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If you leave the winter coat home, I'd bring a warm sweater and flannel shirts in addition to a leather jacket. Bring a stocking cap and gloves. It can get quite cold and windy at higher elevations. When you are transiting different climates, layered clothing is the best way to do it.
I forgot to mention - there are also hotels in Montrose.
So, where is a good place, about midway between Colorado Springs and Grand Junction off US50?Quote:
Originally Posted by glc
Some say Gunnison, some Salida, some Montrose. Any cute place to stay? Also, that means extra time so some places you recommend where scenery or monument or something I should make sure to see?
What town to stay in, what motel to sleep in, what diner to eat in - Those are all matters of personal choice. Just as you found this site, you can find sites that get down to the nitty gritty level of the kinds of questions you're asking now. I can tell you where I'd stay, sleep or eat, but Donna might and probably would tell you something completely different, and glc would tell you something else entirely. It's up to you to make this trip yours. That is what we encourage most on this site. So just start doing some searches on town-name lodging and/or town-name restaurants, and/or town-name attractions and see what appeals to YOU.
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".
AZBuck
Gunnison is a bit more than halfway, but from a scenery standpoint, that would be the best.
I also recommended previously the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, it's a national park. It's actually closer to Montrose than it is the town of Gunnison.
Note that I'm not recommending specific hotels, I very seldom do that. I will only recommend hotels that I've stayed at and they stand out for one reason or another. I can only recommend areas in which to find hotels to your liking.
Thanks to all of you on this forum. I start in the morning. Don’t plan to stop, other than fuel, till I get to Hayes on Monday night but expect nicer scenery on way from Hayes to Colorado Springs on Tuesday, so will update here on Tuesday night.
Enjoy the ride and we will look forward to the updates!
Safe travels.
Updated information: the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closed. Here's what the website says:
Quote:
North Rim SR 67 CLOSED due to severe winter weather-Monday, 11/9/2020
All areas on the North Rim, including SR 67, the North Kaibab Trailhead, and the Scenic Roads are closed until further notice as a result of a winter storm. Travel to the Kaibab Plateau is not advised. Call the road condition line at: 928-638-7496.
Donna
Update! I left St. Louis this morning at 9:15 a.m., drove through the state on I-70, crossed into Kansas and finally ended up here in Colby, KS. I was pleasantly surprised. The past 10 months, old me has invariably taken a nap during the day, expected to pull into a rest area and nap but aI was able to drive on, about 600 miles from home.
Tomorrow, I drive to Colorado Springs, a drive of 218 miles. Suggestions on place to stay?
In any case, I will look up the maps now.
There are plenty of hotels in Colorado Springs. No specific recommendations. If you have a laptop or tablet, load up Google Maps and focus on the Colorado Springs area, then hit the Hotels button. On the way into town on US-24, I see 4 hotels by the airport at the Peterson Rd exit, all under $60.
Suggestion - don't try to do any more 600 mile days. It will catch up with you.
I am hearing that road conditions are bad over Monarch Pass and also that an emergency was called for UT, that I-70 is backed up with multiple accidents today. People are advising me not to go without snow tires and such.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...html#108409944
It seemed like I made a mistake. I elected to drive after looking at weather forecasts for all the cities I might stop by. Thus, I looked at Colorado Springs, Poncho Springs, Grand Junction and Moab, UT. Now, I learn that while weather for the cities still shows sunny and 30’s plus, the mountain passes all call for intermittent snow, that a first of 3 waves of storms are due this weekend. Nervous with my rear wheel drive sports car and no chains with me.
From what I'm seeing in the forecast it looks like light snow flurries with little accumulation so I'm hoping you will be just fine. They are used to dealing with snow and ice in Colorado so the main routes should be ok but I would stick to daylight hours for driving and if you start to feel uncomfortable find a motel and get off the road until things improve.
Don’t know. Someone else told me that it’s tough with my car and all the rear wheel power, that upon on Monarch Pass it’s not recommended, that the state requires chains under conditions. Their cotrip site shows snow packed roads.Quote:
Originally Posted by Southwest Dave
From the CODOT website:
Traction Law
During winter storms, or when conditions require, CDOT will implement the Traction Law. During a Traction Law, all motorists are required to have EITHER:
1. 4WD or AWD vehicle and 3/16” tread depth
2. Tires with a mud and snow designation (M+S icon) and 3/16” tread depth
3. Winter tires (mountain-snowflake icon) and 3/16” tread depth
4. Tires with an all-weather rating by the manufacturer and 3/16” tread depth
5. Chains or an AutoSock®
Passenger Vehicle Chain Law
During severe winter storms, CDOT will implement the Chain Law. This is the final safety measure before the highway is closed.
