Sorry for elaborating in-forum, but maybe there's something for everyone.
The entire Granger trip experience was fantastic, well except for our flight out of Vegas being delayed about an hour, but I digress, that's a complaint session for a Southwest forum.
We weighed having a carrier bring it out, but opted to get it ourselves.
Our Southwest flight arrived in Des Moines at 4:30pm (scheduled for 3:30pm). As we deplaned I called Granger and they indicated that there was already a Red Bronco waiting in passenger pickup for us. Sure enough, Red Bronco (Big Bend - Soft Top) was waiting. We hopped in for the appx 30 minute ride from the airport to the dealership. There were a father/son with us as well who flew in from northern Utah to pickup their F350 Super Duty, so we had a full 5 person load.
The Granger experience was friendly, courteous and very fast, we were there a total of about an hour (including the pre-departure pictures). The FE was inside their "Ford" showroom, bookmarked by an F150 and a Mustang. Did the PDI for all of the concerns listed on B6G, got the 5 minute here's how it works then drove it to Finance. We already had all of the paperwork (except wet signatures) done. Dropped the proof of insurance with them and drove off.
Note to all of the other dealerships: There were no issues with Granger's below invoice offer whatsoever, and no funny business with ADM or other 'fees'. The discounted price on the DORA was the price on the final invoice. (plus the accessories and warranty we added).
It was already dark when we left and headed south on route 141, it was about 6 miles to Interstate 80. We drove 80 to North Platte NE and spent the night. Saturday AM we headed out on 80 and dropped onto 76 at Big Spring NE. The roads were clear, dry and pretty much wide open all the way. It was in the upper 20's to low 30's most of the time.
When we got through Denver on 76 we landed on 70. The only issue on 70 was about a 30 minute delay at the Eisenhower Tunnel at the Loveland Ski area. Great mountain pass, fun to drive, snow on the hills and active ski resorts. I was pleasantly surprised the roads were dry and sand/salt free. (Hit the undercarriage hard at the car wash when we got back...just in case)
While fueling on the east side of Denver a State Trooper fueling on a different island came by and spent a few minutes asking questions about the Bronco. He wants an Outer Banks, and interestingly enough had family in Pahrump (just west of Vegas for everyone else), which is nearby the Bronco Rodeo.
Took 70 through Utah. I don't know if you've been through Utah on 70, but its absolutely beautiful country (think Moab), just make sure you 1) don't need fuel and 2) have used the restroom. We were driving through in the sunset hours, adding great lighting to the scenic drive. 70 meets 15 near Beaver UT, from there a couple hour drive into Vegas.
It was the perfect weekend to drive, the weather was excellent and the Bronco ran great (16.7mpg average in the 70-80 mph range). I even let the wife drive for ~300 miles or so. Total drive time was right at (gained 2 timezone hours going west) 20.5 hours (1,419 miles) including food/fuel stops.
The good news is that there was no road damage to the front of the Bronco. I was waiting for the first rock to hit the windshield the entire way). We tried not to trail behind any vehicles to avoid debris from being kicked onto the Bronco. Best of all...no dropped valve, no coolant issues, no electrical issues and no rattles, pops or squeeks. We were pleasantly surprised at how well it handled and the overall comfort level.
It might be faster for you to head south through Kansas City to Oklahoma City and take 40 West. 40 may be affected by Snow in the higher elevations this time of year. Check the weather in advance, if its favorable, enjoy the trip back, if not your Bronco is more than capable for harsh conditions.
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