1 year anniversary mega-trip
The r-dub site has been online one year as of 5/12/06, and I thought it best to celebrate with another roadtrip. I planned this one out before leaving home, and just kept going until the batteries in my camera were dead and the memory card in my camera almost full. What I was left with was a ton of pictures and a car with an additional 720 miles on it. Okay, maybe this trip was a little too long...
The attack of the END!s
We're headed west on US 40 through what many people call Middle Park in Colorado. Quite like South Park, CO and North Park, CO, it's a flat bowl surrounded by mountains. Middle Park consists of the towns of Tabernash, Granby, Hot Sulfur Springs, and (to a point) Kremmling. This is also where quite a few state routes and one US route end, too, as we'll see.
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The highest numbered CR I've seen in a while.
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Looking ahead at the vast bowl of a valley that we're in.
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Need to sleep? This sign will help. I like how CDOT has placed the symbols here, too. There was another sign earlier (whose pic didn't come out, unfortunately) advertising sleigh rides. Yup, there was a sleigh symbol on the sign.
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Approaching Granby, Colorado. This town became known in 2004 when Marvin Heemeyer constructed a tank and wreaked havoc upon the town, including destroying two businesses and City Hall.
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Awwww, and I had to go.
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Downtown Granby. I had the chance to drive through here about 4 days after the rampage, and this scene was quite different. Bricks and wood beams in the street (still!), the traffic light in the distance was demolished, skid marks from the "tank" treads, and the "tank" still firmly embedded in the side of the hardware store. I just wish I would have had a camera then.
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End #11 straight ahead! Here's the end to US 34.
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Closer to the intersection. The silver truck in the background is on 34.
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At the US 34/US 40 intersection.
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This is the first sign you see headed east on 34. There's no reassurance shield in sight.
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The last few yards of US 34.
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There's no end shield present at this intersection.
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Mere miles after 34, we encounter the end (#12) of SH 125. This heads north to the Wyoming border from here.
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At the intersection of US 40 and SH 125.
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The first reassuarance shield. This is posted on a tight left curve, so I wasn't able to get it and the road in the same shot.
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Some people really like their moose.
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Heading back towards 40 on SH 125 now.
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US 40, from US 34 to SH 9, is part of the Colorado River Headwaters Scenic Byway.
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The last few feet of SH 125. Again, no end signs are present.
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While we're still traveling in flat lands here, there's a rock outcropping here and there that 40 has to go around.
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A tall cement barrier to hold back the earth.
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Amtrak's California Zephyr is found here. Now can you see why I think this would be a phenomenal route by train?
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Great shot.
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Entering Hot Sulphur Springs. I wonder what this town was named after?
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Not much to this town. Heck, there's even a big cobweb in the old sign to the right! :)
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Just after Hot Sulphur Springs lies Byers Canyon. This is a ~3 mile long cut that US 40, the Colroado River, and the railroad tracks run through.
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This is a tight canyon in spots.
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This is one of the best shots I think my camera has ever produced. (The pic on the right is sized for a 1024x768 monitor. Here's the 1280x1024 resolution-sized one.)
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My #1 favorite pic from this trip. (Pic on the right is sized for a 1024x768 monitor again. Here's the larger sized one.)
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I like the bridge supports.
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Headquarters for the Colorado Department of Wildlife and a shy Deer Crossing sign.
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Getting closer to our destination.
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US 40 goes over the railroad tracks one last time. The tracks and the Colorado River make their way southwest from here to meet up with I-70 in Glenwood Canyon.
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A one-runway airport off to our left.
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Entering Kremmling.
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"Commander! We're going down!"
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End #13 approaches.
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At the intersection of US 40 and SH 9. 9 heads south to Dillon, Frisco, Breckenridge, and eventually Cañon City.
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The first few feet of SH 9. There's no reassuarance shield for the first 2 miles.
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9 first heads east around the airport we saw earlier, then heads south here.
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The first time I traveled on this road, this bridge was still pretty new, and the old bridge was still in place. It was located right where the construction vehicles are now. Again, no camera then.
Alright, kiddies. At this point, you have a decision to make. If you've been following along with the "1 year anniversary mega-trip", keep on going down this page. There's a few (heh!) more picts to show you. If you've been following the "Jonesin' for a Roadtrip 3" (and you know if you are), it's time to click back over to that section to continue that trip. Choose wisely, grasshopper.
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The last few feet of SH 9.
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Yet another highway ending with no end sign. Bah! Although this one has some nice scenery beyond it.
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A mini-Sign Convention™ for your viewing pleasure. Throughout Kremmling we see the goalpost-style poles being used in this manner. This just looks odd to me. And I guess donuts is the new brunch.
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A rogue VMS. This one's main job is to advertise when the condition on the passes ahead suck.
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US 40 also picks up the Bike I-76 route at the end of SH 9. I finally found more information about Bike I-76. It's part of the Trans-America Bike Trail, and was given the number 76 to celebrate America's bicentennial.
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Typical shot of US 40 after Kremmling.
- Where to next?
- Page 4
- This trip's Index
- Page 6
Section Links
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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