Boise, Idaho, to Denver, Colorado
Bleary-eyed yet ready for the day, we meet by the two Mercedes parked in back of the hotel. We run through the morning checklist on the 190D, measuring tire pressure and water and oil levels (and add a quart of 20W50), and I slide behind the sedan's enormous off-white steering wheel to begin the warm-up procedure. There's a visual cue on the dash for the glow plugs -- picture the top of a Parmesan cheese shaker at an Italian restaurant, but about a third the size, mounted to the left of the steering wheel. As the plugs warm, an orange glow can be seen behind the perforated mini-dome. Turning up the idle controller and rolling down the windows, we wait about two minutes while the elder Benz prepares for its day on the road. We also run through the ML's warm-up procedure -- Kiino pushes the start button.
Back on I-84 East, our first stop is about 130 miles away in Twin Falls, Idaho. The Interstate is relatively flat along this stretch, and the 190 has no trouble keeping up with traffic. As was the case on the first day, where there are inclines, the '59 does lose momentum, but it cruises happily in the slow lane until it gets to the top. 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 get up the hill. When it does, the 190 practically breathes a sigh of relief and chugs back up to 65.
Driving the 190D is a vivid reminder of what a road trip really used to be about. Kids didn't watch TV or surf the iPod -- they'd count VW Beetles, make fun of the names of towns you drive through, or hold a finger half a millimeter in front of their sibling's face, saying, "I'm not touching you!"
 The drive itself is an adventure, a major part of the trip. In the 1959 sedan, we inhale the smells of the road (skunks, cows, and all) and spend daylight feeling the warm air come in through the cranked-down windows, even using the sun visors to redirect air from the defroster vents at the base of the windshield, keeping the cabin a little cooler. (That trick actually works!) The diesel's clackety-clack melody overwhelms the Becker Mexico AM/FM radio, so after the tubes warm up and the radio does a quick scan of stations (if you push the Scan bar and it can't find a station, the mechanism starts over and keeps trying until you turn off the radio), I realize it makes more sense to enjoy the sounds of the sedan and listen to music another time.
Just before lunchtime, we arrive at Shoshone Falls. Its 212-ft cascading waterfalls from the Snake River are actually higher than those of Niagara Falls and certainly spectacular enough to merit this stop and some photos. Yet we realize there's no time to dilly-dally if we're going to make it to Vernal, Utah -- and Dinosaur National Monument -- before sunset.
 Back on I-84 East (actually more southeast), we pass the Sawtooth National Forest on the way into Utah. On today's drive, we see a surprising amount of farmland, a notable contrast to misty, green Seattle and the arid flatland in eastern Washington and Oregon. But as we make our way from Idaho to Utah, taking I-84 to avoid the traffic in Salt Lake City, we go back into the mountains and the scenery changes again, as towering red rocks and mesas are on both sides of the freeway. After a fuel stop in Heber City, we head to the Uinta Mountains and go up a steep grade, easily the toughest one the 190D has faced on this trip. For the drivers heading south (or east) on Highway 40, most of the grade offers two lanes in each direction, allowing the 190 to get to the peak when it damn well feels like it. The engine runs a little warm as it goes uphill, but cools nicely on the way down. As the shadows start to get long, we have to accept that Dinosaur National Monument will have to wait until morning. (It isn't the first time we've been behind schedule, and it won't be the last.) For now, we continue to enjoy the beauty of northern Utah, taking the 40 east to Vernal.
After another 500-plus-mile day, we practically cheer as we see the sign for the Holiday Inn Express in Vernal. The sun went down long ago, and a quick check-in is now the only thing between us and dinner. Except for one minor problem: This hotel is completely booked. So is every hotel, motel, and inn in Vernal. The area is enjoying an oil boom, and contract oil company employees are occupying all the rooms. Using the ML's navigation system to find hotel phone numbers, Kiino calls all of them, and we briefly consider the idea of reserving a teepee (no joke) near the entrance of Dinosaur National Monument. Instead, our day is about to get longer, as Ron finds a motel in Rangely, Colorado, with rooms available. Rangeley is another 45 miles away, and we'll have to return to Vernal in the morning for photography, but it seems better than the teepee option. Back in the vehicles, and off to a fast-food dinner before reaching our stop for the night -- and sweet, sweet sleep. Except for another minor problem: The managers at the motel don't have keys to their own office and we can't check in. By the time we reach the next hotel, get checked in, and retire to our respective rooms, it's near 2 a.m. But the longest day of this leg is done and fewer than 400 miles await.
The next morning, the190D warms up without a hitch, and we're ready to look at the dinosaur statues in Vernal and proceed to the Monument. The Mercedes pose in front of Rex and Dinah, the best-known dino statues in town, and we head to the park. Dinosaur National Monument contains fossil beds discovered by paleontologist Earl Douglass in 1909. The Monument offers hiking trails, along which you can see dinosaur bones, and a driving tour of the area. After a brief hike and drive of the park, we swap vehicles and prepare for our 325-mile stretch to Denver, where we will hand the keys to the next team.
I've been in the ML 320 earlier in the trip, but this is the most time I've spent driving the sport/utility uninterrupted. Even though they are both diesel Mercedes with leather interiors, this is a completely different vehicle from the one I've just exited. If the 190D insists you experience every aspect of the road, the ML is 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 power -- its maximum cruising speed must be about double that of the 190 (trust us on this) -- and the engine is unbelievably quiet. The ML has such amenities as three-point seatbelts, power everything (including steering!), navigation, and a passenger-side mirror. Brakes are much more responsive, too, and it takes a little time to recalibrate to modern-age discs, making for some noticeably short stops.
We only stop once more before reaching Denver -- in Craig, Colorado, we fill both diesels' tanks and grab a quick bite to eat. 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 the 190 prevails and we get to the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Denver, where the 190 will receive its 3000-mile oil change and Leg 3 will begin.
Visit TruckTrend.com on Friday for an update from Leg 3 -- Todd Lassa, Arthur St. Antoine, and Julia LaPalme travel from Denver to St. Louis.
Photography by Julia LaPalme
Related Blogs:
Diesel Road Trip Leg one: Mercedes-Benz 190D Ponton Sedan & 2009 ML320
Diesel Road Trip Leg 2 day 1: Mercedes ML320 Bluetec and 190D in Seattle, WA
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