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      11-13-2018, 02:01 AM   #1
blockar
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BMW M2 goes west on Route 66 road trip

This past Labor Day weekend I took my new 2018 BMW M2 on a western road trip to California to see the sports car grand prix at Laguna Seca. I wanted to knock another thing off the bucket list so I decided to drive the iconic Route 66 to California and hit some favorite western spots on the way back.

I left Chicago early Saturday morning heading through the cornfields of Illinois and hills of Missouri on Route 66. Over the next few days I crossed the plains of Oklahoma and Texas and through the deserts of New Mexico, Arizona, and California before reaching the end of trail on Santa Monica Pier that Wednesday.

After a few days in LA, I headed up the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur on the way to Monterey. This was the most stunning driving experience I have ever had and I have driven laps at Road America, and road the Tail of the Dragon through a Hurricane. Driving the winding roads along the coast with the sun setting on the pacific ocean on one side and knowing that the entire United States laid to the other, sent chills down my spine. Not only this but I did it in my dream car during what feels like the prime of my life. Inspirational doesn't even begin to explain the feelings. Perhaps Spiritual may be a better word to describe it.

The next day I went to watch BMW claim the GTLM trophy at Laguna Seca Raceway. I drove through Death Valley and came over the mountains to see Las Vegas lit up at night. I couldn't help but play Elvis "Viva Las Vegas" while driving down the Vegas strip. After a few nights in Vegas I drove over to Utah to view the sunset over the famous Monument Valley in Utah. After doing a bit of Canyoneering in the Moab the next day I drove the Dinosaur Diamond Byway along the Colorado River into the Rocky Mountains. I drove the car on gravel roads to get to a trailhead which led me on a hike to the tallest summit in the Rocky Mountains. The following day I drove all day to reach home in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

It was a truly mind blowing experience that put 6,000 miles on my car but I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking to discover the beauty in the Western US and the pleasures of driving along some of the most iconic roads in history.

Coolest Driving Experiences:
1. Pacific Coast Highway at Sunset
2. Oatman Canyon in AZ along Route 66
3. Dinosaur Diamond Highway in UT along the Colorado River
4. Driving the Mojave Desert at night
5. Downtown Chicago at Sunrise

Definitely would not recommend:
1. Driving through St. Louis
2. Any sort of driving in Los Angeles (Traffic is worse than you imagine)
3. Racing a Subaru STI in front of an unmarked cop car (Don't worry I didn't fall for it, but the Subaru did)
4. Driving the entire state of Oklahoma
5. Driving downtown Santa Fe during a festival.

I have attached a few good photos from my trip, if you would like to see more please visit my flickr or instagram account:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135690536@N03
https://www.instagram.com/blockar88/
Attached Images
                                

Last edited by blockar; 11-13-2018 at 02:08 AM..
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      11-13-2018, 08:01 AM   #2
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Sounds like you had a great time. You actually drove down into Monument Valley? I've been on that unpaved road with my X1. Such a magical place.
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      11-13-2018, 09:41 AM   #3
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Great trip, and some really nice shots in there. This is what it's all about.
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      11-13-2018, 01:39 PM   #4
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Good for you. Great shots and trip....congrats.
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      11-13-2018, 05:11 PM   #5
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I call BS on the whole thing. Those are all photoshopped; your car is too clean in all those shots

Seriously, great road trip. Reminds me of the movie Cars; you just needed to visit a small town, and race an old Hudson Hornet on a dirt track!
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      11-13-2018, 05:17 PM   #6
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Awesome trip!

Does look like you washed her every day tho.
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      11-13-2018, 08:26 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mybostonmomo View Post
Sounds like you had a great time. You actually drove down into Monument Valley? I've been on that unpaved road with my X1. Such a magical place.
Yes I drove halfway down the road with all the spectators looking at me like I was crazy. On the way dow there were quite a few SUVs spinning tires in the ruts. I just kept it slow a steady and made sure I never stopped.

I like your photo there. That's a good eye for a nice shot.

And no I only washed it twice. Once before the trip and once when I got to LA. I tried to keep the car looking as authentic as possible. I like the weathered and worn look, it adds character.
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      11-14-2018, 12:06 PM   #8
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Great pics. Thanks for sharing
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      11-14-2018, 12:32 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blockar View Post
This past Labor Day weekend I took my new 2018 BMW M2 on a western road trip to California to see the sports car grand prix at Laguna Seca. I wanted to knock another thing off the bucket list so I decided to drive the iconic Route 66 to California and hit some favorite western spots on the way back.

