bgwolfpack wrote:Wow! That's one heck of a trip plan James.
I'll start out with this for you. A quote for teebes from me Sat Dec 05, 2009. "Remember if you come from the east, don't bi pass Vail on the way and also Central City and Black Hawk are up HWY 6 just out of Denver. Don't rush through Grand Junction either without checking out the Hot springs pool or the old whore houses down near the railroad tracks." Post subject: Re: SPECULATION: 2010 ORTB North America Meet? (edit of quote for proper grammar)
fishsticks wrote:Do we have some sort of disease in the PNW that the rest of the country isn't telling us about?
Everyone avoids us.
I would have welcomed a motel. White Rim in one day is a LONG and exhausting drive.JamesDowning wrote:As for Moab, I think it will basically be a hotel stop on either side of the white rim excursion.
fishsticks wrote:Do we have some sort of disease in the PNW that the rest of the country isn't telling us about?
Everyone avoids us.
The Roadie wrote:I would have welcomed a motel. White Rim in one day is a LONG and exhausting drive.JamesDowning wrote:As for Moab, I think it will basically be a hotel stop on either side of the white rim excursion.
gotspeed1 wrote:Looks like an awesome trip, James!! What time frame are you looking at to do this? I, for one, am glad to see that you've got Glenwood Springs on your map to drive through. It is an absolutely beautiful drive. I'd recommend by-passing Vail. There's not much to see there, unless you're into the whole yuppy culture. Do each of these dots on the map represent a place where you're going to spend a day? If so, when you get around Canon City, you may want to take Phantom Canyon road or Shelf road, and go up to Cripple Creek, It's an old mining town that is now full of gambling, but still has some of its culture. Check out the Molly Kathleen mine if you go, if you're into that kind of stuff. From there, it's about a hour to Colorado Springs. Don't forget about Pikes Peak when your there as well.
The Roadie wrote:Camping ON the White Rim trail can be a real challenge with typical equipment, since the winds can be intense and stuff blows away. A RTT is the best kit to use. And after I drove it and looked at each of the campsites (which are still relatively expensive and difficult to reserve), I see very little purpose to camping ON it. I would drive it again in a day, so as to not miss Arches NP if you're only spending two days in the area. Greg and I can put together a highlights list of stuff not to miss, since I think we've spent a total of 7-8 days out there.
gotspeed1 wrote:Understandable about Pikes Peak. It is a one way up and down road. Definitely not a must see, but kind of cool to go to. If you decide against Pikes Peak, but decide to take Phantom Canyon or Shelf Road, you can catch Gold Camp Road at Victor, CO, and that will take you to the south side of Colorado Springs.
I haven't been off of the "beaten" path through Glenwood Canyon into Glenwood Springs, but I-70 through Glenwood Canyon is just amazing!! My boss did the blasting cut through there to get I-70 in (way back in the day). The amount of engineering and work that went into getting the interstate into the bottom of the canyon is remarkable. I believe there are pull offs along the interstate to stop off and have lunch.
You may want to take into consideration the possibility of adverse weather. I know you'll be completely prepared, but I figured I'd remind you of the chance of snow. Last year in Cripple Creek (10,000' elevation), we had one hell of a snowstorm at the beginning of October, and the same this year in Leadville (10,500' elevation). I'm not sure what elevations you will be getting to, but I'm pretty sure Estes Park is roughly the same, if not higher (especially Trail Ridge). Just a heads up.