So, I've been real busy the last two months, but I figured I'd finally get around to posting up some pictures from my Colorado road trip this summer. I left College Station, TX on August 9th and didn't get back into town until August 26th. I covered a little more than 6,500 miles along the way.
The old 'burban ran like a top. Averaged 13.5 mpg, cruising at 70mph most of the time (although a lot of Texas and New Mexico went by at 80-85mph, gas mileage still stayed above 13 on almost every fill). The one exception was Tincup Pass, where I only got 8mpg, but I spent the entire way up pretty much riding the torque converter in first gear trying to keep traction. I was real glad I did the cooling system and transmission upgrades (and especially the Powertrax) before I went up that thing. Here's some of the better pictures I took of the burb on the trip. Thought y'all might enjoy...
Getting ready to leave, all cleaned and waxed:
Leg 1: Texas Panhandle and Northeastern New Mexico:
I left College Station and headed to Austin, TX. From there, I cut cross country on some of the secondary roads until I hit the main highway south of Lubbock. I stopped off in Canyon, TX to tour Palo Duro Canyon, and went hiking there for several hours. I left Canyon and headed to Amarillo, skirting it on the southwest side and then making a beeline towards Raton, NM. I stayed the night in Raton, and then headed north on the interstate towards the Colorado border over Raton Pass.
Somewhere between Lubbock and Amarillo, TX:
Palo Duro Canyon, TX:
East of Raton, NM:
Heading North out of Raton, NM towards Southeastern Colorado:
Leg 2: Southeastern Colorado:
From Raton Pass, I continued north towards Trinidad. At Trinidad, I got off on Highway 12, the "Highway of Legends", and made the loop around towards Cuchara and La Veta. I jumped off of Highway 12 and ran dirt road up to Bear Lake, a little over 11,000 ft up the side of Steep Mtn in the Spanish Peaks. I set up camp at a National Forest Site there, then headed back down the Highway of Legends, catching U.S. 160 West to the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. I spent the afternoon climbing on the dunes, and then rolled back to camp. The next day I headed back down the Highway of Legends to Walsenburg, and then jumped on Colorado 69 northwest towards Texas Creek.
Cuchara Pass, CO, (Entering San Isabel Ntl. Forest) Elev. 9995 ft:
Camping, 11,200 ft up in the Spanish Peaks:
Colorado 69 near Gardner, CO:
Leg 3: Central Colorado:
From Texas Creek, I took US 50 east to Canon City, and saw the Royal Gorge Bridge (along with some real pretty pullovers on U.S. 50 next to the Arkansas River). From Canyon City, I headed east on US 50 to Florence, and then took the Phantom Canyon Rd Gold Belt tour up through Cripple Creek and Florissant. From Florissant, I took US 24 west to Buena Vista, and camped the night in a National Forest site on the East side of Cottonwood Pass, just below Mt. Princeton.
Starting up Phantom Canyon Rd, just north of Florence, CO:
The Gold Belt Tour, Phantom Canyon Rd:
One lane railroad tunnel on Phantom Canyon Rd:
Original railroad bridge in Phantom Canyon:
Going over the bridge:
At the top of the canyon pass, near Cripple Creek, CO:
Leg 4: Into the Continental Divide:
From Buena Vista, I headed west up Colorado 306 to Cottonwood pass on the Continental Divide. The road was paved to the top from the east, and was really a pretty drive. I spent about an hour and a half on top climbing one of the 13,000 ft peaks nearby. The view from the top really felt like the roof of the world. I then dropped off the west side of the pass where the road becomes dirt. I went west until I skirted Taylor Park Reservoir, and then turned back east towards Tincup. From Tincup, it was a fairly good rock/dirt road up to Mirror Lake. However, from Mirror Lake up to Tincup Pass, the road got progressively worse, until it was really only barely passable. I saw a lot of Jeeps turn around and head back down before reaching the top. I got to the top, only to find that the pass was closed headed down to the west. I guess they didn't figure anyone would come up from the west like I did, so they hadn't put a sign at the west end, but I wasn't about to turn around and do it all over again. The road going east from the Pass was much better, and I made it back to Buena Vista and north on US 24 through Leadville and into Vail before dark. I read later that the pass used to be pretty good, but the west side got washed out by heavy rains in '09 and hadn't been fixed since. I would bet I was the first 2wd vehicle to make it over in quite a while. From Vail, I ducked back on Interstate 70 east for a while, and then headed south on Colorado 9 to east US 285. I got off 285 at Grant, CO, and took Guanella Pass Rd over the top to Georgetown. It was a spectacular drive, and there was some really cool ghost mines on the north side of the pass that I spent a few hours prowling around. I then headed up towards Estes Park via Colorado 119, 72, and 7 , and spent two days hiking and sightseeing there. I climbed Twin Sister's peak, and then took US 34 West to Granby (the highest paved highway in the United States). From Granby, I went west on US 40 to Steamboat, and stayed the night.
US 24 between Florissant and Buena Vista, CO:
Cottonwood Pass, Continental Divide, Elev. 12165ft:
Coming down the west side of Cottonwood Pass:
Mirror lake, just west of (and way below) Tincup Pass:
The road around Mirror Lake:
Headed up towards Tincup Pass:
Up, up, and up:
Only several hundred yards to go...
At the top of Tincup Pass, 12154 ft:
Down the east side of Tincup Pass:
Leg 5: Utah, Southwestern Colorado, and West Texas:
From Steamboat Springs, I headed West on US 40 to Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, Utah. I spent most of the afternoon there, and then drove south to Fruita on Colorado 139. The next day, I went to Colorado National Monument, and then drove Colorado 141 through Uncompahgre National Forest and down the San Miguel River. I took Colorado 62 East to US 550 North, and then stayed the night in Montrose. From Montrose, I went back down Colorado 145, and saw the Four Corners and Mesa Verde National Park. I took US 160 east over Wolf Creek Pass, making a full circle as I went through Alimosa again, and then headed south on Colorado 159 into New Mexico. I spent the rest of the day taking backroads through New Mexico, and visited Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountain National Park on my way out. I finished up by taking a loop through Fort Davis, Alpine, and Terlingua/Lajitas, and then headed into Big Bend National Park where I drove up into the basin. The route back from there was an uneventful haul east on Interstate 10 and then US 290 through Austin and on into College Station again.
Crossing the Utah border:
Colorado 141, Uncompahgre National Forest
Sunset at Mesa Verde National PArk
Cabins we stayed at in Alpine, TX
It was one heck of a road trip. I hope y'all enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I did taking them. I kept it to just the shots with the Suburban in it, but there are some really spectacular photos of the scenery that I took too.
-cal30sniper