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Telluride, Colorado

1,400 Miles of Fall Colors Through the Colorado Rockies and More

The jury is in: The M850 GC is a really great car. It's my 4th M or M"ish" car in the last 60 months. It might be my favorite now.

We did a great trip in September 2021 in our 2021 M5C that took us out to Mt. Rushmore and then back through Rocky Mountain National Park, then home through Steamboat Springs. It just whetted our whistle to see more of Colorado and knock out the rest of the Rockies. (OK, some of the Rockies).

So, in April, after racking up over 21,000 miles in just 17 months on the M5C, I saw the the potentially ugly handwriting on the wall at my lease end in Dec. 2023 - or before. My goal was an M8, but they were scarce, discounts were gone and the cost of money was going to go through the roof - along with a protracted market slide. I'm just not going to get an M8 without discounts and cheap rates. Not gonna happen. Plus, MSRP went up 4k. So I looked around and happened upon a Carbon Black M850 at my local dealer. Test drove it and worked out a deal with a nice discount, cheap money and sold the M5 back to them for an amount that was actually higher than what they were able to get for it a couple months later. Yay me - one for the little guy.

After buying the M850 at the end of April, we took off on a 4,200 mile break-in tour of the Southwest after owning the car for 40 hours. By early September the odometer read 10,000 miles - it was perfect timing for an oil change before heading out on this Colorado trip toward the end of the month. Everything was broken in and running great.

There was a long list of places to see on this trip: Aspen, Independence Pass, Vail, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Royal Gorge, Great Sand Dune National Park, Crested Butte, Telluride, Mesa Verde, Million Dollar Hwy, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Grand Mesa, Colorado National Monument, Moab, Dead Horse Point State Park, Arches National Park and the Great Salt Lake - to name a few.

A couple teasers from later in the trip:

Day 5 - Pikes Peak, CO


Day 6 - Crested Butte, CO


Day 7 - Telluride, CO


Day 9 - Million Dollar Highway, CO


Day 10 - Grand Mesa, CO


Day 11 - Colorado River near Moab, UT


Day 11 - Arches National Park


Days 4 through 11 were unbelievably scenic and photogenic. It was eight days of spectacular around every corner.

**** SPOILER ALERT: The best pictures are Days 6 thru 11. Scroll ahead if you get bored. ****

As a traveller/amatuer photographer I am drawn to 1) Spectacular scenery, 2) Pictures of my cars, 3) Pictures of my cars in spectacular scenery, 4) Small town Main Streets, 5) Interesting buildings, 6) Business signage (especially old neon signs) and 7) Anything colorful or kitchy. It's a vast canvas. With luck, several of the criteria can sometimes be combined into one photo.

Side note: I have four other travel threads you might be interested in if you like this one.

From 2019: 3,500 miles thru Utah in an M5
https://f90.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1784425

From 2021: 2,000 miles around Wallowa Lake area - M5C
https://f90.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1828059

From 2021: 4,200 miles: Devils Tower, Mt Rushmore, Rockies - M5C
https://f90.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1865068

From 2022: 4,200 Mile M850 Shakedown Cruise thru SW USA
https://f92.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1926088

They were all fortunate enough to eventually make it to the main page.

The Basic Route - Trip was from Sep 23, 2022 to Oct 6, 2022. Route is clockwise from Portland.


Some stats on the trip:

Mileage at start of trip 10,915
Miles driven 4,093
Days on the road 14
Average miles/day 292
Long day 473 Day 2
Short day 130 Day 8
Avg. Miles/gallon 24.62
Avg. cost/gallon (Premium) $4.98

This thread will be out of control long. Each day will have it's own post - except Day 9. The million Dollar Highway and a national park generated over 100 useable photos alone. So, Day 9 gets a morning post and an afternoon post. All in all, the thread has about 550 photos (out of 2,300 total photos). A couple were "borrowed" from another forum member, a few were swiped off the internet.

I'm reserving 16 posts. Bear with me as they get populated. This is a yuge undertaking. It might take a couple days. Keep checking back, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

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Day 1: Portland to Ontario, OR - 411 miles


Ontario seems to be our go to first stop now when we get out of Oregon eastbound. There are a number of ways to get there, the quickest being straight out I-84 - 380 miles, all freeway. This time we took 84 to The Dalles and then south down Hwy 206 at Ceilo Park on the Columbia. New territory, as we call it.

Packed and ready to go


The parking lot at Multnomah falls is always jammed, but not so much early this morning, so we went in for a quick look. Always impressive


Multnomah Falls - 620 feet tall


Just beyond The Dalles we stopped at Celilo Park. The Columbia River raged through here for millions of years. In a lot of places it is a mile wide. Over this 12 mile stretch it narrowed to as little as only 140 feet and droped 82 feet. The Native Americans fished these waters for over 15,000 years. Wild stuff.

Celilo Falls


This ended in 1957 when The Dalles Dam was completed, burying the falls and turning the river into a navigable lake. Notice the bridge in the background of both pictures.

Celilo Park today


You wind up out of the Columbia Gorge on to a plain - with the ubiquitous wind farms to charge your Teslas.


Crossing the John Day River at Cottonwood Canyon State Park


Found a fixer-upper a little further along. No neighbors!! All offers considered.




We timed our start today to hit Condon at lunchtime. Found this place a couple years ago - nice little drive in, good food. Oddly enough, it's called "The Drive-In."


The walls are covered with these


Wandered down to Fossil, OR and then caught Hwy 19 that follows the John Day River (New territory) on the way down to Hwy 26. Stopped in Kimberly for a snack. Hundred years old inside.


The road is very ranchy and quite scenic


You eventually pass by the John Day Fossil Beds before tying in to Highway 26


Found an old car to follow through the town of John Day


130 miles to Ontario takes us through a beautiful section of the Blue Mountains and then the land dries out with vast swatches of irrigated farm lands the rest of the way. One of our favorite Holiday Inn Expresses, Wingers for dinner and a Chevron with a touchless wash. Not a bad start to the trip.

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Day 2: Ontario, OR to Park City, UT - 473 miles


Today will be the longest day - literally all freeway driving. Ick. And mostly brown. But, you can go really, really fast in Idaho and Utah. Today is just about getting there. Git R Done.

Hadn't been through Nampa in decades. Time to take a look. Great downtown. Sadly, only this picture.


Brown, brown, brown.


277 miles in for the day brings us to the Idaho/Utah border. The landscape becomes way more interesting. 84 hooks into I-15 and we detour into Brigham City, a nice, leafy, tree-lined town.

Brigham City






Crossed back over 15 and headed west to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. The Great Salt Lake is used by hundreds of thousands of migratory birds each year. You can drive way out towards the lake and then take a self driving auto tour. We drove way out, but the tour is over an hour - and on gravel roads. Not today.








Came back across 15 again headed east and dove into Ogden, another nice little town. Then caught 84 again and headed to Park City for the night


Day 2 done. Long and mostly uneventful. One more day until the fun really begins.

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Day 3: Park City, UT to Silt, CO - 337 miles


Didn't have any time for Park City this time. Maybe when we swing back through on Day 11. The area is incredibly scenic and now colorful with some of the Aspens starting to turn. Gonna look great in a week. Off to the east on Hwy 228 brings a nice overlook of the Dear Valley Ski Area.

Deer Valley


At Kamas we catch on to Hwy 35 and head up into the mountains. We summit Wolf Creek Pass at 9,493 feet and the colors are coming out. Didn't get any pics, but we did find a sheep crossing.




As we come out of the mountains, the landscape flattens out and is covered in hundreds of oil and gas wells. I thought we'd overshot Colorado and ended up in Odessa. Duschene is the major hub here - a hard scrabble energy town. And mostly brown.

Duschene




A little further along brings us through Roosevelt, UT - a little more colorful town.

