ajs@hpfcla.UUCP (ajs) (08/15/85)
> The other route I have thought about is head due north to Denver, then > cut throught Nebraska... If you come up I25 to Denver, then north to Cheyenne, Wyoming; or worse, east out of Denver on I70; you will see little but plains, a couple of large cities, and mountains in the distance. Instead, be adventurous and take some time. Come through SW Colorado (don't remember exactly how, don't have a map in front of me). Get on US24 at some point and go north via Buena Vista, Leadville, etc. to I70, then down to Denver. Or catch US40 before Denver, north then east over Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park, then through Estes Park and Loveland, to I25 north. The US24 route takes you through the Arkansas River Valley to its headwaters at Fremont Pass, with the US backbone of the Rocky Mountains (the Sawatch Range) nearby to the west. There are 15 peaks over 14000' just in that range. On Trail Ridge Road, at Milner Pass, you encounter the headwaters of the Colorado River. Have a great trip. Alan Silverstein
seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) (08/22/85)
I didn't think I70 out of Denver was that bad! In fact, I thought it was one of the most interesting parts of the trip. I had never been out west except to San Francisco and Denver. Driving through the desolote parts of the west was really wild. It looks so totally different than anything else I had ever seen. All those buttes and canyons and nothingness! It was so weird. I think you have never seen this part of the country you should try to. It has a haunting beauty all its own. But remember to leave with a full tank from Grand Junction, CO! After that it's 170 miles(!) until the next gas station or services. If anyone is interested, it is possible to make the trip from Denver to Salinas, Utah in one very long day. We left Denver at 6:30 in the morning, drove west, stopped at Arches National Monument on the way(which was a detour of considerable distance) and drove on to Salinas. Talk about temperature extremes! It was in the low 60's when we left Denver. It was 30 when we crossed the Continental Divide and it was 105 at Arches. Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzz!seb