10,892 Mile M850 Trans-Continental Journey (and Return)

[snowbimmer]

Post 17 of 17

Last post......Promise


Day 34: Belgrade to Spokane Valley, Washington - 412 Miles


Only two days and 819 miles from home and, sadly, only 70 of those miles will be on new roads.

First order of business is to stop at the Missouri Headwaters State Park, near Three Forks. Here, there are three rivers that merge to become the Missouri: The Gallatin River, The Madison River and the Jefferson River. The Missouri then flows and becomes
the longest river in the US, heading north to Great Falls, then east and down through North & South Dakota, cuts across Missouri and dumps into the Mississippi just above St. Louis. Total length: 2,342 miles. All this, and no picture.

Butte is just an hour up I-90. We stopped in a few years ago, but had to go back again. It is a fascinating city. Butte was formally established in 1864 and became a mining powerhouse, initially through silver and gold. But copper became an important industrial metal due to the expansion of the electrical grid. The town is situated on a hill, once known as the Richest Hill on Earth. Butte peaked at just over 40,000 people in the 1920's with a very large downtown full of historic buildings from the boom times. The population is just 34,000 now, 100 years later. The place is trying to make a comeback, and Uptown looks like it's been frozen in time.
























































Moving on, we exit I-90 onto Hwy 1 west to Anaconda, founded when the Anaconda Company built a smelter here to process all the ore from the Butte mines.

Main Street




Deer Lodge County Courthouse


We encounter Phillipsburg further up the road, a town of only 850, founded by Philip Deidesheimer when he built his own smelter. It is also the county seat of Granite County


It is another small town repurposed for the modern world catering to the 21st century tourist looking for quaint shops and restaurants in a town with an old west vibe. It was very busy.












We merge back onto I-90 at Drummond where we find a nice lunch spot. We head west past Missoula on a freeway we had just been on a couple years ago. I-90 is very scenic through the mountains here and 80 mph becomes a thing of the past due to it's hilly and curvy nature. Spokane Valley, Washington is 3 hours away and we basically just drive straight through - blasting over the the 73 mile wide Idaho panhandle in about an hour. It gets us to the hotel at a decent hour for once. The 412 miles today went by in a flash. It's another new hotel. Yay.

We find a nice pizza joint after wandering around the town for a bit and call it a day. Gotta rest up for the final push tomorrow.

It is our last night on the road. It will be good to get back home, but there is a tinge of melancholy at the same time.

Spokane Valley, Washington

Total Miles: 10,485
Daily Avg: 308 Miles



Day 35: Spokane Valley to Portland, OR - 407 Miles


Going home day.....has it really been 5 weeks?

It seems like only yesterday we packed the car on Day 1. By now I know where everything fits just so.

Spokane, WA is stop one, only 10 miles west. Been here several times, but today we want to explore Riverfront Park, where the Spokane River tumbles over several waterfalls in the heart of downtown.

We park on the north side of the river and walk back over the pedestrian friendly Post Street Bridge into the park. The city fathers (and mothers) have done a marvelous job transforming a former hydro electric / railyard area into an urban showcase.


During the 1950s, the core of downtown Spokane began to empty out due to the suburbanization that was occurring in many American cities at the time. A plan was hatched in the 1960s to to revitalize the area through urban renewal over the next 20 years.

One marquee event idea was to celebrate Spokane's centennial in 1973, but it was felt they needed to go bigger to attract more tourists and money for funding. A World's Fair might do it, but no city as small as Spokane had ever pulled it off. So they went the Specialized Expo route. These were smaller expositions that focused on a specialized theme. Seattle was a full on World's Fair in 1962, as was Montreal's Expo '67. Vancouver, BC's Expo '86, although fairly large, was the smaller, Specialized variety.

The site was put together in only 3.5 years and 56 entities participated in "Celebrating Tomorrow's Fresh New Environment." It was the first environmentally themed World's Fair and was attended by 5.6 million people. The IMAX movie theater made it's debut here.


Further renovations over the years have continued to enhance the park. I'll bet it's packed on nice summer evenings.

The Upper Falls, Spokane River




Post Street Bridge


A small hydro plant


Downtown Spokane across the main power channel


The Great Northern Clock Tower (1902), originally part of the Great Northern Railway Passenger Depot.