Roosevelt, UT


After a quick run through Vernal, UT for a crappy lunch, we pick up Hwy 40 and head for Colorado, just 35 miles away. There are 41 "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" signs around the state, of varying designs. We shot by too fast, so I lifted this from the interwebs.


Highway 64 peels off to the south at Dinosaur. Kind of a sad little town.

Dinosaur, CO


We are now happily back in the glorious state of Colorado. The next seven days will see the spectacular scenic potential ratchet up considerably. Man, I am lovin' me some Colorado. I told my wife we need to make this an annual destination. The next 1,500 miles are gonna be lit!
The loop:


I even put all the stops into my Weatherbug App to keep a close eye on the weather. We have several 10,000 foot passes to cross. You never know in late September.


Passes & High Points Elev. Highway
Day 3 Wolf Creek Pass 9,493 Hwy 35
Day 4 Independence Pass 12,095 Hwy 82
Day 4 Tennessee Pass 10,424 Hwy 24
Day 4 Eisenhower Tunnel 11,158 I-70
Day 5 Pikes Peak 14,115 Pikes Peak Hwy
Day 6 Monarch Pass 11,312 Hwy 50
Day 6 Crested Butte 9,000 Hwy 135
Day 7 Dallas Divide 8,970 Hwy 62
Day 7 Telluride 9,078 Airport
Day 7 Lizard Head Pass 10,222 Hwy 145
Day 9 Coal Bank Pass 10,640 US 550
Day 9 Molas Pass 10,910 US 550
Day 9 Red Mountain 11,018 US 550
Day 9 Gunnison High Point 7,703 Gunnison NP
Day 10 Grand Mesa 10,849 Hwy 65
Day 10 Colorado Natl Mon HP 6,640 Colorado NM
Day 12 Guardsman Pass 9,717 Hwy 190

The landscape was quickly changing from dried up and arid to tree covered hills. A welcome change. Still a little scrub brushy.




Near Meeker, we turn south down Hwy 13 and travel along a valley between two squatty mountain spines. We're approaching the outer edges of the Rockies. During my initial planning, I noticed a potential sightseeing opportunity about 20 miles from Rifle, CO. We pull off the highway and head into the hills toward Rifle Falls State Park. This was a nice little hidden gem. Three little waterfalls, some caves and a nice stream.















Time for a much needed drink.


15 minutes later we are at the hotel. No one is dinging me tonight.


The magic starts tomorrow. Aspen, Independence Pass, Leadville, Vail, I-70 to Denver.

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Day 4: Silt, CO to Centennial, CO - 286 miles


The Mighty Colorado River - what a journey it will take to get to the Sea of Cortez and give life to millions of people in the arid Southwest.


Today is going to be fun - almost half is new territory. Never been to Aspen, Independence Pass or Leadville. We jump on to I-70 and head east. At Glenwood Springs we take Hwy 82 south. The Springs looks like a cool town, definitely warrants some attention next time through. There is a lot of traffic. Hwy 82 is 4 lanes and we move right along.......until we reach the outskirts of Aspen in about 40 miles. Construction has brought us to a dead stop near the airport. There are private jets lined up forever. Jeez.

We drive up to Snowmass to look around - a major ski area in it's own right. Back on Hwy 82 traffic is still snarled. We crawl for 45 minutes....ah, they are working on a roundabout. Then we are crammed into one lane. There's a million cars and they now have construction on a little 2-lane bridge that gets you into Aspen. Really? I'm already changing the rest of today's route in my head to shorten it by 100 miles.



Aspen is not really a big town. It's got a great looking core with fancy shops and all (need a $3,000 sweater?) You can grab a gondola right from downtown. Hollywood, the super wealthy and the rich & famous sure like it, though.








The multi-million dollar homes are mostly on a hill east of town - all overlooking Aspen and the ski slopes. This must suck in winter.

Left to right: Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass


After a quick lunch it's now well after noon and we have to put Aspen in our rear view mirror. We get back on Hwy 82 and head for Independence Pass, only 20 miles away. It is the second highest paved pass in Colorado at 12,095 feet. Aspen sits at 8,000 feet, so only 4,100 vertical feet to go. It is also a very, very popular road.

The color is really starting to come out now on the lower slopes. But, it will be completely barren at the top.




The road snakes higher and higher








And then you're at the summit......with a lot of other people. Finally able to jockey in for a picture - all those dang motorcycle people.


This is the continental divide: everything east goes to the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. Everything to the West goes to the Pacific or the Sea of Cortez.


Hiked out to a nice viewpoint. The altitude didn't bother us too much.




This is the first of many high passes we will encounter. We will cross over eight more passes above 10,000 feet, with three of them over 11,000 feet. The M850 doesn't seem to mind at all.


The road down


We jump back in the car and head down the back side. You encounter some sweeping valley vistas. With nary a guardrail in sight.






We descend down through a nice conifer valley between two large massifs and end up at this gem: Twin Lakes.








A short stint brings us to Hwy 24 and we turn north to head for Leadville. We start to climb and before you know it, we are back to 10,152 feet again when we reach the town.



Leadville was at a hub of silver mines starting in 1859. As it grew it became known as one of the most lawless towns in the country. It just looks like tourist fun now. It also lies among the headwaters of the Arkansas River, which we will encounter again on Day 6.




We continue north on Hwy 24, which is quite the scenic by-way, to reach I-70 again.






A short run down I-70 brings us to Vail.


Vail Ski Resort opened in the early sixties, the town of Vail was incorporated in 1966 and the resort quickly became the largest ski area in Colorado. It was THE place to be. The town planners were smart enough to make the core of the village automobile free - pedestrians have free reign over a large area to shop, dine, stroll and just hang out. The central core maintains a very well kept '70's charm (is that even possible?) while the outer reaches are teeming with modern, glitzy hotels. After skiing here during an epic Colorado ski trip shortly after college I thought I would return several times. Alas, life got in the way ands it wasn't to be.





A bronze sculpture honoring the 10th Mountain Division soldiers


Its just a wonderland around here




Bullwinkle


Had dinner in the Italian restaurant in the upper right where the hanging baskets are. Hey, imagine that. Lunch in Aspen, dinner in Vail. I could get used to this jet setter stuff.


Not too far to get on a lift


The new stuff around the edges


It was now close to 6 pm. My original plan had us going down I-70, south to Breckenridge, through the mountains to Fairplay and then catch Hwy 285 and head to Red Rocks Amphitheater. Then on to the hotel in Centennial, south of Denver. Only 154 more miles. What a miserable calculation that was. Plus, it'll be dark soon. What's the point of driving through mountains?? So, we'll just get on I-70 and head straight for the hotel. There's still a little light and plenty of mountains on the way to Denver. New route is 107 miles - all freeway.

The light is fading fast. We stop for a couple sunset cloud pictures.




Then the wife has an epiphany - if her dopey husband is always stopping for another picture, then she's going to join in the fun. And so it begins................the first of more than 400 photos (although, these were taken through the windshield at 75 mph in dim light, but hey, progress). Eventually she was the one pointing out where I should stop for a picture.




We descend into Silverthorne at elevation 9,000 and then start the long climb up to the Eisenhower Tunnel, which takes us back up to 11,158 feet - higher than Mt. Hood, the tallest point in Oregon. They decided not to look for a pass here and just said, "Screw it. We'll build a 1.7 mile long tunnel through the mountain." Done. Then a steep decent that went on for miles and miles. Must be a blast in the winter with icy roads and thousands of tired skiers heading home to Denver.

We finally get to the hotel after 8 and call it a day. Tomorrow will also be a long day with an early start.

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Day 5: Centennial, CO to Colorado Springs, CO - 176 miles


Grabbed an 8 o'clock breakfast with some friends that lived near-by. Sadly, I just saw them a week ago in Portland when they were back for the funeral of the husband's father.

