[dradernh]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

That one was around 2 PM, and cost the team member who was driving at the time a whopping $105.

I was in Nevada a year earlier, driving from Wendover to Ely on US-93 after sunset. It was the first and only time where I slowed down because I was out-driving my headlights.....

I ran San Francisco to Denver and back tens of times between the early 70s and the late 90s. Choosing routes that didn't include I-80 always offered by far the most enjoyable driving experience on those journeys. Running I-80 made the journey much easier in terms of the attention it required from the driver.

The best route in terms of the lack of enforcement, extraordinary scenery, and gloriously wide-open stretches of tarmac was (starting from Denver): I-70 West until it ended at I-15 in central Utah, and then US-50 West to I-80 West at Fernley east of Reno, the latter being the best. Running west out of Austin, NV is a 13-mile straightaway that is all about put-the-car-up-on-the-center-line and put-the-pedal-to-the-metal.

In terms of making time, after joining I-80 West it was always an issue of the day of the week and the time of the day. Traffic from Reno to the Bay Area could always be counted on to be dense. I tended to come back on Sundays so I could make it in to work Monday morning. It was like swimming is a very dense school of fish.

Google shows the route from my dad's home in Denver to mine in SF taking 19:19. The last time I ran it, it took just over 15 hours, including two very short stops for fuel. There is a lot of room for making time out West.

My guess is that drivers wanting to enjoy long high-speed runs can still experience them out West. I also think those days are coming to an end.