roadtrip or snap and kill trip
March 16, 2007: So my life over the last few months has been stressful. I'm trying to open my own coffee shop, and keep running into roadblocks on the financial side. Banks not returning my calls, my credit rating getting tons of queries thus making me look unfavorable to other banks, former employees who said they would come with me jumping ship because of how long this is taking, and more and more "no"'s from more and more people. I'm stressed. Tremendously. So how to solve the stressed issue? Roadtrip! Make it a long one (total of 15 hours on the road), visit old stomping grounds, and just relax. It's what the doctor ordered.
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
OK. Just told The Skirt that I was bailing for a while. The plan: head north. Maybe head west then and get some wine. Who knows?
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Heading out of Black Forest. This showcase of opulence isn't to a subdivision: it's someone's driveway. Jerks have money, won't let me borrow some.
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One of the most fascinating things about Black Forest is how abrupt the scenery transition really is.
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See?
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Alright. We've zig-zagged from Black Forest over to SH 83. We've been here before.
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Well, since 83 is fresh in the roadtrip log, let's head west on 105 and jump back onto the interstate.
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We've dipped into Black Forest again. The intersections through here are usually located just after or on top of hills. It leads to some white-knuckle driving.
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Here's Roller Coaster Road, advertised on one freakin' huge sign. True to its name, Roller Coaster Road is a series of hills, valleys, dips, and steeper hills. It used to be a great road to fly down and catch some g forces, but development has made that quite dangerous now.
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A little numbering scheme error here. 105 was extended on the east/west leg quite some time ago, hence the west-on-a-odd-numbered-highway thang.
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It dawned on me about here that I didn't bring any spare batteries for the camera. Oops. Well, there's A Wally World (Wal-Mart) right in Monument now, I'll go get a car charger/battery pack. On the way, I spotted this lovely goof.
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I think developers are starting to run out of road names. The next block over was named Assless Chaps.
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Nice parkway feel to the new shopping complex. Too bad the interchange with the interstate is a substandard 2 lane road.
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Back heading north on I-25 now, just over Monument Hill. Doesn't this make it difficult to look through your rear-view mirror?
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Scenes like this are already starting to relax me.
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The Larkspur rest areas have been closed down because a lawmaker was shocked--SHOCKED, I tell you--to find out that bad things happen here overnight. So they're updating the area to "better watch over us." Where am I supposed to get my hookers and blow now?
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Castle Rock's section of I-25 is getting a facelift and a spare lane each direction. This was just starting the last time we were up here. So how low does it go? And don't these slapped together construction signs just look nasty?
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Please note that the height of the temporary clearance is posted after where overheight vehicles could exit to avoid crashing into the bridge. That's some good thinking there.
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I've been here multiple times. Now, though, we're on the part that used to be a hill.
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Well, the canyon may be happy, but the sign's not.
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Yeah! Let's head west on 470. We haven't been that way before.
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Coming down from the massive stack onto 470 now. Nice view from up here.
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Parts of 470 still have the original cement. It's loud, dip filled, and seriously crowded. Plans are afoot to add HOV/HOT lanes and/or light rail through here, but it'll be a while before anything changes.
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Coming up on the southern END! of SH 177. It heads north for 6 miles and ends at US 285.
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Looking down SH 177 from the 470 overpass. Those are some old traffic signals in the foreground.
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After the exit but before the overpass for US 85/Sante Fe Blvd., 470 and the exit ramps dip under some railroad tracks.
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The first two bridges are railroad tracks. The third bridge is US 85. You can see how steep the offramp gets to get back up to 85's level. This is going to be fun to try to expand.
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All-in-one sign goodness advertising an unmarked exit from WB 470 just after US 85. This exit doesn't show up on many exit guides since it only goes to a quarry.
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Hmmm. Perhaps I should change lanes.
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From the Department of Redundancy Department, we have a superfulous JCT sign assembly.
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Here's the southern END! of SH 75. There is no access to this interchange to and from EB 470, although there is a gap in the median exit mileage signs. Maybe someday?
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Sh 75 BEGIN!s at that intersection at the end of the exit "ramp."
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We're about to enounter a wall of mountain, so here's where WB 470 "becomes" NB 470.
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It is still signed as Westbound, though.
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470 hugs what I've heard call the Hogback for the rest of its existance.
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The first time I heard of this road, I thought it was called Bowels. I was set straight pretty quickly.
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Looks like Belleview Avenue is getting a major upgrade.
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Just after the interchange with US 287, there's another unmarked exit. This one leads to the lakes you see in the background.
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Instead of an Exit gore point sign, we get an older style one way sign.
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We haven't traveled on SH 8 yet. So we shall.
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There's a river to cross before the intersection.
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We'll head west.
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SPUI alert! This was one of the first SPUIs in Colorado.
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SH 8 quickly drops to a two lane road. This road gets massively congested because of Red Rocks Park.
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So what is Red Rocks Park? It's a stage/ampitheater that was fit perfectly into the rocks. The acoustics are phenomenal, and the views of the city can't be beat.
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You like happy ending to go with your turn right?
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Beautiful downtown Morrison.
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Love the stairs for the sidewalk.
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Old-skool one lane bridge on the left of that intersection pictured above.
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Just outside Morrison, we encounter SH 74. Where's that arrow sign going?
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SH 8 turns south and intersects 287. We're going to take SH 74 now. Yup. You guessed it. Another END!
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Looking down SH 8.
- Where to next?
- This trip's Index
- Page 2
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with any of the orginizations listed within this site. I'm just a bored roadgeek with way too much time on his hands. All of the picts in this page are mine and mine alone unless otherwise noted. Remember, kids: stealing is bad, mmmm-k? I get quite pissy if things are taken without telling me. I don't like to be pissy. You won't like it either. If you want to link to this page, that's fine. Please shoot me an email beforehand so I can link to your page as well. K? Thanks. --Ryan
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