We jump on I-25 and head south. Denver has just exploded the last 30 years. Suburb after suburb. The interesting thing is the free way is packed northbound (toward Denver). Apparently people still work in Denver and they actually leave their homes to go do it. Portland's central core is still a ghost town. A recent study showed that downtown activity is only 49% of what it was pre-pandemic. I wonder if it might have something to do with our city leadership. Asking for a friend.

Anyway, the Air Force Academy is first up. Came here just before high school as a boy, then actually had a friend go here, graduate and eventually fly B-52s. There's no screwing around here on what it takes to make you grow up. Had a second friend that went at the same time, but dropped out after a year. He said they brag about giving you a $140,000 (back then) education.............but they stuff it up your ass a nickel at a time. That's ok, it's probably no day at the beach here.



Civilians can visit nearly any time. After being let through the north gate (a small car search) the sports facilities come into view. (The football stadium is a ways from the main campus.


One of the things any visitor remembers is the iconic Chapel (not my picture)


Not my picture because the entire thing is in a tent for refurbishing. Sheesh. That's it on the left.


You are directed to the Barry Goldwater Visitor Center. There is a great movie that shows what life is like for a first year cadet. Like I said, there is no screwing around here. There are some nice displays and a gift shop. A self guided walking tour can take you all over the campus. The entire Academy complex is quite vast, but the educational portion is fairly compact, as there are only 4,000 cadets.

Sijan Hall - one of two dormitories housing about 2,000 cadets each.


Wild Blue recently started an epic thread on his PCD delivery of his new X5 - and his subsequent cross country trek to drive it back home to Alaska. He came through here for a reunion - missed him by just a couple days. Oh, and thank you for your service.

It was time to hustle off to find lunch and then head to Pikes Peak. As we drove down the front range, the weather to the east looked ok, but clouds were coming in from the west. We could see the summit, and the ceiling was high, but it seemed iffy. We had a timed entry ticket for noon to 2:00. It was about 60 degrees, but who knew what nasty shenanigans a cold front could bring to a peak that was over 14,000 feet - and me on summer tires.



We hit the entry gate at about 1. We are told to turn off the A/C and use the lowest gear when we descend. It's about 45 degrees on top. A light rain starts. The summit disappears. Off we go - starting elevation is already 7,800 feet.- only 6,315 feet to go.


The road climbs fairly quickly through the forest and we reach the Crystal Reservoir Visitor Center, elev. 9,160 at mile 6. We cross the Pikes Peak Hill Climb Start Line at mile 7.5. This road used to be gravel - and they raced up it! The lower reaches are just a plain old road through the forest. No big deal. It starts to hail - mushy hailstones (blobs?) hit the windshield. They are as big as a silver dollar. Luckily they are the consistency of a slurpee. At 10,000 feet (Mile 12) the road gets windy. At Mile 15 things steepen up, the guard rails go away, and you encounter some hellacious switchbacks. So, you may have been on the inside lane with the mountain slope next to you, then after switching back you are now in the outside lane with nothing next to you. The road literally ends at the fog line. I wanted a picture, the wife was having none of that. So, I steal two pictures from Wild Blue (hope you don't mind) who, again, was just a couple days ahead of me - with better weather. We're now over 12,000 feet.




By now the trees are all gone, but we can see the summit. The cloud deck is just above it. This is going to work!


A little more winding around and 4 miles later we summit. And we're gonna get a view of things.


The parking lot is nothing like the pictures I've seen. It is huge, it is paved and there is a brand new modern visitor center. Very impressive.






The oxygen level at 14,000 is only 50% of the oxygen level at sea level. The air is thin. You notice it right away. We were doing ok and headed out to explore the summit area. Another way to reach the top is to take a cog railway from Manitou Springs. Reserved seats are $68.50 each.






The weather is right on top of us, but holding. It doesn't really hinder our view.


Luckily, the view to the north is better.






The old..............
Old Summit House


And the new....................


Half hour later and we're in 2nd gear crawling down the hill. Time to get some car picks before the side of the road disappears again.






The way down..........


A couple shots from Google Maps showing the switchbacks




At seven miles down from the summit (around 11,400 feet) they stop you at a hut and check your brake temperature. If you are over 300F, they pull you out of line and make you sit it out for about a half hour to cool down. We were 110F. Off we go.

Almost there........




There's a seasonal Christmas themed amusement park near the entrance.


It's now 3 o'clock. I wanted to run over to Cripple Creek, an old mining town up in the hills on the back side of Pikes Peak. It's 35 miles each way and about 2 hours of driving. Next time. We head for the Garden of the Gods, just north of Old Colorado City, outside of Colorado Springs. The good news is that Garden of the Gods is less than 5 miles from the hotel. We do a brief stop at the visitor center, then head out on a one way driving tour.




Garden of the Gods is a popular destination for hikers, climbers, sightseers, bikers and horseback riders. The stunning red rock formations were formed by geologic upheaval along a fault line. Sedimentary sandstone was deposited and then tilted vertically and eroded into fins. Very interesting place.










Balanced Rock




Actually got to the hotel by 5. We gratefully took advantage of their dinner offering and had a great pizza without going out again. Day 5 is in the books. 1,700 miles so far.

The absolute very best stuff starts tomorrow.

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Day 6: Colorado Springs to Gunnison, CO - 263 miles


Today is going to be a long day: Colorado Springs, The Broadmoor Hotel, Broadmoor Seven Falls, Royal Gorge and Great Sand Dune National Park. And a lot of driving. We head to downtown Colorado Springs. There, we find a delightfully clean and well kept downtown. (Just not used to that from where I come) But, oddly, there's almost zero traffic and virtually no pedestrians. However, it's very nice to look at.




Ran into Hank the Cowboy, promoting the rodeo while reading the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. Didn't realize it at the time, but the M850 is perfectly framed under his newspaper.




Zipped off to look at the Broadmoor SW of town. We like to always look in on the fancy resorts, although we don't stay at them as often now. Who wouldn't want to stay here?


Alas, they weren't making it easy for the great unwashed to come see them. Decided the nearby Seven Falls could wait till next time, so we left for Royal Gorge.

We jump on Hwy 115 and head south and then turn west on Hwy 50 after 34 miles. Highway 50 becomes quite arid through here. Then we notice several isolated facilities scattered to the south. Large concrete structures off in the distance. Prisons. Lots of them. You can't swing a cat without hitting one.

We get to Canon City and they offer up a Historic Downtown (Who doesn't these days? I don't care, I still like them.) The town is about 20,000 folks. Nearly all of them must work at the jails.










Well, whaddaya know...........a prison on the edge of town. Must be the warden's house.


12 miles further brings us to Royal Gorge. I came here with the family as a youngster and thought it was pretty cool. I love high places. Always have.




Royal Gorge is a suspension bridge built as a tourist trap, er.....attraction, in 1929. It is 1,260 feet long and sits 955 feet above the Arkansas River (headwaters near Leadville, remember?). When it opened it was the highest bridge in the world, and kept that moniker until a bridge in China surpassed it in 2001. Not a bad run. It is still the highest bridge in the United States. It is not for vehicles - pedestrian only. Other attractions have been added over the years and include a gondola and zip lines. The visitor center is very nice.




There's a couple of zip-liners just above the canyon in the upper right.


Had a crappy brisket lunch on the other side, but at least this was our view.






It's now approaching 1 o'clock. Great Sand Dune National Park is 150 miles away - 3 hours. Then ya gotta look at the sand. Then it's over 2 hours to Gunnison for the night. Crested Butte is about 30 miles north of Gunnison and that was going to be the first stop tomorrow, but the weather might be iffy. So, we dropped the sand off the itinerary (we have the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area down on our coast back home) and headed straight for Gunnison - now only 117 miles away. We'll knock out Crested Butte this afternoon.

About halfway there you run into Salida, so, of course, we headed for their Historic Downtown.








