['Cane]

You should have gone through Phoenix and gotten pics with chicagofan00 and his new Hulk X5. 😁
That would have been a sight to behold.

[PfizerP]

Originally Posted by calbears

They've said it was a logistical nightmare and demand was high which made it more of a scheduling and throughput issue. Will it come back? Perhaps, but pressure has to be applied to BMW USA for that to happen.

By applying pressure does that mean emailing them? I just hate that BMW is taking away fun stuff. First they took away Euro Delivery and now PCD .

[calbears]

Originally Posted by PfizerP

By applying pressure does that mean emailing them? I just hate that BMW is taking away fun stuff. First they took away Euro Delivery and now PCD .

Yes, email them!

[vbb]

Calbears, this is a great road trip story. Thank you for doing this. I'm awaiting the next entry like I'm watching a show on Netflix. It's definitely something cool that I'd like to do one day. Like someone a few posts ago said, the removal of the Euro delivery is a huge bummer, because that was absolutely a bucket list thing for me to do. But with some planning, anyone can take delivery of a car in one area and then plan their own US road trip home, similar to what you did.

Great car, great trip, great story!

[chicagofan00]

Originally Posted by 'Cane

You should have gone through Phoenix and gotten pics with chicagofan00 and his new Hulk X5. 😁
That would have been a sight to behold.

Definitely would have been cool to have Signal Green next to Java Green!

Originally Posted by vbb

Calbears, this is a great road trip story. Thank you for doing this. I'm awaiting the next entry like I'm watching a show on Netflix. It's definitely something cool that I'd like to do one day. Like someone a few posts ago said, the removal of the Euro delivery is a huge bummer, because that was absolutely a bucket list thing for me to do. But with some planning, anyone can take delivery of a car in one area and then plan their own US road trip home, similar to what you did.

Great car, great trip, great story!

Euro delivery was one of my bucket list items too. Had all intentions of doing it with my first M3 purchase but of course they yanked the program prior to the G80 release.

[calbears]

Day 14: Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Vegas

First photo shows the general route.

Grand Canyon was always part of the plan, with me not having seen it before. The Grand Canyon was only about 1 1/2 hours from Flagstaff, so we set out early on and strangely, we're on the 10 cruising in the slow lane, and I notice a car driving towards us. Didn't think anything at first as I'd been used to two lane roads and then realized we're on the interstate! Wife wasn't paying attention and we missed the photo op. Thankfully, nothing happened to us, but I was just like what the fuck? How does that even happen? As we were a few miles away from the next exit/entrance.

Anyway, we stopped at a Chevron about 30 miles or so south of the Canyon to pick up/buy our pass to get into the park through an automated machine. Super easy and then back on the road to the Canyon.

We decided to stay on Arizona 64 and bypass the Visitor Center for now and headed to Grandview Point, getting some glimpses of the Canyon and it's spectacular and hard to describe. It just looks fake and photos make it look even more fake.

Got a few photos at Grandview Point and then headed back towards the visitor center and making a few pit stops to get more glimpses of the Canyon, including Duck on a Rock Viewpoint.

We stopped at the Visitor Center and Mather Point, got some drink and a quick snack before planning our next stop at Hoover Dam. Forgetting that we gained an hour, we were worried that we wouldn't get to see much at Hoover Dam.

Side note, we stopped for some quick gas and then onto US 93. When it transitioned to a highway with a higher speed limit, we ran into a sheriff and then I backed off and followed him at about the speed limit. We watched as others came up fast, then backed off and the Sheriff essentially was the lead car in a convoy going about 68MPH before he finally turned off.

We were wrong. We got to Hoover Dam in time to drive across the dam and then park and get a Power Plant Tour. This turned out to be great, we even got to see one of the rotors out of its generator for repairs for the first time since 1937 (when it was installed). The dam is obviously impressive and had some great Art Deco around it. We spent some more time around the dam, taking it all in before departing for our next hotel stop in Vegas, which wasn't too far away.