Remnants of the US Pavilion




Spokane River


The clock tower is the only structure remaining after the depot was razed for the Expo in 1971




The park is full of walking trails and bike paths




The Numerica Skyride Gondola was added in 2005


Aerial View (not my pic) with the Lower Falls


Washington Water Power still generating electricity


The Monroe Street Bridge


Spokane is the 2nd largest city in Washington, with a population of 230,000. Gold put it on the map, but agriculture and timber sustained it. It is home to Gonzaga University, a Division I basketball powerhouse for the last two decades.

Downtown




We're on the road by 9 o'clock. I-90 takes us to Ritzville, a small town of 1,800, by 10:30. When Mount St. Helens blew up on May 18th 1980, Ritzville was in the direct path of the ash fallout. Even at 195 miles away from the mountain, the ash blocked out the sun, as the town was covered in 6 inches of the gritty stuff. 2,500 motorists were stranded and roads were closed for days.

The winds shifted a few weeks later and the mountain went off again in early June, raining ash down on Portland. I was out driving at the time and it was so thick that the windshield wipers wouldn't work and wiper fluid would only make it into a messy slurry. I remember it took me over an hour to go just five miles.

End times - May 18, 1980 (Ritzville)


Ritzville today








We leave I-90 at Ritzville and turn south on Hwy 261 in search of Palouse Falls State Park, about 45 miles through lonely wheat fields. We come upon Washtucna, WA, a dry little god forsaken town of around 200 with a median income of $34,000. Can't be easy living here.

Here ya go Velvet Fog

Main Street - Washtucna, WA






We go another 15 miles to the turn off for the falls, which becomes a gravel road that is one massive washboard. 5 mph is too fast by half, and although it is only 3.5 miles to the falls, it would take an hour. Not today folks.

Would have been nice to see (obviously not my pics)




We work our way back to Connell on Hwy 395 and grab a quick lunch. You could stay on 395 south for 1200 miles and end up in San Bernadino, CA - if you wanted to.

We choose to stay on 395 only long enough to pass through Pasco and Kennewick, two of the three Tri-Cities (the other being Richland), crossing the Columbia River. The original plan was cross the Columbia again, back into Oregon, at Umatilla, but construction on the I-82 bridge created a huge backup. We were able to sneak off onto Washington State Hwy 14 and follow the Columbia on the north side. It's only two lanes, but it's very scenic and traffic is flowing.

We don't take any pics, but here is a shot, with the 2022 Carbon Black, back in Sep 2023.


We follow Hwy 14 for 80 miles, enjoying the stark landscape and the Columbia River, until we cross over the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge at Biggs, Oregon. It is our 64th, and final, state border crossing.


I-84 takes us back on the road we last saw 35 days ago. We are home in just two hours and pull into the driveway at 6:30.

Done

Total Miles: 10,892
Daily Avg: 311 Miles

The next day I swapped out my damaged Vossen wheels for my OEM wheels and toss the Pirellis. I did not like those tires. The car gets a good wash, but it will take several more attempts to actually get it clean again. The Vossens will get repaired and powder coated.


I have to say the whole car is in nearly perfect shape.

Let's see what My BMW App has to say. This is the whole month of June: 5,823 miles in 133 hours.


This was just the first 16 days - the coming home part of the trip


Top Destinations


How could I not be? Two months running, baby!



Epilogue

So, there it is again



35 Days, 10,892 miles, 29 states and 4 Canadian provinces

Roughly 80 major cities and 19 capitols

64 state or provincial border crossings - 8 alone on Day 5

14 major sports stadiums and 11 universities

Dozens of museums, monuments and historical sites

Some final stats:

Week 1: 3,004 miles
Week 2: 1,336 miles
Week 3: 1,764 miles
Week 4: 2,112 miles
Week 5: 2,676 miles

Average fuel consumption: 23.9 MPG
One oil change

And after all that, I still haven't been to Arkansas.....yet. I could do a lot more damage in Texas, too.