Highway 50 is an awesome stretch. The road crawls up to Monarch Pass and Monarch Mountain Ski Area at 11,312 feet. (Google Maps)
Monarch Pass


Then a fast and steep descent back down to the valley. (Google Maps)


Got to Gunnison by 3 and checked in to the hotel. Freshened up and hit the road for Crested Butte. We reached the outskirts by about 4:00 and the light was absolutely amazing. Crested Butte sits at 9,000 feet and the Aspens were in full glory. The sun and clouds were playing a very dynamic game of hide and seek. It contributed to getting some really great pictures.
















The sun is doing a fantastic job of lighting the mountains in the distance - Crested Butte is at the far end of the field.






We see some great looking colorful hills on the north side of town toward the ski area. We head there first while the light is so good.






And then we have some fun when the light is really playing with some fabulous hillsides. Even the wife is now getting seriously into this.






It was among the marvelous landscapes of Crested Butte that the missus really got into the picture taking. Over 100 of the rest of the pictures in the thread are hers. They are designated with a little yellow dot in the lower right corner. She had a couple at the end of Day 2 around sunset. Watch for them.








The clouds swoop back in, but it's not really a problem.












Mt. Crested Butte is only about 3 miles north of town. The ski area is fairly compact and considerably less developed than what I had imagined. Several large hotels, lots of condos and a marvelous assortment of mountain-side homes. Get a load of this - only $15,000,000


https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...4869162_zpid/?



The views up on the hill are magnificent. Would love to see it in the winter.


The town of Crested Butte is in the middle distance.


Lodging at the base of the ski area.








We head back to town now in search of dinner. The town is not swanky at all - maybe a bit hard-scrabbled. Historic Downtown is along Elk Avenue. All the buildings look original from the old coal mining days - just painted up and turned into restaurants, galleries and clothing shops. Crested Butte is called 'The last great Colorado ski town." The town's population is only 1,640. But considerably bigger in the winter. It's only 240 miles to Denver.






We wander the street for awhile, but nothing catches our fancy for dinner. Most places are crowded and noisy. So we decide to drive back to Gunnison. Bad move. An interweb search yields a couple potential nice spots - I had a hankering for a steak. They were closed. Downtown was closed. It's only 7 o'clock. We end up at McDonalds - there's virtually nothing else open. What a pitiful way to end such a spectacular day. But I have a feeling tomorrow will be even better. TELLURIDE.

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Day 7: Gunnison to Cortez, CO - 219 Miles


This is shaping up as a great day. We spent a couple hours mesmerized by Crested Butte yesterday - which is 2 hours we pick up today. We happily put Gunnison in our rear view mirror and head west down Hwy 50. A pleasant drive soon brings us to the Blue Mesa Reservoir. The morning has dawned calm with blue skies and puffy white clouds.
Blue Mesa Reservoir


These guys were slurping muddy, barely there puddles. The lake was only 20 yards away. Dummies!


And then we soon reach the Dillon Pinnacles Vista Point. Man, what a spot this was. The morning light was very cooperative.










A little while later we are stopped dead in our tracks. Highway 50 is now down to one lane with a pilot car. We wait 15 minutes, with no cars coming the other way. Finally, a pilot car. He pulls off and we watch for another 10 minutes as the cars go by. Then it's our turn. And this goes on for about 5 miles. Not too bad for shooting through the windshield on a bumpy road.








The construction goes away finally and the countryside is lush green rolling hills. We were ahead of the traffic, so I enjoyed this section. A google map shot (probably from the summer).


We wind our way through Montrose (we'll stay here in 2 days time) and hook up with Hwy 550 south. Heading west on Hwy 62 at Ridgeway, we begin to climb and off to the south we see the back side of the San Juan Mountains that encircle Telluride. We are also now on the San Juan Skyway - easily one of the most spectacular and scenic drives in America. Including the run into Telluride, it is 242 miles of mountain splendor. Man, this is the real Colorado. We will run this counter-clockwise from Ridgeway

San Juan Skyway map.


At Placerville we turn south onto Hwy 145 and head to Telluride. The weather is looking a bit iffy over the mountains.




And all of a sudden you see the iconic Telluride backdrop to the town on Main Street, well, Colorado Avenue. The town is busy, but we find a place to park on the street.






Grabbed a quick lunch, wandered through some shops and then headed for the free gondola. Lets see what the weather up above is like.


We are whisked off through aspen forests and Telluride opens up below us. 10 minutes later we are on the top at the San Sophia Overlook, 10,540 feet. It's cool and windy, but the views are stupendous.






Mt. Wilson - 14,246 feet


Telluride Airport


We hiked around a bit and stumbled on to a guy setting up for a wedding in a couple hours. The weather was all over the place. Could be a little dicey. Fun fact: we found out that just to rent the little stage and chairs was only $5,000. Then you have the cost of food and drinks up there.


Telluride down below.


The mountains across the valley






There are roads that will wind you all through the mountains above the town.


Time to head out


We drive up the valley at the end of town to see how far we can go on paved road. It doesn't take long for this to unfold. Gobsmacked.
















We head back through town and the way out. Right at the turn off to continue south on the San Juan Skyway there is the road that goes up to the airport. This I gotta see.

The hill heads up to where the expensive homes are - gee, just like Aspen, Vail and Crested Butte. To wit:


We find the airport. You really gotta get on the brakes coming in and you really need airspeed going out. Plus, you're at 9.000 feet.


Then we turned around, and, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! Mercy sakes!




The wedding would've been taking place right about now in the low spot on the top of the ridge above the bright white hotel. Guess it all worked out fine.


Who needs the Alps?? The cover shot for this thread was taken here.




Pretty nice places to hang out. The $20M house is up here somewhere.




A few more car shots






Heading back down we run into the local elk herd


Man. What a great way to spend five hours. A parting shot from the interwebs.


Back on 145 we soon run into the Sunshine Mountain Scenic Overview. Yes. Yes, it was.








We soon cross over Lizard Head Pass at 10,222 feet and stop for a few photos. Lizard Head Peak, the pointy one in the sunshine.

Lizard Head Peak








The whole area is filled with mountains, lakes and meadows. What a marvelous region. The San Juans got it going on.

We continue to drop elevation and 60 miles and an hour later we reach 6,200 feet in Cortez, the stop for the night. Man, I thought yesterday and all that Crested Butte stuff was nice. Sorry Crested Butte, Telluride wins the week so far.

Tomorrow we venture up into Mesa Verde - Pueblos and cliff dwellers and the like. We get up on to the plateau on the distance.

Mesa Verde Plateau


Wow.....sad today is over. That was really something.

[snowbimmer]

Day 8: Cortez to Durango - 130 miles


Today will be the shortest mileage day of the trip. And yet we'll still manage to use up the whole day. We really have only one thing to do: Mesa Verde.

Grabbed a quick car wash and headed back east on Hwy 160. The entrance to Mesa Verde National Park is only 10 miles away.


A quick stop at the visitor center and we're off.


The road rapidly ascends as we switchback up the side of the mesa. First stop is the Mancos Valley Overlook (looking east). Lavender Peak is the highest peak in the background at over 13,200 feet.


This was just sitting there, no people around, looking abandoned. A '63 Ford Fairlane wagon. Hmmmmm.....British Racing Green or San Remo Green? I like it. I need a green car next time.


We keep winding our way upward and finally gain the ridge. A few miles later we reach Park Point and park. A short hike takes us to the highest point in the park at 8,572 feet. We are now 2,400 feet above the valley floor. A small retired fire look-out keeps watch over the area.




Along with being a national park, Mesa Verde is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Established in 1906 by Theodore Roosevelt, the park covers 52,485 acres and contains 5,000 sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. Nomadic tribes seasonally visited Mesa Verde beginning around 7,500 BC. Eventually permanent settlements grew as the people began to add the farming of corn, beans and squash to their hunting and gathering. They were building pueblos by 650 AD and near the end of the 12th century they began to build the massive cliff dwellings for which the park is best known. By 1285, following social instability and severe droughts, they packed up and left, heading to New Mexico and Arizona.

