Most liked posts in thread: MITMs caravans???

I am planning to follow the MTTS route from CA to CO, probably with various site seeing detours. I might skip Las Vegas. However, I am not yet registered for MTTS or MITM. It looks like MITM already has about 20 cars registered from CA.

 

Chicago caravan

While I think it would be a blast to go on the MTTS caravan to Denver, I would rather spend the time on the twisties in the mountains. Planning to leave W. Burbs on Mon., 8/9 at about 8:00 a.m. CDT and get to Fort Morgan, CO before 9:00 p.m. MDT. It is about 900 miles and I will be following I-88, I-80 and I-76. Should be passing Des Moines just before noon, Omaha around 3:30, Lincoln around 4:30.

Tuesday across US 34 through Big Thompson Canyon to Estes Park for lunch, then through Rocky Mountain National Park (possibly the Old Fall River Road) and on to Winter Park by Tuesday evening.

The monday drive is tough, but it gets across the flat plains to start the twisties on Tuesday morning. Anyone interested in joining, respond to this thread.

 

I prefer the mountains too.....

We'll be leaving KC on Wed, driving straight to Winter Park so we can spend Thurs and Fri doing MITM stuff......

Sat we'll go down to Denver to take part in the MTTS event, then back up to WP that night.

After the events we may spend a couple more days traveling thru NW Colorado, Steamboat Springs and so on before heading home.

 

We are leaving STL on Tuesday, and will spend the night around Colby KS. Then on to Winter Park the next day.

Mark

 

We're staying at the Vintage (dog friendly), are you there or at the event hotel?

 

Vintage, see you there If we travel up to Canada after MITM, we will have the trailer with us.

Mark

 

heres what my itinerary is looking like, fellow M/Aers's welcome to join anywhere inroute

Friday Aug 6
St. Louis to Springfield, MO

Saturday Aug 7
Springfield, MO to Amarillo, TX
8.5 hr’s

Sunday Aug 8
Amarillo, TX to Chinle, AZ (Canyon de Chelly)
8.2 Hr’s

Monday Aug 9
Canyon De Chelley till 2-3P
2.5 Hr’s to Monument Valley, UT

Tuesday Aug 10
Monument Valley, AZ A.M.
3.5 Hr’s to Arches National Park
Stay in Moab, UT

Wednesday Aug 11
Moab, UT to Denver to pickup wife at airport

Thursday Aug12
MITM - Winter Park, CO

Friday Aug 13
MITM - Winter Park, CO

Saturday Aug 14
MTTS - Denver, CO

Sunday Aug 15
MTTS/MITM - Winter Park, CO - Denver, CO
Drop off wife at airport in time for 3:30P flight
overnight in western/central KS

Monday Aug 16
western/centtral KS to St. Louis

 

My in flux itinerary

Monday Aug 9
Dallas, TX - Denver, CO

Tuesday, Aug 10
Client Meetings in and around Denver area

Wednesday, Aug 11
Denver, CO - Winter Park, CO

Thursday, Aug 12
MITM - Winter Park, CO

Friday, Aug 13
MITM - Winter Park, CO

Saturday, Aug 14
MTTS - Denver, CO

Sunday, Aug 15
MTTS/MITM - Winter Park, CO - Denver, CO
Denver, CO - Salina, KS

Monday, Aug 16
Salina, KS - Dallas, TX

 

Wow, Dallas to Denver is a good 14-15 hours........that's a long day behind the wheel!

See you at MITM Nathan, it'll be great to meet up with you and the other fellow MA members...

 

We do Copper Mountain to STL in a day, takes 15+ hours, and even though I'm a prairie boy, it is bloody boring:lol:

Mark

 

I've done Dallas to Vegas in a day...

When I come back from MOTD I do that 920some miles in a day as well.

1200 or so miles in a single jaunt is about my limit.

 

We have done Winnipeg-STL, around 1200 miles straight through, that was a haul. I drove the whole way.
Longest I have done, with a second driver, Victoria, Vancouver Island-Winnipeg. 27 hours straight through. I was the primary driver of a beat-up late 70's Chevy van, loaded with kids, dogs, and camping gear.

In the 80's, I drove Winnipeg-Banff/Rocky Mountains like it was a daily commute:lol:

Mark

 

Well, not to derail the thread, but I did the 8 hours from Col Springs to KC, where we immediately set off for Daytona for the 24 hr race - took 24 more hours to get there. Stayed up all night and the next day for the race, then hopped in the car and drove straight back, where I got in my car and drove straight back to the Springs, getting there just in time to go to work! Went home than evening and straight to bed and slept the whole next day too - missing work!



I was younger then.......:frown2:


With the Mini-Poopers on board, about 2 - 3hr stretches are their limit. We stop for a drink and to stretch their legs, then go another couple hours. Lather, rinse, repeat till you get there. 11 hours to Winter Park will test their limits, and ours!

Edit: It's only 11 hours from our house - probably less actually. I find Google maps to sometimes leave a little extra time for meals or bathroom breaks in their driving time estimates.

 

I'm a firm believer in frequent/short stops. For both the poopers, and us:cornut:

Mark

 

Looks like we all have diff agenda's which is great, see y'all there!

NATE-Are you setting up a booth at MITM/MTTS? What I'm getting to is it would be nice to finally meet some of you degenerates. Perhaps we can come up with a rally point and one of you guys can buy me a club soda or somethin'?

 

Misc. thoughts

As posted above, the plains are BORING, that's why I do 900 miles the first day to get across them with minimum pain. I make it a practice to stop for 10-12 minutes every 150 miles to walk around the car a few times to loosen up the arthritic joints.

Longest drives (non solo) were Detroit to Denver in 23 hours pre interstates (1958), Detroit to Calgary (interstates DTW to somewhere in Wisconsin) via MSP and Winnipeg in 1960. The Trans Canada highway was not limited access at the time, but it was a well maintained and fast road. As I recall, we left Detroit at 5:00 p.m. Friday and were in Calgary late Sunday afternoon. Got to Banff Monday a.m., spent until the second Thursday in the Canadian Rockies, camping, hiking, fishing, horseback riding, etc., then headed back to Detroit from Jasper, via Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Duluth and Mackinac City in 3 days. Camped somewhere in Saskatchewan unwittingly in Black Fly season :mad2:

 

We used to leave Winnipeg in the late afternoon, drive all night and see the mountains catching the morning sun as we drove into Banff. Saskatchewan is best seen in the dark.

Mark