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Member |
We're headed to my mom's new place for Christmas this year, most likely driving, Houston to NE Denver. We won't be going into Denver proper, turning north before hitting CO E470/DEN airport area. Looking at routes, the 2 suggested routes look to diverge at Dallas. Route 1 going west through the TX panhandle on 287 through Amarillo & joining I70 east of CO Springs. Route 2 continues north through OK & joins I70 in Salina KS, and is roughly 1 hour/100 miles longer. Given this will be in late December, which route would you take? We've taken most of Route 1 on our way to Albuquerque & there's lots of small towns on 287. Mostly concerned with expected weather/road conditions along either route. The Enemy's gate is down. | ||
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Not really from Vienna |
I always check the weather reports right before leaving. It can be a crapshoot trying to predict which route will be better. | |||
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| Member |
Agreed, just wanted to see if there was anything already known with either route to be aware of that would lead to taking the other. All highway on route 2 is appealing for the ease of travel, but 100 miles & an hour longer, on an already long drive, with 3 kids. The Enemy's gate is down. | |||
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Peripheral Visionary |
We went the Amarillo route through NE NM. Prolly more scenic than Kansas. It would depend on the weather though.   | |||
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Drill Here, Drill Now |
My priorities in order: Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer. | |||
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| Dances With Tornados |
I can't tell you which route to take, it depends on weather this time of year. However, you could stop and visit the Whittington NRA Center in Raton NM along the way. However, since you have the wife and kids, that may or may not be a possibility. They do offer lodging and stuff. 33,00 acres, 25 shooting ranges, etc. . | |||
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| I am a leaf on the wind... |
A lot really depends on the current weather at the time. I have driven route 1 many times going to Lubbock from Denver with my camper. That road sucks ass. It's bumpy, noisy, filled with semis and at most times is one lane. Plus out on the plains it gets windy as hell. Pulling a camper in 30 mph side gusts stuck behind a row of semis on a road that jolts you every 100 ft from seams in the road sucks. If you were pulling a camper or high vehicle I would avoid. In a car where you can pass semis, maybe not such a big deal. Depending on where in NE denver you are going route 2 is a semi viable option, I don't take it often because it adds that extra hour. I recall it was all interstate though so the going was better. Option 3 which you didn't list is to go through Amarillo all the way to Raton and pick up I25 all the way to Denver. It's only 10-15 minutes longer depending on where you are going in Denver, but it's interstate all the way on I25. It's two lane high speed highway from Amarillo to Raton. If a winter storm blows through, they could close Raton Pass going into Colorado. But it's a much better drive than route 1. I would not want to be caught in a storm on route 1, very few places to pull off and find shelter. Route3 has a higher chance of closure in a snow storm, but much more places to find shelter if it gets closed. Route 2 is obviously the safest route as far as weather is concerned. _____________________________________ "We must not allow a mine shaft gap." | |||
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| Member |
Thanks for the tips. We'll be in our Expedition Max, so plenty of passing power & should be enough ground clearance. Our destination is in the Keenesburg, CO area. So avoiding going through Denver I assume would be preferable? The route via Raton (stopping at the NRA museum would be cool, but not likely with 3 kids in the car) also involves going through CO Springs & Denver. New to me, not sure how they are for just passing through. The Enemy's gate is down. | |||
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| Why don’t you fix your little problem and light this candle  |
I have been on that road when it is one lane. People get this road rage and feel they have to pass (even when doing 75) but you are passing into oncoming traffic. I have driven up on numerous deadly crashes. IIRC they were in the process of splitting the road and making it a divided highway but I do not know if they finished it. Even going north through Kansas, watch the weather. I did and still got stuck. We knew the storm was coming but I thought I could beat it. Kid got sick and we had to stop overnight, we were stuck in Limon for 3 days until they finally opened the highway back up to Denver. This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it. -Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Joshua Painter Played by Senator Fred Thompson | |||
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| I am a leaf on the wind... |
Keenesburg is pretty far NE, once you hit the outskirts of Denver you could take e470 the toll road around denver and bypass all the traffic, traffic through the springs is not terrible, rush hour gets bumper to bumper but moves fairly well. The thickest parts are 3 nd 4 lane highway, before it necks down to 2 lanes north of town. Looks like going to keenesburg via Raton adds an extra 50 miles and 19 minutes from your route 1. Going in a single family vehicle I would probably stick with route 1 even though the travel is worse in regards to road quality and semi traffic. Once you get to e470 off I25,going the Raton direction, the tolls will be pretty hefty to travel all the way around to the NE. Probably 10-12 dollars. As others have said, freak storms can shut any of those routes down. You are just as safe on your route 1 or route 2. Raton pass is the trickiest in inclement weather. _____________________________________ "We must not allow a mine shaft gap." | |||
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| Little ray of sunshine  |
I've always gone up though the Panhandle of Texas, to Raton, and then north. I usually stop in Raton, and then have a shorter second day. I drove back through Kansas and Oklahoma once, just for a change. It was terrible. Boring, and the wind about blew me off the highway. Did I mention boring? Boring. The fish is mute, expressionless. The fish doesn't think because the fish knows everything. | |||
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Legalize the Constitution |
We lived in SE Colorado for a couple years and know that route you’re considering pretty well. Anywhere in that part of the country you could conceivably find yourself in an ice storm—-horrific driving conditions that I’ve experienced on two occasions, when I couldn’t hole up and wait. Still, I’d rather gamble on Amarillo, through Boise City, up to Lamar and then Limon, than chance driving up to Salina, Kansas, then all the way across the state in December. Hope the weather is good and it doesn’t matter. _______________________________________________________ despite them | |||
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| Member |
Should be okay to go the front range route. You should drift by Raton NM for the NRA museum. | |||
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| Member |
Bumping this for any locals on either route that can give weather/road condition updates. Plan is to roll out Wednesday (12/20) evening & push through the night. Coworker has family outside Wichita & he said it's cold but not really snowing yet. Google showing a lot of 'road closed' along I70 west of the KS/CO state line (between Burlington & Arriba). The Enemy's gate is down. | |||
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| I am a leaf on the wind... |
The eastern route is shit today. My wife says the highway is closed from kiowa to i70. There is 30-43 knot winds with blowing snow and freezing fog all along i70 from denver to kansas right now. Will probably clear up in the next week, but today…it’s a no go that way. _____________________________________ "We must not allow a mine shaft gap." | |||
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| Peripheral Visionary |
Wish I had good advice, sounds like the weather is gonna be cold and rough around that time.  | |||
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| Muzzle flash aficionado  |
According to MS Streets & Trips, Route 2 is 140 miles longer than Route 1 -- that would translate to 2 hours or more to me. flashguy Texan by choice, not accident of birth | |||
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| Not really from Vienna |
If Raton Pass is open, I’d probably take that route. | |||
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| Member |
Thinking we may leave tonight or early (3-4am) tomorrow morning. Family telling us they're expecting some heavy weather inbound around 5 tomorrow afternoon. Thinking that the route via Amarillo & north to I70 from there is the route we're going to take. The Enemy's gate is down. | |||
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| Ignored facts still exist |
I've done 287 in that stretch. worked well. But the weather was good, and not winter. . | |||
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