There are several large structures that you can walk around in. We had a timed entry for 10:30 at Cliff Palace (only 8 bucks each), so we headed over there, about 12 miles south of the north rim. You collect at a landing overlooking the site. It is quite breathtaking, 100 feet below you. A park ranger gathers you up and you descend along a narrow rocky trail down to the site. Before we go, they ask if you're up to it. You have to navigate the trail, several ladders and then make your way back up the 100 vertical feet. I think a couple people dropped out.

Cliff Palace




This site has about 150 rooms and is the largest in the park. Families would occupy two or three rooms each. All your water and food has to be brought down from the mesa. About 100 people lived here. They were sheltered from the sun and the rain and the snow. Pretty smart.




The way out can be challenging for some. Not really wheel chair accessible.


Cliff House is on the same loop at this end of the park. Hemenway House is at the far end. Not my picture.
Hemenway House


Balcony House takes a lot of effort to get to. We didn't get to it. Not my picture.
Balcony House


We chose the view up here.




We loop back to another visitor center and museum (which are closed) and hike down to look across to the Spruce Tree House.


Spruce Tree House


It's lunch time, so we stop in at the Spruce Tree Terrace Cafe. It's the last day of the season. Lucky us. Found an old method of transportation.


And a couple of new methods of transportation. I prefer newer.


The gal at the Spruce Tree Cafe says we need to go see Step House, which is down the western most road on the mesa. So off we go. It is a long, slow, windy-ass road through really uninteresting landscape (we were just in Telluride, ya know!!). It's 18 miles and takes about 40 minutes. We get out.

It's hot, the air is thin and it is a long hike to Step House - that also loses a lot of elevation, which means the reverse is true for the way back. Not today. There's people in this picture that are going for it, though.


So, we back track back to the Far View Lodge. There's a bunch of rooms with a view of the Mesa and a restaurant that doesn't appear to be open. Dinner was walking around just outside.


It's mid afternoon and only 50 miles to Durango. We might actually get to our place early and just get to relax for once.

Back on Hwy 160, we do a quick stop in Mancos for a snack. This is pretty much downtown. Don't know how historic it is. Nice mural, though.



We arrive in Durango, do a quick spin through town and head to the hotel which is about 5 miles east of town. Rooms out here were about 1/3 cheaper than town.

The educational day of the trip is now out of the way. Tomorrow it's back to the spectacular scenery. Highway 550. The. Million. Dollar. Highway.

Been looking forward to this for years.

[snowbimmer]

Day 9 Morning: Durango to Silverton, CO - 53 miles


Anticipation for this day is high. Off the charts high. One of the most scenic roads in America. Three passes over 10,000 feet. Old mining towns. And some gnarly-ass sections of road not for the faint of heart. Shoulders? Who needs 'em. Guardrails? They're for wimps. More about the road later.

Had to snap this. Kind of a medical building across from the hotel. I thought it just looked all clean and really shiny. Plus, it's my high school colors.


We start off with a quick tour of Durango. We thought we'd come down for dinner last night, but just ended up with take out in the room. It's Saturday morning, not much going on yet. So, we drove through their Historic Downtown District.










Gassed up and headed out of town. At Trimble, passing a small shopping mall, I said. "Hey, there's a cars and coffee." The wife says, "A what now?" After explaining it to her I turned around and went to my first Cars & Coffee. I drove down the back line, caught a few glances, parked at the far end. Got out and took a couple pictures. Mostly some classic '50s, '60s and '70s stuff. A '58 T-Bird, some 'Vettes, Camaros, Mustangs, Porsches and Jags. I tried to be a non-descript interloper.




Now the fun begins


The weather is somewhat iffy. It's been cold and a bit rainy. We hope the clouds don't interfere with our fun today. Just outside of Purgatory Ski Resort we take our first stop. The colors are really coming alive due to the cold weather. Our high pass today is over 11,000 feet. I really don't need snow added to the equation.










After last year's Colorado trip the wife complained that she would really like to see the Rockies with snow on them. Well, a little further up the road we could see that her wish might be coming true. There's snow in them thar hills!




We start climbing and the scenery just gets better and better. So do the colors.




Nearing Coal Bank Pass at 10,640 fee, the blue sky keeps popping out. Maybe we'll be OK.


An amazing vista opens up coming down the back of Coal Bank Pass.


Then we hit the Deer Creek Overlook. Good grief man, where are you supposed to look??


You can see the road in the central distance snaking up to Molas Pass


Looking the other way




Looking ahead again








There is a lot of traffic. Both directions. Everyone wants to see the fall colors: when they are visible and before the snow scares them away, especially on this road. But, the traffic is manageable. Speeds on the road are fine and parking areas seem to turn over fairly quickly.






We reach a giant horseshoe bend where the road crosses Lime Creek. We're coming from the right, going up and out on the left.








A few miles further we reach Molas Pass at 10,910 feet. There's a large viewpoint and parking area. It's packed. The cloud deck is just high enough.








We head down the other side. Silverton is only 7 miles out. Not my picture.


Silverton is at an elevation of 9,318 feet. It sits in a flat area of the Animas River and is surrounded by steep peaks. Mining is it's original heritage. It's kind of a hard scrabble town, but has a great Main Street filled with lively shops and restaurants. Pretty sure it's historic.




Could have spent more time in this shop. It was filled with tons of old pictures, signs, books, knickknacks and lots of other goodies.




Day 9 (Afternoon Session) will continue on the next post. It's just to big to stuff it all in to one post here.

[snowbimmer]

Day 9 Afternoon: Silverton to Montrose, CO - 100 miles

Now it's time to settle in for the main event: The Million Dollar Highway

The Million Dollar Highway (MDH) is the section of Hwy 550 between Silverton and Ourey - a distance of only 23.4 miles. But what a 23.4 miles they are. Originally built in the 1880's and widened in the 1930's, no one knows where the name came from. A million dollars per mile to build? A million dollars of silver ore in the fill used for the road? You'd have to pay me a million dollars to drive this stretch? I wouldn't drive that for a million dollars?

The MDH is not to be trifled with. It can be dangerous in the dry. It can be dangerous in the wet. It is generally open all year 'round, so it is obviously dangerous in the snow and ice. Most sections have no guard rails so the snowplows can just shove the snow over the side. There are more than a few places where the fog line is the end of the road and the end of everything solid. That being said, most people drive it pretty slow in these areas. Do I want to pull a 40 foot travel trailer behind my 20 foot long F350 - hoping I don't put a wheel wrong? Not really. But they go through there, along with buses and semi- trucks. I'll keep my car, thank you.

Some people get the willies going through there. Since the driver is always near the centerline, it's the passenger who gets to look into the abyss. So, a little detective work is needed. Which direction is best? I asked a couple of people that had lived in Colorado. They both said it doesn't matter, it's all scary as hell. An internet search didn't help. So, on to youtube. Bingo. This is a great video from Durango to Ourey. Driving northbound.

The craziest section is at around 25:35 in. Problem solved. Don't drive southbound. The passenger is hugging the mountainside going north. That's not to say there aren't other northbound sections where the road falls away on the right. Just not like this. Jeez, if you're not scared some of the time, how do you overcome fear?

I was originally going to do the San Juan Skyway clockwise (the opposite of the way we are now going). A couple days before we left I had to rearrange reservations for a couple nights so we would get this section northbound. A wife with the willies is not good. I'm still hearing about Pikes Peak.

We head out of Silverton and the road starts to climb quickly. Before long we hit a section that's got it all. Even old miney stuff.






We make a 180 here and head up the hill. This valley with the waterfall was especially nice.






Not much shoulder here.