I left Chicago early Saturday morning heading through the cornfields of Illinois and hills of Missouri on Route 66. Over the next few days I crossed the plains of Oklahoma and Texas and through the deserts of New Mexico, Arizona, and California before reaching the end of trail on Santa Monica Pier that Wednesday.

After a few days in LA, I headed up the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur on the way to Monterey. This was the most stunning driving experience I have ever had and I have driven laps at Road America, and road the Tail of the Dragon through a Hurricane. Driving the winding roads along the coast with the sun setting on the pacific ocean on one side and knowing that the entire United States laid to the other, sent chills down my spine. Not only this but I did it in my dream car during what feels like the prime of my life. Inspirational doesn't even begin to explain the feelings. Perhaps Spiritual may be a better word to describe it.

The next day I went to watch BMW claim the GTLM trophy at Laguna Seca Raceway. I drove through Death Valley and came over the mountains to see Las Vegas lit up at night. I couldn't help but play Elvis "Viva Las Vegas" while driving down the Vegas strip. After a few nights in Vegas I drove over to Utah to view the sunset over the famous Monument Valley in Utah. After doing a bit of Canyoneering in the Moab the next day I drove the Dinosaur Diamond Byway along the Colorado River into the Rocky Mountains. I drove the car on gravel roads to get to a trailhead which led me on a hike to the tallest summit in the Rocky Mountains. The following day I drove all day to reach home in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

It was a truly mind blowing experience that put 6,000 miles on my car but I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking to discover the beauty in the Western US and the pleasures of driving along some of the most iconic roads in history.

Coolest Driving Experiences:
1. Pacific Coast Highway at Sunset
2. Oatman Canyon in AZ along Route 66
3. Dinosaur Diamond Highway in UT along the Colorado River
4. Driving the Mojave Desert at night
5. Downtown Chicago at Sunrise

Definitely would not recommend:
1. Driving through St. Louis
2. Any sort of driving in Los Angeles (Traffic is worse than you imagine)
3. Racing a Subaru STI in front of an unmarked cop car (Don't worry I didn't fall for it, but the Subaru did)
4. Driving the entire state of Oklahoma
5. Driving downtown Santa Fe during a festival.

I have attached a few good photos from my trip, if you would like to see more please visit my flickr or instagram account:

blockar88/
Beautiful car...beautiful road trip... its funny you let a guy rest on your car 😱
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      11-17-2018, 04:00 PM   #10
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I'm digging it
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      11-20-2018, 12:18 AM   #11
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      11-20-2018, 02:24 AM   #12
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Greetings from the UK - we did a R66 fly drive trip a couple of years ago.

Your photos reminded me that my wife put together a great photo album of R66 road side signs - classic Americana.

No doubt your trip was more fun in the M2, especially as our R66 ride was a Ford Explorer !!!!
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      11-20-2018, 09:01 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blockar View Post
This past Labor Day weekend I took my new 2018 BMW M2 on a western road trip to California to see the sports car grand prix at Laguna Seca. I wanted to knock another thing off the bucket list so I decided to drive the iconic Route 66 to California and hit some favorite western spots on the way back.

I left Chicago early Saturday morning heading through the cornfields of Illinois and hills of Missouri on Route 66. Over the next few days I crossed the plains of Oklahoma and Texas and through the deserts of New Mexico, Arizona, and California before reaching the end of trail on Santa Monica Pier that Wednesday.

After a few days in LA, I headed up the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur on the way to Monterey. This was the most stunning driving experience I have ever had and I have driven laps at Road America, and road the Tail of the Dragon through a Hurricane. Driving the winding roads along the coast with the sun setting on the pacific ocean on one side and knowing that the entire United States laid to the other, sent chills down my spine. Not only this but I did it in my dream car during what feels like the prime of my life. Inspirational doesn't even begin to explain the feelings. Perhaps Spiritual may be a better word to describe it.

The next day I went to watch BMW claim the GTLM trophy at Laguna Seca Raceway. I drove through Death Valley and came over the mountains to see Las Vegas lit up at night. I couldn't help but play Elvis "Viva Las Vegas" while driving down the Vegas strip. After a few nights in Vegas I drove over to Utah to view the sunset over the famous Monument Valley in Utah. After doing a bit of Canyoneering in the Moab the next day I drove the Dinosaur Diamond Byway along the Colorado River into the Rocky Mountains. I drove the car on gravel roads to get to a trailhead which led me read phallosan forte review on a hike to the tallest summit in the Rocky Mountains. The following day I drove all day to reach home in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

It was a truly mind blowing experience that put 6,000 miles on my car but I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking to discover the beauty in the Western US and the pleasures of driving along some of the most iconic roads in history.