Final thoughts

The M850 still continues to be my all-time favorite long distance road car. It has great styling, it is fast and powerful, cruises great on the freeway, but really shines on a two lane road in the mountains or canyons. The M850 is also very comfortable - we did several 12 and 13 hour days, with three of them approaching 600 miles. I always looked forward to getting on the road in the morning. Total mileage on the San Remo after getting home was 15,553.

That being said, however, the 2025 San Remo was not as good as my 2022 Carbon Black for some reason - even when the Carbon Black was approaching 50,000 miles. Just as I was about to leave on the trip, a 2025 Alpina Green B8 populated into my dealer's website. I don't know if I'd ever seen a B8 on the website in the last six years. Since I knew how much I liked the M850, the Alpina had become my unicorn car. Hmmmmmm. Probably just a custom order, as those go to the website, too. I texted my Client Advisor. My CA said, no. It's actually available, be here in July.

I texted with my CA throughout the trip. I had a small windfall heading my way in December that would take the sting out of the price delta between an M850 and the B8. These things cost more than an M8. Right at nearly the same horsepower (more torque, however) - but, still NOT an M. I had never even seen a B8 in the wild, new or used, and I knew I would never be able to test drive one. But having had two F90s and two M850s, I wasn't really worried. No one had spoken for it by the time I returned in mid June. We started talking real numbers. It also turned out to not be arriving in July. It was still at the factory - just sittin' there....in Germany, having been built in April. By the end of June, the "You Only Live Once" gene kicked in, a deal was made on July 7th, and money exchanged hands. It was mine if I still wanted it when it got here in September.

There were a couple things on it I may have ordered differently. I like Alpina Green, but do I like it enough to own it? It is much brighter than San Remo. My wife wasn't on board with the color. "I don't want to drive around in a sissy looking car!" I believe her exact words were. (She prefers the greys and silvers) It also had the chrome trim package and I have always preferred shadowline. Needless to say, when it came in it took zero seconds to say, "Yep. That's going home with us tonight." I ran into the general manager while the paperwork was being prepared. He said he wished he could have kept it on their showroom floor for a few weeks. It was at the dealership for all of two hours. I'm liking the chrome - it's a bit of a change-up.

The Alpina Green is outrageous and people come over all the time to talk about it.

Now I have to figure out where to take this baby next.




My dinged wheels from the M850, powder coated, and with a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4s. These are 20" wheels, whereas the OEM summer set are 21s. The ride is fabulous. It's ready for all three seasons. (It also has a set of snows.)


Hey! Maybe Arkansas (State #50) ....................but first, to Yosemite and back up the California/Oregon coast in late May.

If you made it this far, thanks for your patience - and thanks for tagging along.

Hope you enjoyed these two slices of 'Merica.

Snow

[adhrp]

That Alpina Green is not bad at all. I think I like it more than the San Remo green. At least in the pics, it has a deeper classier look than what I imagined when you said brighter.

[AlpineSwift]

I have to agree with adhrp here. San Remo is a good color, not knocking it by any stretch, but that Alpina Green is gorgeous. The chrome/silver additions gives the whole car a very exclusive/sophisticated vibe. Looking forward to reading the next adventure.

[ourlee]

There is an outdoor parapet that encircles the observation deck. It was closed to visitors several years ago because dumbasses kept throwing things off of it.

Your random snarky comments add so much to the thread. Big fan.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by AlpineSwift

I have to agree with adhrp here. San Remo is a good color, not knocking it by any stretch, but that Alpina Green is gorgeous. The chrome/silver additions gives the whole car a very exclusive/sophisticated vibe. Looking forward to reading the next adventure.

Thanks for adding that bit about the chrome accentuating the look in this case and making it look sophisticated - I agree! Alpina did well with the color scheme.

[snowbimmer]

Originally Posted by adhrp

That Alpina Green is not bad at all. I think I like it more than the San Remo green. At least in the pics, it has a deeper classier look than what I imagined when you said brighter.

Originally Posted by AlpineSwift

I have to agree with adhrp here. San Remo is a good color, not knocking it by any stretch, but that Alpina Green is gorgeous. The chrome/silver additions gives the whole car a very exclusive/sophisticated vibe. Looking forward to reading the next adventure.

Here they are together. San Remo is nice, but Alpina Green wins hands down.