We clear Red Mountain Pass at 11,018 feet and the ceiling is still much higher. In no time at all we are at the S Loop. You can see why.




We pass an old mine near Commodore Gulch and a few miles further we run into this marvelous hillside.








Then this after just another mile






It starts to rain a bit and we hit four 180 degree turns in succession. 1st one not my picture. We enter from the bottom.








Alas, we have now reached Section Gnarly. There it is, off in the distance.




Gotta get some pics of this.


Where we came from


Where we're going


Raring to go


See? These guys made it ok.


No problem for these guys, either


Not my picture


Can we go already??


And, just like that, we pop out the other side at Bear Creek Falls and its 120 foot drop, with a nice turn-out.




Starting to rain again


Then we reach the Switzerland America Viewpoint. No argument here.


The very colorful Tea Kettle Mountain


A couple more turns and you land in Ourey


Ourey is a great little tourist town at the northern portal of the Million Dollar Highway. It has earned the Nickname of Switzerland of America due to it's climate, alpine environment and scenery. It is surrounded on 3 1/2 sides by steep mountains. Ice climbing is a popular winter sport.






Grabbed a tasty lunch in the Full Tilt Saloon, walked through a few more shops and sadly said goodbye to Switzerland of America.




Hwy 550 is still quite scenic up to Ridgeway. Then we continued on back to Montrose and did an early check-in at the hotel. It was getting towards 3:30 and we still had another national park to get to before dark. Day ain't over, to quote Curly from City Slickers.

We head east back up Hwy 50 about 6 miles and then head north on Hwy 347, climbing through lush green ranching country. Another 6 miles and we are there.


Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is quite something. The park contains 12 miles of the 48 mile long Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. The river drops 34 feet per mile and the park contains the deepest and most dramatic section of the canyon. The walls are dark, steep and narrow. Many parts of the canyon floor receive only a few minutes of sunlight a day. Lucky for us the rainy and cloudy weather we were experiencing in the mountains all day had given way to this:






The road meanders along the western edge of the gorge with several nice turnouts. It's late, so we skip the Visitor Center. We want to make it to High Point and a mile long trail that takes you out to edge of the canyon. We get there about 4:30 and start hiking. We are at 7,700 feet. The trail starts to lose elevation fast. The farms on the mesa below are are a wonderful green.


About half-way out the trail starts to climb again. I become a party of one for the final push. The payback is worth it.




The wife takes a few pics whiles she waits. Not bad.


I finally reach the end - Warner Point. No where else to go except down..........way down. What a view.




I get in on the mesa action on the way back. The snowy Switzerland Alps we drove through a few hours ago are in the far background. Wow.


There's still some light left, but not much. One last stop is to get over to the Painted Wall View. This stop probably has the best views in the park. A short hike gets us to this:




These walls are 2,500 feet high.






I offered to text this picture to the photographer if he would give me his phone number, but he said he already had a lot like that. And, he's still alive. Sheesh.


Darkness was settling in. But we had achieved most of our objectives for today. And what a day it was. I'm not trading this one for nuthin'. Book it.

[snowbimmer]

Day 10: Montrose to Moab, UT - 252 miles


Yesterday really topped the charts. It was perfect-a-mundo. Today dawns drizzly and cool. It's all down hill from here, I guess. And it's decision time. The first destination was to be Grand Mesa. You drive up over 10,000 feet to a mesa that is supposed to be, well, grand. The cloud deck is way below 10,000 feet, but the weather radar shows some clearing off to the west and headed our way. We'll give it a shot.

We get back on Hwy 50 and head north to Delta. We are going to the cloudy area in the background behind the motel.


We get on Hwy 65 going north and start climbing through ranch country. It's very green and luscious. But, it's just a grey day and we are getting closer to the clouds.


We soon enter the Grand Mesa National Forest


We get to the upper reaches at over 10.850 feet. We are all socked in. There are hundreds of lakes up here, lots of camping, a few lodges and resorts. A veritable summertime paradise. But it's October 2nd, no one is here and everything is all closed up. Oh, well. It was still a nice drive, but, alas, no payoff. We head down the other side.


It only takes a few miles and we drop out of the soup to this - another home run. I could have stayed here all day.


One of my favorite car pictures of the entire trip










The road descends and we come through a sweeping turn screaming, "It's fall!!"






We continue dropping and start to come off the mesa. Great views to the NW.








We finally get down to the valley floor, hook up with I-70 westbound and head for Grand Junction. Wow. What a morning. And we almost junked it.

Grand Junction is just a few minutes away


We find their Historic Downtown, grab a nice lunch, walk around a bit, and we're off






The car is a fright, so off to find a car wash. The weather is clearing and the sun is shining. Gonna be a good rest of the day.

Our next stop is the Colorado National Monument. This is going to be a complete freebie. Wasn't even on the original travel list. Why? I've never ever heard of it. I've been scouring books, maps and magazines ever since I was a kid. I thought I knew of most of the national parks and monuments. This one eluded me. And, to think, I was just going to blast by, right below it, only five miles away, on I-70.

We found out about it purely by chance. On day 2 my wife had looked at Facebook and saw a post of some friends from Portland that had headed out 2 weeks before us - pulling 57' of pickup and trailer. They posted pictures of Colorado National Monument. Yup, I'm goin' for sure. Turns out that they are doing almost our exact same trip with a few exceptions. We chased them all through Colorado. They were flying by on the highway headed for Utah when we were just up the hill in Mesa Verde. They would stay a couple nights in places, un-hitch and drive to all the sites. We never stayed two nights anywhere. We found out we would both be in Lakeview, OR on the 13th, around noon, after taking the same 700 mile route out of Park City back to Oregon, so we planned a lunch and a catch-me-up. What are the odds?

Colorado National Monument




The south entrance is only a few miles west of Grand Junction. The road rises 2,000 feet from the entrance until you gain the ridge and then you follow the edge northward until there isn't anymore monument left. The whole thing is only 22 miles long, with lots of great turnouts for viewing.


I'm not sure I could say this, after what we've been seeing the last few days, but this might have been the most enjoyable 3 hours of the trip. The views are spectacular, the colors extremely vibrant and the weather exceptional. Something new was around every corner. I loved every minute of it. The one caveat: squeamish drivers and drivers with squeamish passengers should probably drive the opposite way that we did, in other words, go north to south. Ya got that same problem of sheer drop offs and no guardrails going south to north. Who knew?


Anyway, here's 24 out the the 150 or so picture we took here.
































We reach the Grand View stop. It is, indeed, that.















Stopped in at the North Entrance Visitor Center for a movie and then headed for Moab, 103 miles and another state away. But, it's all freeway and 85 mph.

They weather starts to look a little dicey. And it got a lot darker all of a sudden. Plus, we're a couple hours behind schedule. I wanted to get off the freeway at Cisco and take Hwy 128 to Moab because it follows the Colorado River. We get a storm warning over i-drive near the Utah border and then all hell breaks loose. Thunder, lightning, wind and then the monsoon hits. It is just raining buckets. The freeway roadbed is built up pretty good, so I'm not worrying too much about a flash flood. But 35 mph now seems ridiculously fast. The wipers are about to go into cardiac arrest. I've never seen it rain so hard. And it's really dark.

We splash along for several miles. There's plenty of traffic coming eastbound, so we trudge onward. I will not be getting off the freeway at Cisco, thank you very much. It finally lets up and we pull into a rest area near Thompson Springs. Man that was something.

Where we came from


Where we're going.


We turn south onto Hwy 191 and motor on down to Moab, only 32 miles away. There's a goofy little gas station called Jackass Joes at the interchange. More on this tomorrow. Not my picture


Found a wonderful place for brisket dinner in Moab and called it a day. Another great one in the books. Not bad for a day that started out less than promising. Ya just gotta stick with it.

One more day of spectacular tomorrow. And it does not disappoint.