We checked in and we were quite hungry, so we walked over to the Linq Promenade to stop at Gordon Ramsay's Fish & Chips. We love Ramsay's restaurants, having tried many of them in London as well as Vegas. Never disappointed. We got one fish and one chicken pack and honestly, we probably could have split just one of them as the servings were quite large. Then it was over to Harrah's to check out Ramsay's newest restaurant (Ramsay's Kitchen) to get a gauge of the dress code as we were running low on the available clothes at this point. We noticed it back in October when we went to the U2 show, so it was on our list. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovations already! So our anniversary dinner (the next night) would have to be somewhere else.

Back to the hotel to conclude the night.

[g80.py]

Can I steal the 4th pic for my laptop background pic ?

[calbears]

Day 15: Las Vegas

This was a rest day and it coincided with my birthday and our wedding anniversary. So we had the whole day to explore locally. We stayed on foot, so a break from the car and driving for the first time since New Orleans.

We started off by walking over to Eggslut at The Cosmopolitan for breakfast. There is a line (as always) to wait to order. It might have been about 30 minutes.

My wife ordered The Slut, which is their signature dish. It's a coddled egg on top of potato puree, cooked in a glass jar & topped with gray salt and chives and comes with slices of baguette.

I went with a basic sausage, egg, & cheese sandwich which is served on a brioche bun. Despite taking our name for the order, they didn't put the name on the order. So we waited for a bit of time, before I heard our order a few times and then realized it was ours. So a bit disappointing it wasn't freshly hot. But it wasn't bad. Sandwich was ok, but the Slut was good.

As with everything Vegas these days, it's expensive. Afterwards, it was just time to finally get some steps in for the day after being limited on our trip. We walked through several different hotels & their shops. We did stop at the Museum of Illusions, which was pretty entertaining and you could set up some great photos (just one attached here). It's a fun way to spend about an hour. Then we headed over to the World of Coca Cola, but disappointed it wasn't like Atlanta. Ended up getting a Coke that was supposedly developed by AI. It tasted similar to something we had in Atlanta. Taste is hard to describe, but I wouldn't get it again.

Then it was back to the hotel to charge up phones and relax for a bit and then back to walking. We decided to try Nobu. The Caesars one was booked solid until 930PM that night, but we found out there's one in the Paris hotel that was available. Weird that one wasn't that busy, assuming they'd serve similar food. So that was booked for 630PM.

We then walked around some more and browsed around Caesar's Forum Shops. Found a few sneaker places that specialize in hard to find shoes and they were crazy expensive (all sales final too), some that we looked at were thousands of dollars (not all Jordans too).

We then made it over to Paris for our anniversary dinner. Nobu is pretty good and they serve food like a tapas place. Dishes to share and it can get pretty expensive quick. We had to try the Lobster tacos and the Wagyu tacos. These aren't large tacos or even street tacos. But they were really good. We also had the yellowtail jalepeno (cold dish), black cod with miso, and the sushi selection. All really good and tried out the bento box for dessert (flourless chocolate cake, green tea matcha ice cream).

And that's it for one of our days without driving.

Next: return to California via Death Valley and a stop in Palm Desert---and the west coast Performance Center.

['Cane]

Happy Birthday-versary (belated).

[calbears]

Originally Posted by 'Cane

Happy Birthday-versary (belated).

Thanks!

[bimmerCHAOS]

Originally Posted by 'Cane

Happy Birthday-versary (belated).

Ditto! What a great way to celebrate.

I guess when picking your wedding date your wife made damn sure you'd never forget your anniversary.

[calbears]

Day 16 back to California

First photo shows the general route through Death Valley.

We left Las Vegas with a pit stop at the Welcome To Vegas sign early on, but it was still crowded. Unfortunately, there wasn't really a way to get a photo of the CS with the sign nicely featured in the background due to the clutter around the sign.

The journey would be via Nevada 160 that turned into CA 190. I downloaded Google Maps (offline) for the area but that didn't really help as you need to keep the car on (via CarPlay) and route active as there is no reception of any kind in the valley, so be prepared and know the route.

BMW navigation did work, but since the maps are cloud based, there was a warning about it as well. But I knew CA-190 was the route, so no worries.

We made a stop at the Death Valley Pay Station to pay the fees for the park, snapped a few photos, and continued on our way to the first stop: Zabriskie Point. It's absolutely astonishing. We hiked (very short walk) to the look out point to take it all in.

