dealing at the WSOP - not playing. I'm trying to guarantee I'll come back with more money than I left with! :D Not to say I won't play some smaller tournaments at other sites. Good luck at the tables.:thumbup:
 
#20 ·
Awesome bb. That looks abit like my Grandpa's 1954 Bel Air, except his was baby blue.

Doin' it in style 4 sure. Thanks for sharing.
 
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