[snowbimmer]

Day 11: Moab to Park City - 349 miles


Not really sure what to expect weather-wise today. Went to bed with rain outside last night.

We thought we'd pop into Arches National Park for a quick look see. We were here in 2019 on a glorious M5 trip, but it doesn't hurt to see grandeur again. I thought October changed over to just driving in, but the timed entry system lasts until Oct 3rd. Today is Oct. 3rd. So I got on the website after dinner last night and snagged the last 11-Noon slot. Perfect timing. Whew.

We leave early and get a chance to take Hwy 128 up the Colorado River, which we would've come down last night without the storm. The weather is absolutely glorious. We only need to go about 15 miles - a marvelous little canyon run.

The road peels off to the east just north of Moab. Not my picture.


The canyon walls are steep and reddish brown. The river is calm, but completely muddy from the storms.












The canyon widens out at Red Cliffs Lodge and this is as far as we go.


This escarpment goes for miles.




On the way back




Now it's up the road 8 miles to the Canyonlands National Park turnoff. We also did this park in 2019. This time we are going in, but only as far as Dead Horse Point State Park. We climb up to the plateau level. There are lots of interesting sights along the way.


It's 14 miles to the turn off to Dead Horse Point State Park.


We skip the Visitor Center for now, but this is from the parking lot.


We drive to the end of the road (not that far) to Dead Horse Point. Man, it was all working for us today. Canyonlands National Park is across the gulch.












We get out to the final viewpoint looking south - the Colorado is really, really muddy from last night's squall.










We drive back to the Visitor Center and grab a few more pics.

Dead Horse Point State Park has been in several movies: a lot of westerns, obviously, Missions Impossible I & II, The Lone Ranger and most famously, Thelma and Louise. They met their demise here.






Canyonlands


Heading out


It's now 11 o'clock, so we have to scoot back to Arches for our 11-12 timed entrance. The line was very long an hour and a half ago.


The line took 45 minutes




Made it to the Visitor Center


Quick look around (we somehow missed it last time) and we're off. A steep hill takes you up on to a plateau. Arches is known for arches (there are over 2,000 documented), but there is plenty of other grandeur to behold. The rock formations are enormous and very colorful. The rusty red is a great color for a rock.






These walls are just massive






The first major stop is Park Avenue. Might be my favorite spot in the whole park. These fins are amazing.








Coming around to the backside of Park Avenue you reach Courthouse Towers






And the Three Gossips




Looking back on Park Avenue from below


Balanced Rock a few miles up the road


We head over to the Windows area. This is always jammed and we missed Double Arch last time. Not this time.

North Window


Double Arch. It's huge. Very impressive. It creates quite the echo chamber.




A view of the landscape east.


It's one thirty by now, we haven't had lunch, we need gas and we haven't even started today's drive to Park City, which is still 250 miles away. We reluctantly say good bye to Arches and head north. There's a Chevron at the entrance to Canyonlands. I pull up to the pump and my card doesn't work. I try a different pump, same deal. Then I see that the whole station is down. Crap. It's 10 miles back to gas and food in Moab. That will blow 45 minutes. My gauge says I have 42 miles (probably more on the open highway) and its 40 miles to the next town, Green River. I guess we'll try Jackass Joes at the I-70 intersection.

Made it


The pump says "Pay Inside." I go in, while the wife looks for sandwiches. I should have read this beforehand: And, these are from years ago.


13 Terrible reviews out of 19. I especially like the last one. I never looked at the price at the pump. I told the guy, "75 bucks on pump 3." My last gas up in Montrose, CO was at $4.50 for premium. 75 bucks would fill it just about right. I thought. The meter shut off at a little over 10 gallons. What. The . Eff. Then I saw it:
$7.00/gallon. You dirty, cheatin' bastard. Went in to get the wife, she was all excited about some sammiches she saw. I said "We are not giving this asshole another dime." And explained why. Oh. Ok.

We rolled into Green River 20 minutes later, pissed and hungry. Found a great drive-in with a delicious cheeseburger and milkshake. Stopped at the Napa auto parts store to get some fuel system cleaner - because I was sure Jackass Joe's gas was probably shit, too. On to Park City.

We're now on Hwy 191. It's arid around here, but the road is nice.


I top off with good gas in Wellington and continue on. We come to Helper, UT. They, oddly enough, have a Historic Downtown. We go to see. Of course.


What a delightful place this turned out to be. Helper sprang up because of the railroads and also some mining. They built a bunch of these for the workers.


Downtown








Found an old Sinclair Station with some old cars.




Across the street I think I see Mater, from the movie "Cars."




Then there's this guy standing watch over the auditorium.


We get back on the road. It's 5:15 and we still have 135 miles to go. I was going to continue on Hwy 191 to Duschene and then double back up Hwy 40 to Park City. I got on Hwy 6 by mistake and headed to Provo. It was too late by the time I figured it out, although it would shave 20 miles. That's OK, but I end up with a bunch of city driving. That's OK too, Provo is a very pleasant town. Most everything around Salt Lake City is nice. No visible homeless, no graffiti, no tents, no garbage. Kinda good to see. Kinda what you want in a modern city.

We connect to Hwy 189 and head through the Wasatch Mountains and reach Park City by eight. Hey, we we're going to get here early so we could noodle around. Dang.

It's been a long day. We're tired. Dinner is microwave popcorn. Whaddaya gonna do? I'm still high on today's adventures. And, that's OK.

[snowbimmer]

Day 12: Park City to Winnemucca, NV - 427 miles


As of this morning we are still 1,035 miles from home. All the really great stuff is over. It's different stuff coming up - just not great stuff.

Today is the 2nd longest driving day of the trip. It's mostly freeway, Utah and Nevada freeways, so we'll be flying. A quick parking lot snap.




Nothing is open, so, alas, we just drive through their Historic Downtown. Next time, we say.


We take Hwy 224 south and wind through expensive homes and various forms of expensive lodging. We pass through Deer Valley Ski Area and end up heading to Guardsman Pass.


The pass, at 9,717 feet is quite colorful. These yellows weren't here 9 days ago.


We tie into Hwy 190 and head down towards Solitude, another ski area. You can't swing a cat up here without hitting a ski area. I love it.






Solitude is full on yellow


Can actually see some red off in the distance


Its a great morning




The lower section is steep and windy, but very scenic.




We meander through Sandy, UT - another fine town that seems to function as a city should. I guess it's not that hard. Then we head for Great Salt Lake State Park.


We cross over I-80 and there is a concert venue called The Great Saltair. It's quite cheesy looking and we head north along a frontage road to where the original Great Saltair was located


The Great Saltair Resort was built by the Mormons in 1893 on the south shore of The Great Salt Lake. It was intended to be the Coney Island of the West, a spot where Mormons could have "a wholesome place of recreation." A railroad connected it to Salt Lake City, 16 miles away. It reached it's heyday in the 1920's, then burned to the ground in1925. It was rebuilt the next year, but had lost it's luster. The depression in the '30s didn't help, along with another fire and receding water levels that left it over a half mile to the lake.

It struggled after WWII and closed for good in 1958. It stood forlorn and abandoned until another fire finished off in 1970. I remember seeing the remnants as a boy and we actually hiked way out past it to float in the lake. A new pavilion was built in 1982, but then mother nature changed course and the lake rose to its highest level ever in 1984, flooding the main floor under 5 feet of water. One hundred years after the original opened, the new one had a concrete stage and began to hold concerts. They were having one the night we were there.
The Original Great Saltair


We headed back west to Great Salt Lake State Park. It's kinda sad. But there are a couple of good vantage points. The marina is high and dry. About 50 sailboats sit on dry land.