Back in the car, we stopped near the Furnace Creek in for some more photos and noting that we were now over 100 feet below sea level. Many of the roads are still closed and we went a bit down Batwater Road before deciding not to do it.

We continued down CA-190 and stopped at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center which had some nice exhibits about the valley, then it was back to the road and stopped again Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes for some quick snaps. Then it was back to CA-190 and we stopped again at Stovepipe Wells. This has a general store which had a clearance sale on merchandise (70% off I believe). Picked up something to drink and a quick snack then back on the road.

Then you begin rising out of the valley, we stopped again near another public bathroom and Emigrant Campground and continued up to nearly 5000 feet above sea level, pausing again at a lookout point and then back down into a valley, taking a left at Paramint Valley Road where we encountered a donkey on the road (maybe a mule?) who caused the 3 of us on the road to stop. The animal went up to a Honda CR-V to the driver's window and paused for a bit before finally moving off the road so we could continue on the road and back up another mountain.

This eventually dropped us into Searles Lake & Searles Valley, eventually getting us on CA-178 before another left onto Trona Road and Searles Station Cutoff and finally onto US-395 and just before I-15, we stopped for fuel and a late lunch in Hesperia.

Back on the road, it was I-15 to the 215 and finally the 10 to Palm Desert. We arrived early evening and decided that the Applebee's next to the hotel was good enough for just a small dinner.

That evening (technically early the next morning), we got thunderstorms and fairly significant rain.

Next up: a visit to the Performance Center West, Palm Springs Air Museum, & dinner with a friend

[Ibiza]

Dam, the suspense waiting for PC West site visit write up with photos. Curious to know the total mileage of this trip upon the conclusion.

How has the drive been so far, as the CS suspension would be firm ride? Highway gas millage?

[Needsdecaf]

I can't believe you're doing this whole trip without cupholders. I mean, what were BMW thinking?!?!

['Cane]

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

I can't believe you're doing this whole trip without cupholders. I mean, what were BMW thinking?!?!

What are you talking about? His wife was with him.

[nunzo]

didn't see any comments but how did the buckets hold up and how were they comfort-wise?

[calbears]

Originally Posted by nunzo

didn't see any comments but how did the buckets hold up and how were they comfort-wise?

I'll wrap up the experience at the end of the trip...

[calbears]

Day 17: Palm Springs & Vicinity

The rain really put a damper on things with some flooded areas (streets). We ended up getting our breakfast comped since our first room didn't have a working air conditioner and it just kept getting hotter in the room, so we got switched.

Original plan was to head out to the wind mills area and get some photos at a location I've used before, but with the rain, that was put off.

The backup (or really plan) was to head to the Palm Springs Air Museum near the airport, which does have some displays outside that are great for photos. They have an F/A-18 and a F-16 that you can get close to with your vehicle and since it was just before they opened, it was pretty empty, except for one kid who took his time with the F/A-18.

I then remembered the last time I visited, they had just received a F-117 Nighthawk and began the restoration (they have to take off the skin because that's classified) and was hoping they were done. And they were! I had first seen one in person at Dulles Airport for whatever reason, and now we got up close and personal with one. It's in its own hangar with great information and the hangar is climate controlled.

Then we had to get to the Performance Center for lunch. I reached out well before hand and let them know that I'd like to stop by. The manager (I forget his exact title) was kind enough to put us on the list for lunch and it was really so I could finally get the soft serve ice cream they've been teasing me about for a year and a half. I was told they were working on getting one for the center and the next time I was there, it should be ready (2022). Every time it wasn't and I was there 4 times in 2022 (2 BMW CCA related and 2 work related). And then I was there again in January 2023 and it still wasn't ready!

Then the week after, we're at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and I get sent a picture of the ice cream--it's working. A week too late though. So I was told it works during lunch just on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So I carefully planned it so we would be in the area on a Friday.

So all that anticipation and I finally get my ice cream. Of course, that's what I had first and then an instructor friend told me about his secret recipe, which I cannot disclose. But nonetheless, it was great. If you're there, they'll probably share it.

Lunch, of course was great, got to chat wtih a few instructor friends while they were on lunch as they had some group private instruction and a Mini program going on.

