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.
Slowly starting to destress
Heading west. I'm thinking I got too late of a start to the trip to go too far west for photography's sake. We'll see, though.
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Now heading up SH 74 towards Evergreen. We're also on the Lariat Loop Scenic Highway.
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Red Rocks is such a tourist destination that the state opened a Welcome Center in it.
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I was a little too slow on the draw, but the picture is still interesting. The foreground sign is a Speed Limit 30 sign. So you go 30 for ~200 feet then jump to 35. Why not just make it 35 at this point?
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About to enter Bear Creek Canyon. Come on, it wouldn't be a r-dub mountain trip without a canyon or high pass!
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This canyon? A little deep. Cool.
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Stress levels are definitely decreasing.
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I love canyon driving, especially when there's nobody in front of me that is panicking on the curves.
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This is quite a lengthy canyon.
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It just keeps going and going...
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... and going ...
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... and going.
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As soon as we're free from the steep canyon, civilization appears.
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Entering Idledale.
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When you really want people to know your phone number.
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Well, since I know we're not in North Carolina or Tennessee, I'm going to assume this is a goof. Funny thing is that this goof is repeated all the way through this stretch of SH 74, including right next to a CDOT shop.
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No word on weather or not the bear is still there in his lair. Eating a pear. If he is, don't stare. Although he probably wouldn't care.
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Yup, still on the Lariat Loop.
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Nice stone arch bridge leading to a private residence. Jerks. More people with money not willing to loan me some.
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Welcome to Evergreen.
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Interesting way to sign the T intersection.
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Downtown Evergreen, part 1. Because of its layout in the valley, downtown stretches for about a mile on SH 74 and CR 73.
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Approaching the intersection of SH 74 and CR 73. We'll stay on 74.
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This the last of a parade of signs saying this is the way to go to get out of the valley.
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I think there's some pedestrians ahead, do you agree?
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WOrdy sign that probably shold be brown.
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This is a historical END! of SH 103. CDOT pulled back a few years ago, but the highway still looks like it's maintained like a state highway.
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That's one fugly 6.
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Gotta slow down for that tight curve around the hill ahead.
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I find it interesting that WB 40 is signed here when EB 40 isn't. It kinda joins with the interstate for a while, but will we see evidence of that? Nope.
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At the intersection the previous sign assembly was talking about. The bridge in the background is the offramp from WB 70, so this is a good a pic as any to show you the END! of SH 74.
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So I was going to head west to Grand Junction and pick up some good wine, but the sun wouldn't allow for good photography, as was shown in the last few picts. So, let's head east. This stretch of 70 gets the star treatment with times on signs!
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So have you ever been on an interstate that drops about 2000 feet in a matter of miles? No? Well, you're about to be.
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Dropping speeds. We were at 75.
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Did the yellow Trucks banner get tacked on?
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Warnings to truckers abound.
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See the plains in the distance? Yeah, we'll be there in a matter of minutes.
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Hey! I thought we were headed downhill!
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Obviously, we aren't the first group wondering what happened to the downhill part.
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Alright. Time to get serious.
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Don't slow down to admire the view or you'll get run right off the road. This is a 65 mph free-for-all with trucks doing 35 in the right lane.
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Truck broke? We can help!
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I've always been tempted to put the car in neutral and see how fast I'd end up going.
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Now we're getting serious.
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It looks flat in this pic, but believe me it's not.
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This truck ramp is advertised heavily.
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Rock cuts galore. The leftmost road is US 40. It's signed on the roadway, but nowhere on the I does it say that 40 left.
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Road banking is our friend.
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This isn't your typical "run the trucks straight up the side of a mountain" runaway truck ramp.
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The pavement in the ramp gives way to deep sand.
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The ramp is quite lengthy. I've never seen a truck use this one.
- Where to next?
- Page 1
- This trip's Index
- Page 3
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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