re: Driving from BR to Denver - any suggestions\recs to make this dreaded drive better

The Kansas/OKC/Dallas route is the fastest in my experience, but the route through Amarillo is pretty close. They're both just under 19 hours.

The most entertaining is the Houston/San Antonio/Santa Fe route, but it's still a major slog through West Texas. Granted, with the oil patch being mostly shuddered atm, the traffic may not be nearly as bad. The drive from Santa Fe up US 285 is incredible. If you want to make it extra scenic, you can take a detour at Fairplay up CO 9 through Breckonridge up to the Dillon Reservoir and then hop on I-70 to take you the rest of the way into Denver.

That is a significantly longer route than going through the Great Plains, though, by at least 6 hours, but the difference in scenery and cool places to stop along the way is worth it, imo, if time isn't of the essence.

It’s really not worth it, though, with so many cheap flights out of msy. I’d fly there and then rent a car.