So I got photos of my car at PC West in between the XM and an M2. And we'll be back in February for another CCA event where I'll get more photos of the CS.

After lunch, it was back to the hotel as it started to rain again, putting a damper on the photos plan. We also arranged for dinner with a friend at Ruth's Chris (he had never been and it had been a few days since we had steak). Dinner was great with good company.

I then tried to get some photos with the wind mills at night and had my monopod/tripod and a light bar to do some light painting. Unfortunately, I got on the road to my spot--and there was dirt and debris from the rain all over the road, so had to turn back and admit defeat on that idea. So back to the hotel for our final stay in a hotel before heading home the next morning.

[g80.py]

Do you mind if I steal one of these for my laptop wallpaper

[calbears]

Day 18: The final leg

As is tradition, we made two stops for food. The first is breakfast at Keedy's Fountain & Grill in Palm Desert, which is a classic American Diner only open for breakfast and lunch. This is the original location since 1957. Staff is friendly, food is good, and they're quick.

Then it was time to fill up before leaving the area. There is also one more traditional stop for us (and friends) whenever we travel to LA and beyond or Buttonwillow Raceway: Harris Ranch.

Harris Ranch has 3 restaurants, plus a fast BBQ place (you can order ahead online and skip that line if you so wish). Any of the restaurants are good, but you can wait some time to get a table unless you go to the bar and grab a seat there. It can also be quite crowded since it's just off the 5.

The last fill up of the trip was at Harris Ranch and I logged 4,807 miles (overall trip was a bit over 5000 miles).

21 fillups, 205 gallons, total cost of $806.91.
Average MPG measured: 23.9
Best MPG measured: 27.4

The trips feature on the myBMW app (including monthly recaps & yearly recaps) is quite good and interesting. I did top out at 59.2 MPG with a caveat that this will likely never be done again. It was accomplished over 7.6 miles on CA-190 in Death Valley, basically downhill. Averaged 62.1 MPH and consumed .1 gallons of gas for that short trip.

There were some points in the trip home that weren't logged by the app, but for December, it was 4,078 miles. 86 trips with an average of 52 minutes per trip, 76 hours logged. This is done by profile, so my wife has most of the other data.

The seats were super comfortable, no issues with getting sore in either the driver seat or passenger seat. The only issue is getting in and out of the vehicle, helped out by setting up position 2 as fully back. Of course, the buckets aren't for everyone, but the seats are super good.

The power in the CS is unbelievable. Even in efficient, which was most of the trip, the pick up is great. A slight throttle increase means you're hitting 3 figures in no time. It's even more aggressive in sport or sport plus throttle.

The ride can also be quite comfortable, even in sport. Front end grip is crazy, we did have some fun transitioning to interstates on cloverleaf interchanges.

Eventually, this car will get on track, but only when I'm instructing with the GGC BMW CCA, so it's only out a few sessions if that a day. The F80 M3 CS remains in the stable and is the primary track weapon.

My friend will be taking his CS to Thunderhill next weekend. I'll be there in my F80 and I'll be sure to get his thoughts (he's also had a G80 and 2 F80s and also instructs with the club).

One day, I'll get both CSs out to a track and drive them back-to-back to compare.

Overall, this is a great car and an improvement over the F80 for sure (CS versions). Yes, it's stupid expensive, but I think totally worth it.

Edit: what are the differences between the 2 CS versions?

The F80 does not have comfort access (stupid), it has a single zone climate control, it does have cup holders and a 12V socket, rear window sun shades, powered rear window sun shade (!), no intelligent safety features (no blind spot, no lane departure, no frontal collision mitigation), no remote engine start, DCT. 453 HP, 444 torques.

The G80 does have comfort access, standard carbon bucket seats, 2 zone climate control, remote engine start, blind spot, lane departure, frontal collision mitigation, 8 speeed ZF, 543 HP, 479 torques.

Probably more, but that's off the top of my head.

['Cane]

Enjoyed following the journey with you. Don’t know if I’d have the patience for a road trip like this, but you made it look fun. Thanks.

[chicagofan00]

Awesome trip journal. Not sure why this hasn’t made it to the front page yet…