Road Trip

[Baz]

Thanks for the updates and pics, Jeff! Have fun with your buddies!

[Jeff Higgins]

After another 500 mile day, we find ourselves in beautiful downtown Arco, ID. We are now down to the three that are in it all the way to Santa Fe. Two are making the 800 mile jaunt back Seattle today, and were gone before the rest of us got up.

[t6dpilot]

Safe travels Jeff. See you in Santa Fe on Thursday. We have a sizable contingent coming from the MW. Was 9 cars now down to 8 and one truck/trailer combo. Leaving in a couple hours to meet up with a couple guys in Springfield, IL then on to Hannibal, MO for the rest of the group. At least I think the WI guys are joining us there. Then on to Dodge City and Salida, CO for overnights. Trying to find a good route in CO for Wed, but there are a few road closures that are stymieing us.

[Jeff Higgins]

Near Dubois, WY today we stumbled upon the National Museum of Military Vehicles. Over 300 of them, with 90% of them in running condition.



We wound up spending a couple of hours in there. Easily could have doubled that.

https://nmmv.org/plan-your-visit.php

[Baz]

Jeff....another fantastic photo....wow.....SO COOL! Looks like an amazing museum to visit. Thanks for sharing in case I can get out there one day.

Somewhat related, I guess......a retired Marine is renovating his house across the street and 2 lots down. He's done a lot of the demo himself. Really impressive to see that work ethic and dedication to the task. Not surprising, I guess.

He has a RHD Land Rover......guessing it was brought over from the UK. Pretty dang cool, huh? I bet they had one of these in that museum.

3rd pic is the house he's renovating......







Stay safe and have fun, Jeff!

[Jeff Higgins]

Real mixed day today. Got caught in a veritable blizzard on US 191 going over Indian Creek Pass at 9,100 feet elevation. Made it safely to Fruita, CO where we will spend the night.

Edit: this is ice freezing to the outside of the windshield. My car has great heat, but the defrost just couldn't keep up. The wipers looked like popsicles and were just skipping over the ice.



Darn LED headlights filled up with snow again.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by t6dpilot

Safe travels Jeff. See you in Santa Fe on Thursday. We have a sizable contingent coming from the MW. Was 9 cars now down to 8 and one truck/trailer combo. Leaving in a couple hours to meet up with a couple guys in Springfield, IL then on to Hannibal, MO for the rest of the group. At least I think the WI guys are joining us there. Then on to Dodge City and Salida, CO for overnights. Trying to find a good route in CO for Wed, but there are a few road closures that are stymieing us.

Make sure to take the 25 south to Highway 64 in NM into Taos and then south to Santa Fe from there. Have lunch in Taos if the timing is right, it's super charming for a short spell, like a lot of places. The 64 runs next to a river through the mountains and is one of the prettiest drives in the USA.

[astrochex]

Great to see the trip is a blast Jeff!

When in Santa Fe, check out the historic district for food, there are a number of great places to get your green chili fix. A quirky place for excellent coffee in Santa Fe is the CrashMurderBusiness https://www.cmbcoffeeshop.com/.

[Jeff Higgins]

From the Colorado National Monument to 10,839 ft on top of the Grand Mesa.

[Jeff Higgins]

[Baz]

Thanks for the pics, Jeff. My opinion after I visited Colorado was it was the most beautiful state in the country!

Your car (and the others) really "make" the photos, though I have to say....

[masraum]

Your trip sounds pretty epic, Jeff. Thanks for sharing. I've never been on a road trip like that myself. The closest that I've been was probably a couple of family vacations when I was a kid in the early 80s where my dad drove 300-400mi/day. Sometimes with something to see at various spots, and sometimes just camping in a campground for the night.

My long drives are usually 250-550 miles otherwise.

It sounds like a good time and it's nice that there's several of you so if there's an issue with any of the cars, you've got support.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Epic trip. Did you drive through the snow with your track tires? Some buddies and I did Spokane to Rennsport and back last year. I practically packed enough in my Bumblebee to rebuild the car on the road. Overkill, and thankfully didn't use most of it. Have fun!

We had to visit the dealership in Bend for a repair on my buddies 74 914. Made for a cool pic.

[gsxrken]

Originally Posted by jhynesrockmtn

. I practically packed enough in my Bumblebee to rebuild the car on the road. Overkill, and thankfully didn't use most of it. Have fun!

Self-sufficiency is table stakes for me these days too. I roll with the tools, spares, and know-how to address foreseeable developments. I don’t mind helping someone out, but I have little patience for the willfully helpless (or lazy) at this point. These cars are generally very reliable but at near 50 years old, things will happen and you need to be your own cavalry.

[mjohnson]

Salida to SF? Besides Salida-Gt Sand Dunes-Ft Garland-Taos (that last one is still under construction after years and more of a mess than ever) one could do US285 from the CO/NM border to Tres Piedras, then west on (US??) to Tierra Amarilla then back to the SE through Abiquiu (Georgia O'Keefe country, also where Chuck Jones was inspired for the coyote/roadrunner toons) then Espanola and back on 285 to SF.

And of course maybe detour to Los Alamos - I'll be manning the history museum and I have the keys to the Oppenheimer house on Thursday AM. Other Manhattan Project stuff and the cliff dwellings are available as well...

Santa Fe is nice. If you partake of the barley-pops, Rowley Farmhouse Ales (not near the plaza) specializes in mixed fermentations and odd/funky saisons and sours. Killer food, and the guy running the place is a World Beer Cup winner and PhD chemist at the LA lab in his spare time. That's also a good spot to pre-game for the nearby Meow Wolf if you're into that.

Every road trip in a porsche is a good road trip!

[Jeff Higgins]

No, no track tires. Yokohama Advan GT all season touring tires. They have proven themselves quite well on this trip.

We pack enough spare parts and tools to build another 911 on the side of the road. That, and my two travel companions are just like me, in that there is literally not a single part on their 911 that they have not held separately in their own hands. I could not have chosen two better, more competent guys with whom to undertake a trip of this magnitude.

Yes, these are old cars. Things happen. Preparation is paramount. I've made far shorter trips with the incompetent and unprepared that were far more stressful than this one, often adopting the role of their traveling mechanic. I can't tell you how nice it is to not find myself in that role on this trip. Much more relaxing and enjoyable.

[t6dpilot]

Our paths are converging Jeff. Finally hit the mountains yesterday and stopped in Salida. Short day today to Durango and over Molas Pass to Silverton, the Red Mtn Pass to the Million Dollar Hwy and ending in Ouray. Couple minor issues and one McGyver roadside repair yesterday. Your drive is much more interesting. While the plains have their own beauty, that slog gets tiresome.

[Baz]

WOW! Another awesome pic.....and report!

Thanks, Scott....please keep 'em coming!

[Bill Douglas]

Thanks for including us guys in the adventure. Particularly loving that last pic.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by t6dpilot

Our paths are converging Jeff. Finally hit the mountains yesterday and stopped in Salida. Short day today to Durango and over Molas Pass to Silverton, the Red Mtn Pass to the Million Dollar Hwy and ending in Ouray. Couple minor issues and one McGyver roadside repair yesterday. Your drive is much more interesting. While the plains have their own beauty, that slog gets tiresome.

We just went the other direction through that same area. We started in Montrose, went through Ouray, and are now enjoying lunch in Aztec. Gonna call it a day in Farmington.

See you guys tomorrow!