Mercedes-Benz Diesel Road Trip - Idaho To Colorado - Feature

LEG 2 - Seattle, Washington To Denver, Colorado

Boise, Idaho To Denver, Colorado
Bleary-eyed, we travel 130 miles east on I-84 to Twin Falls, Idaho. Where the Interstate is relatively flat, the 190 has no trouble keeping up with traffic. On inclines, there's no reason to downshift-it makes more sense to adapt to the car's pace and let it decide how quickly it wants to go. In the sedan, we inhale the aromas of the road (skunks, cows, and all) and spend daylight feeling the warm air come in through the cranked-down windows. The comforting clackety-clack of the engine fills the cabin-listening to the radio is futile. The effortless ML320 is a completely different vehicle, practically a sensory-deprivation tank. It's as wonderful as the 190, except at the other end of the spectrum. There's no shortage of luxury amenities, and the powerful engine is unbelievably quiet. The brakes are much more responsive, too, and it takes a little time to recalibrate to modern-age discs, making for some noticeably short stops.

Idaho's farmland is a striking contrast to misty, green Seattle and the arid flatland in eastern Washington and Oregon. Just before lunchtime, we arrive at Shoshone Falls and take in its 212-foot cascading waterfalls from the Snake River. The scenery changes again in Utah, where towering red rocks and mesas dominate the skyline. We're crossing the world's largest oil-shale reserves-a potential source of not-so-green domestic energy that risks raping the gorgeous landscape. As the shadows start to get long, we have to accept that the park will have to wait until day three.

The next morning, we head to Dinosaur National Monument, which contains fossil beds discovered by paleontologist Earl Douglass in 1909. We hike to the dinosaur bones on display and drive through the park and on to Denver, 325 miles away. On I-70, we climb major high-elevation grades-the 190 slows to 27 mph and is passed by big-rigs, and its engine temps rise to just shy of redline. But through three days, 1500 miles, and a 5200-foot change in elevation, the 190 prevails. By early evening, we reach the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Denver, where the 190 receives its 3000-mile oil change before the next leg gets underway.
- Allyson Harwood