Interstate Road Trip Tournament, Round 1, Heat 16.

[Rain Man]

Just a little offseason exercise. There are 80 different Interstate highways in the USA (including Puerto Rico). Which one would be best for a road trip?

I've set the rules as follows (in spoiler for those of you who've read them already]:

Spoiler!

I'm also including highways in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico that are essentially interstate highways, though they're not called that since they don't cross state boundaries.

It'll be a single-elimination tournament, though some will regain new life in wild-card spots to get the tournament bracket correct.

You get a minimum of 7 days on any highway, regardless of length. However, if the length requires more than 150 miles of travel per day, you'll get extra days until your daily mileage drops below 150 miles.

You may travel in either direction.

You may stop at attractions along the way, but at no point can you be more than 10 miles from the interstate.

You have the budget to stay at any hotel or dine at any restaurant within ten miles of the interstate.

You may spend multiple nights in any location but you cannot drive more than 250 miles in a single day. So you have to budget your driving time.

You may use any criteria you wish to make your vote. You can consider the driving lengths and conditions, scenery, attractions along the way, any outstanding warrants you have in that state, the likelihood of a Christie Brinkley clone waving at your from a Ferrari, or anything else you might wish to consider.

You can pick the time of year.

You can pick the vehicle that you drive. Assume that you're renting any vehicle that you could purchase for $50,000 or less (new or used). It can be different vehicles on different road trips, so you can customize to fit.

I'll post the basics of each route, but I don't see any specific website that provides a good description of the attractions that one would see along the route. You're on your own for that. Of course, you can do a google map view to see what your scenery is.

If you're reading this, post a type of bug without explanation.

Your next four competitors are:

Option 1 - I27 from Lubbock, TX, to Amarillo, TX
7 Day Trip
124 Miles, 18 miles per day on average
Passes through the town of Happy, Texas, which sounds really fun.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_27

Option 2 - I70 from Cove Fort, UT, to Baltimore, MD
15 Day Trip
2,151 miles, 143 miles per day on average
Passes through Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Columbus, with a jaunt over the Continental Divide at 11,000 feet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_70

Option 3 - I14 from Copperas Cove, TX, to Belton TX
7 Day Trip
25 miles, 4 miles per day on average
Passes through Fort Hood and Killeen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_14

Option 4 - I91 from New Haven, CT, to Derby Line, VT
7 Day Trip
290 miles, 41 miles per day on average
Passes through Hartford, Springfield, and Brattleboro

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_91

As an interesting note, there's a sign outside Baltimore that offers a mileage estimate to Cove Fort. I'm a little disappointed that they rounded the numbers off.

[Rain Man]

That I-14 is one of the more unusual interstates. Apparently it's Phase 1 of a much longer one, but for now it's just in the middle of Texas connecting cities that aren't very large. Not a lot of reason to road trip that one.

I-27 is nice to drive through, but I don't need a week. That's a lot of steak and potatos.

I-91 would be interesting, I think. I've never been in that area.

However, I've got to go with I-70. I'm not sure that it's the most amazing drive, but it would be a pretty classic cross-country road trip. Rent a nice car, cruise for a four hours every second day and then spend two nights in whatever places strike my fancy.

[KurtCobain]

Considering that I have the i-70 symbol tattooed on myself, that was my vote and who I am rooting for for the whole shebangabang.

[KurtCobain]

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[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by KurtCobain

Considering that I have the i-70 symbol tattooed on myself, that was my vote and who I am rooting for for the whole shebangabang.

I have a friend who was raised in Indianapolis, then moved to St. Louis, then Columbus OH, then Denver, and now lives a bit outside Baltimore. We've postulated that she has some sort of instinctive rule that she has to live along I-70.

What's your affinity to I-70?

[KurtCobain]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I have a friend who was raised in Indianapolis, then moved to St. Louis, then Columbus OH, then Denver, and now lives a bit outside Baltimore. We've postulated that she has some sort of instinctive rule that she has to live along I-70.

What's your affinity to I-70?

It runs through Independence, Missouri and takes you to Odessa, Missouri. That is a trip I took every weekend for most of my childhood. Also as a teenager fresh with a vehicle, I spent a lot of time exploring all the small towns between Kansas City and St Louis off of I70. I really do love that highway.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by KurtCobain

It runs through Independence, Missouri and takes you to Odessa, Missouri. That is a trip I took every weekend for most of my childhood. Also as a teenager fresh with a vehicle, I spent a lot of time exploring all the small towns between Kansas City and St Louis off of I70. I really do love that highway.

I was raised in Missouri, but we weren't near the I-70 corridor. I don't think I was ever on that highway until I was an adult living in St. Louis. Now in Denver, I'm on it regularly going up to the mountains, and of course it's the main route if I go back to visit Missouri.

[DJ's left nut]

I can only surmise many people have not driven I-70 from Limon to Topeka.

It is hell on earth.

70 through Illinois is also pretty much shite and unless they've changed some laws, it's unnecessarily slow.

via GIPHY

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I can only surmise many people have not driven I-70 from Limon to Topeka.

It is hell on earth.

70 through Illinois is also pretty much shite and unless they've changed some laws, it's unnecessarily slow.

As far as interstates go, I don't mind that stretch. It's not congested and you have sweeping vistas all around you. Plus, there's an A&W in Hays, I think. I much prefer that over driving something that's more consistently busy.

I remember doing some drive up from southern Virginia to DC a few years back. My wife was with me, and we'd rented the car somewhere that was going to charge more to put her on as a driver. I said screw that and drove the whole way. It was not a fun drive. Constant heavy traffic the entire way that got worse with every mile. I really regretted not paying the extra money to add her as a driver.

[Hydrae]

While the drive along the border of NH and Vermont is probably really, really pretty in the fall, I still had to go with I-70. I have been on most of the western portion but not past Illinois. And my wife has never seen the Atlantic Ocean. This would be a chance for that to happen (although really just the Inner Harbor probably).

[frozenchief]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I can only surmise many people have not driven I-70 from Limon to Topeka.

It is hell on earth.

70 through Illinois is also pretty much shite and unless they've changed some laws, it's unnecessarily slow.

via GIPHY

My grandfather did not like Limon, CO. He went through there driving on business on several occasions and he said that if he was going to give the world an enema, he would put the tip at Limon.

I'd go I-91. Never been in that area of the country much and it would be different.

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

Rainman,

As a big fan of Interstates, this is an awesome competition.

[stumppy]

CT thru VT

A trip through the Green Mtns. would be great. Along with a few side trips, one of which would be St Albans. Just for old times sake, got to spend a spring, summer, and fall there back in 1981. Definitely have to go during the fall.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Carr4MVP

Rainman,

As a big fan of Interstates, this is an awesome competition.

It's fun to imagine, particularly in our current non-traveling environment. It would be ideal to have off-interstate road trips, but that would be hard for me to pull off. Maybe we could have a tournament where people nominate 7-day road trips after this.