Coolest Driving Experiences:
1. Pacific Coast Highway at Sunset
2. Oatman Canyon in AZ along Route 66
3. Dinosaur Diamond Highway in UT along the Colorado River
4. Driving the Mojave Desert at night
5. Downtown Chicago at Sunrise

Definitely would not recommend:
1. Driving through St. Louis
2. Any sort of driving in Los Angeles (Traffic is worse than you imagine)
3. Racing a Subaru STI in front of an unmarked cop car (Don't worry I didn't fall for it, but the Subaru did)
4. Driving the entire state of Oklahoma
5. Driving downtown Santa Fe during a festival.

I have attached a few good photos from my trip, if you would like to see more please visit my flickr or instagram account:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135690536@N03
https://www.instagram.com/blockar88/
Amazing Car model and color you got there... "Classy" The first word I can think of.

Last edited by rl24free; 01-21-2019 at 08:17 AM..
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      11-22-2018, 09:56 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rl24free View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by blockar View Post
This past Labor Day weekend I took my new 2018 BMW M2 on a western road trip to California to see the sports car grand prix at Laguna Seca. I wanted to knock another thing off the bucket list so I decided to drive the iconic Route 66 to California and hit some favorite western spots on the way back.

I left Chicago early Saturday morning heading through the cornfields of Illinois and hills of Missouri on Route 66. Over the next few days I crossed the plains of Oklahoma and Texas and through the deserts of New Mexico, Arizona, and California before reaching the end of trail on Santa Monica Pier that Wednesday.

After a few days in LA, I headed up the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur on the way to Monterey. This was the most stunning driving experience I have ever had and I have driven laps at Road America, and road the Tail of the Dragon through a Hurricane. Driving the winding roads along the coast with the sun setting on the pacific ocean on one side and knowing that the entire United States laid to the other, sent chills down my spine. Not only this but I did it in my dream car during what feels like the prime of my life. Inspirational doesn't even begin to explain the feelings. Perhaps Spiritual may be a better word to describe it.

The next day I went to watch BMW claim the GTLM trophy at Laguna Seca Raceway. I drove through Death Valley and came over the mountains to see Las Vegas lit up at night. I couldn't help but play Elvis "Viva Las Vegas" while driving down the Vegas strip. After a few nights in Vegas I drove over to Utah to view the sunset over the famous Monument Valley in Utah. After doing a bit of Canyoneering in the Moab the next day I drove the Dinosaur Diamond Byway along the Colorado River into the Rocky Mountains. I drove the car on gravel roads to get to a trailhead which led me read a phallosan forte review on a hike to the tallest summit in the Rocky Mountains. The following day I drove all day to reach home in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

It was a truly mind blowing experience that put 6,000 miles on my car but I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking to discover the beauty in the Western US and the pleasures of driving along some of the most iconic roads in history.

Coolest Driving Experiences:
1. Pacific Coast Highway at Sunset
2. Oatman Canyon in AZ along Route 66
3. Dinosaur Diamond Highway in UT along the Colorado River
4. Driving the Mojave Desert at night
5. Downtown Chicago at Sunrise

Definitely would not recommend:
1. Driving through St. Louis
2. Any sort of driving in Los Angeles (Traffic is worse than you imagine)
3. Racing a Subaru STI in front of an unmarked cop car (Don't worry I didn't fall for it, but the Subaru did)
4. Driving the entire state of Oklahoma
5. Driving downtown Santa Fe during a festival.

I have attached a few good photos from my trip, if you would like to see more please visit my flickr or instagram account:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135690536@N03
https://www.instagram.com/blockar88/
Amazing Car model and color you got there... "Classy" The first word I can think of.
Parked my car yesterday.
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      11-22-2018, 02:58 PM   #15
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always enjoy these road trip posts... thanks for posting
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      11-26-2018, 06:59 PM   #16
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Man, that's a hell of a trip! Thanks for sharing...would love to do this someday. Love seeing cars rack up the miles
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      11-26-2018, 10:55 PM   #17
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Man I would love to drive my m2 back to Chicago one day lol
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      12-06-2018, 03:47 PM   #18
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Wow that's amazing. Thanks for sharing, that looks like a beautiful road trip.
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