It is also better in full sun


And, as a long time chrome averse car owner, I'm fully ok with it now. Go figure.

[snowbimmer]

There is an outdoor parapet that encircles the observation deck. It was closed to visitors several years ago because dumbasses kept throwing things off of it.

Originally Posted by ourlee

Your random snarky comments add so much to the thread. Big fan.

Haha. Thanks. You oughta see what I took out.


Missed ya when I was out there. Although, I was only in Delaware for about 2 hours. That was part of a 4 state day.

[Innovade]

Appreciate your time and effort in making these posts. It's always a treat following along and seeing what adventures you've been on.

[jabbarjd]

Originally Posted by snowbimmer

Hope you enjoyed these two slices of 'Merica.

Snow

Thoroughly enjoyed it, Snow. Now I'm going to need you to get out in the B8 and make your way down to TX!

[snowbimmer]

Originally Posted by Innovade

Appreciate your time and effort in making these posts. It's always a treat following along and seeing what adventures you've been on.

Thanks for the nice words. Glad you could follow along.

Originally Posted by jabbarjd

Thoroughly enjoyed it, Snow. Now I'm going to need you to get out in the B8 and make your way down to TX!

Glad you liked it. Thanks.

Been to Texas a few times, but only driven there once. And that was when I went to Carlsbad Caverns, in New Mexico, and took Hwy 180 and extra 16 miles down to the border in my 2022 M850 - to say I'd driven to Texas. Then turned around. I'd like to go to more places down there.

[ourlee]

I respected but disliked your M850. I LOVE your B8. CONGRATS!

[snowbimmer]

Originally Posted by ourlee

I respected but disliked your M850. I LOVE your B8. CONGRATS!

Wait. Wait. Wait. What's not to like? That might still be my favorite car, as I haven't taken the B8 on a long trip yet. The engine and transmission were smooth as butter. The exhaust was marvelous. Except for routine service every 10,000 miles it never went to the shop for one single thing in 48,500 miles.

[ourlee]

Originally Posted by snowbimmer

Wait. Wait. Wait. What's not to like? That might still be my favorite car, as I haven't taken the B8 on a long trip yet. The engine and transmission were smooth as butter. The exhaust was marvelous. Except for routine service every 10,000 miles it never went to the shop for one single thing in 48,500 miles.

I thought for one thing your vossens had a weak sauce et. I also felt the M850 looked a bit old man car (you can mock me, I’m 62)

[snowbimmer]

Originally Posted by ourlee

I thought for one thing your vossens had a weak sauce et. I also felt the M850 looked a bit old man car (you can mock me, I’m 62)

Hmmm. I thought the Vossens sat right where they should. And see, you're wrong about the old man car look. It was dark blue and stealthy. You probably needed to see it in person. Now, the B8 has more of an old man look, with all the chrome trim and what not. Maybe you're related to Seaford. (Sorry Seaford, cheap shot. But, you DO like your chrome.) Another forum member recently picked up an Alpina Green B8 with the Shadowline trim. Looks sharp - and less old-manish, IMO.

As I said, I don't mind the chrome anymore. Besides that youngin, I've had a few social security checks by now. I can not mock you.

[ourlee]

Originally Posted by snowbimmer

Hmmm. I thought the Vossens sat right where they should. And see, you're wrong about the old man car look. It was dark blue and stealthy. You probably needed to see it in person. Now, the B8 has more of an old man look, with all the chrome trim and what not. Maybe you're related to Seaford. Another forum member recently picked up an Alpina Green B8 with the Shadowline trim. Looks sharp - and less old-manish, IMO.

As I said, I don't mind the chrome anymore. Besides that youngin, I've had a few social security checks by now. I can not mock you.

But you can call my g87 ghastly if you like. I have an idea, when I drive to LA and back this summer, I’ll send you my daily pics and you do the narrations.

[snowbimmer]

Originally Posted by ourlee

But you can call my g87 ghastly if you like.

I'd never knock another man's BMW.


Yeah, DE to CA and back would be fun. Nice. Can I make snarky comments?

[ourlee]

Originally Posted by snowbimmer

I'd never knock another man's BMW.


Yeah, DE to CA and back would be fun. Nice. Can I make snarky comments?

They’d be expected.