When the Chain Law is in effect, every vehicle must have chains or an AutoSock®.
----------------------------------------------------
What kind of car do you have? Do your tires meet the traction law requirement?
Traction law requirement is common on the passes, but seldom will you see the chain law in effect. If it is, you don't belong on the road to begin with regardless of what you are driving. Right now as I'm posting, the only places where the traction law is in effect are US-6 over Loveland Pass, and I-70 between Vail and Copper Mountain.
No, they don’t meet traction laws. I have a rear wheel drive Nissan 370Z.
I am re-routing. New plans tomorrow are to head south. Suggested route is to travel from Colorado Springs to Salida, Co and then take I-285 down through Alamosa. Don’t know if the sand dunes are worth making a detour.
Your advice is appreciated.
You are going to have to go over some high passes to go west from where you are, no matter what you do.
US-24 has a couple between Colorado Springs and Salida. Going west from Alamosa, Wolf Creek Pass on US-160 is a rough one. If weather does look to be an issue, the safest thing for you to do at this point is take I-25 to Albuquerque and then I-40 to go west. At least the Interstates are safer than the winding 2 lanes.
Plannnow is to head to Salida, roads seem to be clear, then head south to Alamosa and then, maybe to Taos. Are the sand dunes worth taking a detour? I might then visit a place I worked briefly about 30 years ago, Los Alamos. Eventually, may go west or find Route 66 backbtobSt. Louis.Quote:
You are going to have to go over some high passes to go west from where you are, no matter what you do.
US-24 has a couple between Colorado Springs and Salida. Going west from Alamosa, Wolf Creek Pass on US-160 is a rough one. If weather does look to be an issue, the safest thing for you to do at this point is take I-25 to Albuquerque and then I-40 to go west. At least the Interstates are safer than the winding 2 lanes.
If you have decided to head south then I would say yes, the Sand dunes are worth a visit. Near Taos on US64 is the Rio Grande Gorge bridge which is worth a stop. Depending on conditions and what you decide you could also drive 'The Enchanted circle' scenic drive.
3rd day of trip. Started out from Colorado Springs via US50 to Salida. A gorgeous drive. From there, decided to head to Alamosa, Co. A long beautiful drive with snow capped mountains on my left the entire way. After a stop at Alamosa, I headed to Santa Fe.
Tomorrow, after a brief stop in White Rock and Los Alamos, NM, places where Zi lived 20 years ago. My daughter, now 27, wants me to get a picture of the place we lived and the elementry school she attended there.
After that, I am thinking of returning back to St. Louis. Google maps shows the fastest route thru Colorado, Kansas etc., but Zi just drove that route. So, considering another route. Any suggestions?
Leaving for STL from exactly where? Los Alamos? US-285 to I-40 to I-44 is actually the fastest. Can be done in 2 days with an overnight in OKC.
Don’t mind an extra few hours if a nicer, more scenic route is available.Quote:
Originally Posted by glc
I enjoy getting off Interstate and taking my time and although I don't know much about heading back east, we did enjoy the drive along US380 ('Billy the Kid trail') through Capitan,(Home of Smokey bear) Fort Stanton and the historic town of Lincoln. It depends on how many extra miles and time you want to add.
I don't know about nicer and more scenic, but you can make the drive on mostly non-Interstates by adding a few hours.
Take I-25 north to Springer, get on US-56 east.
At Hugoton KS, take KS-51 east to US-83 north to US-160 east to US-54 east.
US-54 merges with US-400, stay on US-400 through Wichita.
Just west of Fredonia, take KS-39 east to KS-7 to US-69 into Fort Scott.
Take US-54 east to Jeff City, then US-50 most of the way to STL.
I like the thought of that route that GLC suggested, but I would like to give you a bit of warning. After you take the bypass around Lake of the Ozarks, there's a lot of construction just before you get to County-Rt W. They are making that into a freeway style intersection, because it's been a bit of a hazard -- a traffic light that comes out of nowhere after miles and miles of freely moving traffic. Daughter says that there's a lot of construction, but it shouldn't delay you any.
If you're going via US-54, you might want to stop and see a bit of the Lake. You can drive the 'old road' through town. At this time of the year, there won't be much traffic at all. Drive the Strip, cross Bagnell Dam, follow the signs back to US-54 (it takes you back via that annoying intersection).
Donna
Sounds kind of like the old Garden State Parkway in NJ with the couple "exits" near the southern end that were just light controlled intersections. Of course, at least on that road people were used to interruptions every so often for tolls, though that also decreased over the years as more were made into non stop for EZ Pass users.Quote:
Originally Posted by DonnaR57