Across from the park is the Kennecott Garfield Smelter facility, part of their copper mining operation. I remember when it was built in 1974. It's the most iconic smokestack in the west. At 1,215 feet it is the tallest free-standing structure west of the Mississippi. It was built in response to the creation of the Clean Air Act. The theory: Dilution is the solution to pollution. In other words, disperse it really high. Unfortunately, it turned out not to work that way. It only puts the pollutants higher in the sky. Oh well. They gave it a shot.


Back on I-80 it is just monotony now.


Then we hit the Bonneville Salt Flats


Now its everywhere


We stop at a convenient rest area and have a look see. You can drive out and horse around if you want to. I chose not to.








The race track is around here somewhere. I can't imagine going 760 miles per hour on the ground.

Wendover is the first town when you cross into Nevada. There's gambling here. Wendover Will says "Howdy"


We got to Winnemucca at a decent hour and found a Wingers restaurant. Decided to gas up tonight. They had a car wash, so I drove around in the fading light looking for photo opportunities.








We didn't gamble.

[snowbimmer]

Day 13: Winnemucca to Redmond, OR - 423 miles


Now it's mostly about just getting home. There is, however, some new territory involved, so there's that.

The day dawns all sunny and warm. All of our hotels have offered breakfast. This one did not and we didn't find out until we went to look for it. So, we went to the travel plaza and got a couple big Cinnabons. Good enough.

We couldn't mess around too much this morning. We had to go 210 miles and be in Lakeview for lunch with our friends by noon. I figured 3 hours of driving and 30 minutes to screw around. We leave at 8:30. We actually left at 8:15, since we didn't have to mess with a sit down breakfast.

We head north on 95 and take a pleasant 45 minutes to get to the turn off for Hwy 140. We make the corner and head west. Gotta get a picture of this:


There is nothing out there. I wonder how fast I could get going?


The mountains behind us to the mountains in front of us are about 20 miles.


No break downs..............no flats. Please.


Before we take off, a Nevada state vehicle drives in from the abyss. Are we ok? Yup, just taking pictures. Thanks. And he's off.

It's 97 miles to Denio Junction. The first real town. There is literally nothing in between. Gotta be the loneliest stretch of highway I've ever been on. There's a rest area about half way


And then some ranches show up here and there. We pass Denio Junction - just a smattering of houses and a gas station/store. It gets real arid again. It's flat. Just sagebrush for miles and miles. We find another rest area and stop for a few pictures.




We seem to be running a little early by the time we cross into Oregon. There's not much out here worth sightseeing.




A few miles further we run into our last precarious stretch of road: The Doherty Slide. This section of road drops down the side of a ridge that is part of an ancient volcano. It's 1000 feet down, the road is narrow, the grade reaches 8% and, of course, there are no guardrails. The good news is we have the mountain side on right the side of our lane. No worries.

Perched at the top. Vast nothingness beyond.


Let's go. 1st & 4th pictures not mine.








My friends came through here yesterday - with an 11,000 lb trailer behind them pushing them down the hill. This could be dicey in the winter when icy. There's no guarantee you'll make all the turns.

It's 10:30 and were only 60 miles away - gonna be early for lunch. We arrive at the Burger Queen Drive In around 11:30 and they are waiting in the parking lot. After spotting them 14 days and chasing them all over tarnation for another 2 weeks and 3,700 miles we finally nail their asses and they will eat our dust the rest of the way home. Woo Hoo!

We share pictures and regale ourselves over all our exploits. Their leisurely pace of a month versus our 2 weeks has some appeal. We didn't build any 2 night stays into this trip to re-charge, but I don't feel we really needed them. Maybe 10 days on a beach in Maui could fix that.


We say our good byes and head out on Hwy 31 north. We're in 1st place now!

Downtown Lakeview


On the way to Paisley we run across Lake Albert, Oregon's only salt water lake. Alas, it dried up in 2014. And there's some water rights controversy apparently. Somebody goofed.


Paisley is a small farming town - not much going on, but enough for a snack. Population: 250






We meander past Summer Lake, about the same size as Lake Albert - also dried up. At Silverlake (no lake, just a small town) we head north through farming country to Fort Rock State Park. Fort Rock is an ancient caldera sitting in the middle of an old dry lake bed. You can hike around. It's hot. We just take pictures.








We come back to Hwy 31 and head for Redmond - only 85 miles to go. It's nice as we shed the arid farms and ranches and get back into Ponderosa Pine forests. Hwy 97 is jammed with traffic all the way to Redmond. It's really grown over here the last 20 years. All those darned Californians, no doubt.

Our favorite Italian restaurant next to the hotel is now serving up Middle Eastern-Persian cuisine. Not my wheelhouse. Oh, well.

One easy day to go.

[snowbimmer]

Day 14: Redmond to Portland - 185 miles


We told the dog-sitter in West Salem we'd be by around 11:30. Its 131 miles and we've seen it a hundred times. Should take about 2 hours.

The Three Sisters are always a treat - from a previous trip when there was some snow. Not much now.


Highway 22 heads west toward the Cascade Range. One more high pass to negotiate: The Santiam Pass, Elevation 4,816 feet. Gee, we never went below 5,000 feet for 10 days. I think we'll be OK. Three Fingered Jack (7,844') and Mt Jefferson (10,502') in back. We did 10 Colorado passes higher than that. We are not worthy, Colorado.
Santiam Pass from the air


It's always sad to drive through the recent fire devastation around the Santiam Pass. But nature heals and many parts are coming along nicely. A lot of trees have been taken down and hauled away.




Salem to Portland on I-5 is a slog. Three lanes of traffic for 50 miles and then the endless construction and clogged arteries once you're in the city. I need another road trip.

All washed (but not interior detailed - the dust!) and ready to go again. Where to go.....? Too bad winter's coming, to coin a phrase.


Summary thoughts:

The M850 is really exceeding my expectations. The odometer reads 15,008 when we arrive home. All in 5 1/2 months no less. My M5C that took us to Colorado last year was a special car - what a rock star. But, the M850 is no slouch. With nearly the same performance and a slightly more compliant ride, it is clearly the better long haul road trip cruiser. I looked forward to getting into it every day. And zero mechanical problems. The M5 is better for luggage and better on the mountain twisties when you set up the suspension, but that is rendered moot in a state as crowded as Colorado. There's not a lot of places you can go nuts. The road designs of paved lane, fog line, 1 inch of shoulder and then abyss don't really lend themselves to a 617hp land rocket. Now, Utah and Nevada, that's a different story.

This Utah-Western Colorado area is becoming my favorite region of the country. It is 135,000 square miles of unsurpassed beauty and adventure.


It contains a vast list of national parks, recreation areas, mountain ranges and towns. It was our 3rd time through in 4 years and I'm ready to go back. Maybe put a couple 2 or 3 night stays in the next time. 5 days relaxing in Vail wouldn't kill anybody.

Thanks for hanging in there. I hope you enjoyed it.

[jargon]

Wow!

Thanks for taking the time to build this thread.

How many times did you go to the car wash?
It seemed like it never got dirty!

[hersh67]

Calendar worthy shots. Good job.

[snowbimmer]

Originally Posted by jargon

Wow!

Thanks for taking the time to build this thread.

How many times did you go to the car wash?
It seemed like it never got dirty!

Thank you.

Only about 46% posted so far.

I think I washed the car every other day or so. Some pics later on show a dirty car, unfortunately.

[snowbimmer]

Originally Posted by hersh67

Calendar worthy shots. Good job.

Thanks. Some of the best is yet to come. Should finish up tomorrow.

[germanroots]

Incredible!!! Let me know if you end up anywhere near SLC.

Oh…and that poor bastard on his bike heading up Pikes Peak! That ain't easy.

[Opie55]

I live in Colorado so these places are very familiar to me. I still think it's a shame they paved the road up Pikes Peak in the last few years. Next time you come drive the road up Mt. Evans about 35 miles west of Denver. Highest paved road in North America and makes the Pikes Peak road look like a multi-lane highway by comparison. It's very narrow and the drops are long.