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(Thread sub-title: "Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Cruise Control")
Hello again BMW world! Those who have been into BMW's the last couple years, may have read my mega-road trip journals, starting with a huge trip I did starting Feb 2021, picking up my beloved X7 from the BMW Performance Center in South Carolina, and driving it back to Alaska. That trip journal can be read
IN THIS THREAD HERE.
Two other big trips I journaled in my X7 were taking her deep into the Eastern Alaska wilderness
IN THIS THREAD, and another road trip to the mountain Denali and up to the Arctic Circle
IN THIS OTHER THREAD. I still have another trip journal pending, that I had some challenges putting together.
I've been amazed at the interest, readers, and level of feedback I've received on those trip journals, especially the first one in my first trip from PCD back to Alaska. So, guess what? WE'RE GOING TO DO IT AGAIN! Bigger and better than ever before, driving from one corner of the North American continent to the other and back, picking up a new X5 at the Performance Center, and having tons of fun on the way back.
This time, I'm going to pack in BMW's, and performance driving, and Disneyworld, and Star Wars, and rock concerts, and LEGO, and yummy barbecue, and (American) football, and jet planes, and military tributes, and 21 different National Parks/Monuments, and electronic toys, and huge mountains, and gobs of beautiful scenery and wildlife... and more! Almost 2 months, and 12,000 miles of fun and adventure.
I will be journaling for almost 2 months in this thread, live posting every day where I'm driving, what I'm seeing and doing, how the X5 is doing, my thoughts on the BMW product, car accessories/mods, where I'm staying for lodging, and more. Tons and tons of pictures and videos to come. I hope you'll check in periodically, and follow along this grand adventure with me!
So, you say, "hang on, dude... that X7 was supposed to be your 'forever car'. What the heck, you're buying another one?"
Yes, but
not replacing the X7. To review, I'm a disabled veteran with a degenerative muscle disease, and bought the X7 as a very, very special purchase for me, to be the last car I ever buy for myself. BMW hit a home run with the X7, and it has proven to be the perfect purchase for me. I've taken my X7 some very special places (reference above picture, and my other road trip journals), taken care of her, and she's still virtually as new as when I bought her about 20 months ago. My X7 will have to be pried from my cold, dead, hands.
Hope this isn't just being a downer, but due to my continuing muscle disease progression, this will likely be the last mega cross-country road trip I ever do, at least as a driver. Therefore, this trip will be special to me, making the most of what I've got, while I still have it, and I'd like to share it with all of you. I should still be able to at least do smaller road trips for a while after this. I'm also processing some significant life events going on, so this will also be a special healing trip for me, to reconnect with my country, with lots of time to mull things over and just... be.
SO... the latest story is, a family member, who shall remain nameless but notorious (3 Amigos "In-famous"?), totaled the other car I had as a secondary family-mobile. 2006 Infiniti QX56. No injuries, and the car still drives fine, but just too expensive for insurance to fix. So, my daughter bought the car back from insurance as salvage, for her college car. And suddenly, I was unexpectedly thrust into a very unplanned situation of needing
something as a secondary family car, to compliment the X7.
Unlike my X7, I had not budgeted and prepared for this. But... that's life sometimes. Me being me, I researched and debated long and hard over options for a 2nd car. In the end, I decided to go with another new BMW. In no small measure, was I influenced by how much fun my previous PCD experience was, and big cross-continent road trip, so I decided to seize the presented opportunity, combine it with some conferences I had available across the USA this fall, take the old totaled car to my daughter's college, and do another mega road trip. And, of course, I've enjoyed driving my BMW's for the last 23 years. But, of course, to keep y'all interested, every sequel has to be bigger and better than the first, right?
So here we are.
The new car is an Arctic Grey 2022 BMW X5 40i. Details about the build and ordering process can be found
IN THIS THREAD HERE.
As before, because I had a bad experience with the sales portion of BMW of Anchorage, (details
IN THIS POST as an optional read--their service department has been FANTASTIC though) I instead ordered through "BMW David" Aviles at Catonsville BMW again. BMW David was able to get me a great price for the current market, and he's been great to work with since I ordered my X7 with him and arranged PCD delivery. He even met up with me on my previous X7 trip and we did lunch on the California coast!
(okay, I STILL just couldn't bring myself to order the Family Truckster in Metallic P)
I should mention, my brain works in movie quotes, references, and pop culture, so if you can't handle that... might as well bail now. This journal will be overflowing with them.
As before, I'm going to try to keep such a long road trip manageable. There will be (virtually) no long, frenzied, 12 hour driving days on all boring interstate, making a beeline on the shortest route back to Alaska. I'll be breaking up each day into less than 500 miles, with stops for varieties of food, activities, scenery, etc. Do a few events on the way.
If everything goes to plan, this will end up being quite an epic road trip, deliberately criss-crossing all over the continent. Some places I've been before at some point in my life, and I want to go back. Others will be new visits for me, or places that I didn't get to do on my previous trip, like because of COVID. This will be almost entirely a different route than my previous X7 road trip. I'll be flexible on my plans where I can.
Because this car purchase was unplanned, I have to sell some assets to make it happen. First up, was my beloved Imola Red 2004 BMW 330i with ZHP Performance Package. This thing was a unicorn--everything everybody wants in an E46. Less than 100k miles, Alcantara leather, 6 speed manual tranny, aluminum cube interior trim, great condition, 4 door sedan, etc, etc. I sold it before I even officially put it on the market. SO sad to see it go, but with my muscle condition, I had already moved on to my X7, and it was challenging to drive the 330i. It was finally time to just let it go.
Also have to sell my RV. 2008 Gulfstream Conquest Endura, rare Super C configuration with upgraded International commercial truck diesel engine and chassis. 22k miles.
This has NOT sold yet, if anyone wants it.. Also don't want to sell this, but with my muscle disease, it's difficult now for me to just climb up into it, and it's also time to move on.
Of course, I also took the insurance payout from the Infiniti QX56 being totaled, and will have to just juggle all of it, to make this financially viable.
Again, my X7, my baby, isn't going anywhere. Isn't she looking good all freshly detailed, ceramic coating topped off, by RC Detail of Alaska? I'll be keeping her until I croak.
So, as before, after placing the order with BMW David, I nervously waited, hoping my requested PCD delivery date worked out, to coincide with my various lower 48 events. I did get the date I wanted, so I planned out this great road trip in great detail. Then the worst part about doing a Performance Center Delivery is waiting. I'll talk more about why I ordered what I did, and details with the ordering process, as I go through my trip.
To start the road trip, I needed to get the old totaled Infiniti QX56 to my daughter at her college in Oklahoma City. I wanted to drive through Canada and make a great preamble to the BMW road trip back, but timing just didn't work out. I do plan on driving BACK through Canada this time.
So this trip started, with shipping the Infiniti QX56 from Anchorage, Alaska, down to Tacoma, Washington State. I used Tote Maritime, the same company that helped me with my final X7 travel portion. It took about 4 days, and then I prepared to pick up the car for the drive east.
Some nice cars at the shipping port there. (not mine)
NOTE: For those who want to skip the first part of my road trip, driving the old car east through Washington State, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, to drop off in Oklahoma City--you can jump ahead if you like.
BMW-specific stuff and the Performance Center Delivery take place starting with Day 7 of this trip, BEGINNING WITH THIS POST HERE
I do want to also mention, I have received no promotional consideration or payment from BMW, or any company that I'll be using throughout this trip. All the opinions and experiences I document here are all my own.
Okay, readers, pack your suitcases, grab a Slurpee and snacks, and buckle up! We've got a LONG ride ahead the next couple months!