RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
Not necessarily true - I have driven across the Rockies on I-70 in December with no snow or ice issues. Of course, you should be prepared just in case, but if you keep an eye on forecasts and conditions and adjust as appropriate, there won't necessarily be a problem. Thousands of motorists make that trip on a daily basis. The cotrip.org website is an invaluable resource.
You should be able to buy a set of cable chains for about 30 bucks or so - I've seen them in Walmarts in SoCal.
I think the fact that I am living in Avon CO and know what the conditions are like right at the moment, that it has being currently snowing here day after day, trying to get through Glenwood canyon, Dowd Junction, Vail pass, up to the tunnel, Floyd Hill and Geneese. You may just end up like the others that I see sitting on the side of the road not looking happy.
It may be that conditions are not good at this moment - but that hardly means that I-70 is a route that must be avoided for winter travel.
I too have made the trip across I-70 in the middle of February - while pulling a trailer at that - and had no problems what so ever. Of course, I-70 does cross the rockies at significant elevation and with that it does increase the risk of seeing winter conditions, but there is a big difference between being aware of those conditions and simply ruling out a major cross country highway that sees thousands of cars every day, all year long.
On the flip side - I-40 can and does also frequently see severe winter weather. Between its own multiple mountain passes of over 7,000 feet in AZ and NM, as well as the semi-frequent ice storms that hit the southern plains across Texas, Oklahoma, etc, its not unusual at all to see major delays along this more southern route.
RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
If the snow stops soon, there will be no problem for the Colorado DOT to get I-70 into decent shape by the time you would be going through. This is why you must keep abreast of the weather conditions, forecast, and road conditions. This is quite easy to do online.
Sorry I havent gotten back sooner...my work blocks forums. I am going to buy snow chains before i go because I am ending up in PA during the winter and figured it would be a smart purchase.
My coworker likes to play the devil's advocate so he could be kidding me but I feel a drive to Albuquerque is nothing. You will all definitely know the outcome.
On a side note, when i was 18 i drove to San Francisco smoking pot the whole time (yes I did almost pass out because i started at night, and no i dont need lectures, just fyi). I plan on being sober the whole trip just drinking monsters on occasion.
I think for now I am decided on the i-40 route. I just didnt realize how far Memphis is out of the way according to you...according to google maps (which i know you all hate) it is just one hour tacked on.
lol...didnt see all the other posts, i just started replying after seeing the snow chain question. I like the votes of confidence for the Colorado route. It seems like it would be a more pleasant journey. As for the i-40, i have already seen Amarillo police close down the road due to flooding within the past 7 days.
It seems all of the trouble areas, if all goes to plan, will be behind me after the first grueling day. thats good news!
Your co-worker may be kidding you, he may not be considering the impact of such a drive being done day after day, or he may just be an arrogant sob who likes playing russian roulette with other people lives.
Trust us on this one. Look at the frightening statistics linked to in the above post about the number of people killed by drowsy drivers, look at the laws limiting the number of miles in place for professional drivers, and answer why you think you'd be immune to the physical realities that are the cause for both of those things. If you can explain to us why your body is different from everyone else, then go for it, if not please don't risk your life and the lives of others because of what someone told you.
We know you've admitted that you've endanger countless other lives in the past by driving while under the influence, but Trying to do this as a challenge makes no more sense than a challenge of trying to see how much you can drink before getting behind the wheel.
More importantly, with the amount of time you have available for this trip, there is no need to engage in such reckless activity! A reasonable 500-600 miles per day will get you to your destination in the time you have available.
I certainly don't hate googlemaps - its easily among the top 5 sites I visit on a daily basis. However, you do have to understand its limitations.Originally Posted by Frankiefitz
First, I think you've misread it. It says its an hour difference if you take I-40 and then cut up I-44 through St. Louis. It says there is a 2 hour difference if you modify the route to take I-40 all the way to Memphis.
Second, one thing with Google or any other mapping program you need to remember is that such programs simply don't consider the fact that you'll have to slow down and/or stop for gas, traffic, etc. As such, adding 20% to the travel time estimate will give you a more reasonable estimate of how long a trip will actually take.
Third - putting those 2 things together. Google has the Denver route at 2580 miles, and the memphis route at 2720, so that's about 150 miles - or about 2.5 hours of real world on the road time.
Thanks a lot Midwest Michael for all your help. I'm like 95% going the southern route. I realize googlemaps has its limitations and no one can hate that website (its too cool) aside from when it puts you in the wrong part of town (true story).
Any suggestions on stuff you guys have seen that you personally thought was cool (aside from the usual park/waterfall) would still be welcome.
As would any other "words of the wise"
Thanks
Alright, I think I am wrapping things up. Looks like it is a better decision to go the normal route, which is to St. Louis from OKC to Columbus OH and so on.
How is the 70 in terms of sights (from the freeway), and clearing any bad weather?
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