Making a spontaneous trip to Colorado next week

[weisan]

My friend at Canon City sent me pictures of his property, it's got a couple of nice gravel roads running through it.

[weisan]

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[weisan]

My friend called and said his father-in-law isn't doing too well and might be on his last leg so they decided to stay in Austin instead of going up to their property in CO. I have already moved my schedule around and cleared things with my people to be able to make the trip next week so I think I am going to go ahead with the "plan" to drive to CO next Monday for a week.

Haven't decided where I am going to stop or visit yet.

I am all by myself and have no time restrictiions. Able to adapt quickly to just about any situation. If I feel like it or see a place nice, I would just stop to visit or hike or bike. Take naps. Swim. Eat. Whatever.
I am not too worried....how mean how hard is it to just find a place to park my van and go sleep at night? Part of the reason I got the Honda Odyssey minivan instead of a RV or a Campervan or a Sprinter...is because it's inconspicuous and blend in with the neighborhoods. And it's perfectly sized for one person trips, I got all the space I need with two bikes parked inside with room to sleep. And it drives nice with good gas mileage.

I don't like to drive 15+ hours straight..what I prefer is drive like 6-8 hrs total a day and break it up with hiking and biking and sightseeing in between.

Anyway thank you for all the suggestions. Crusted Butte sounds interesting.

[marciero]

Sounds like an adventure. One random thought that may have been mentioned is to bring a water filter. This is standard on my long rides these days. A small Sawyer works great. Have fun!

[Bob Ross]

I've only been to CO for cycling 2 or maybe 3 times, but I'll offer this:
The missus and I will definitely be returning to CO for cycling many more times in the future. Especially around Keystone and Evergreen the routes & roads & vistas make for some of the nicest riding we've ever encountered.

[Hakkalugi]

I’d say the Roaring Fork Valley has some pretty amazing road and gravel. I’ve ridden all over the state and this area is still my favorite.

https://mamilmusings.com/road-and-gr...ng-fork-valley

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by HenryA

Interstate areas were functioning so fast food and gas not a problem.

Just leave the windows down after you eat.

[Clean39T]

Head to Taos, then up through Georgie O'Keefe country into the San Luis valley to Crestone and Salida before heading up into the high mountains.

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[Butch]

One suggestion, see where the smoke from fires is bad. There is a big fire just north of Grand Junction that is throwing smoke our way. I know another fire popped up in Glenwood Canyon and shut down I70 yesterday between Glenwood Springs and Dotsero.

https://www.weatherbug.com/air-quali...rings-co-80487

https://www.weatherbug.com/air-quali...butte-co-81224

[gdw]

+1 on checking the fire and air quality alerts. https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/...uality%20Alert
I live west of Boulder and we've been smelling smoke for the past several days.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by gdw

+1 on checking the fire and air quality alerts. https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/...uality%20Alert
I live west of Boulder and we've been smelling smoke for the past several days.

And this should go without saying, but all of Colorado is Stage 1 or Stage 2 fire ban, so please don't set up any campfires yourself.

[weisan]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Head to Taos, then up through Georgie O'Keefe country into the San Luis valley to Crestone and Salida before heading up into the high mountains.

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I like this route...except I am not sure if it's ok to drive through NM.

[MerckxMad]

Not to piss on your parade, but traveling during the pandemic requires more planning than usual. While car camping sounds good, you need to plan for interactions with the public while on the road. Simple things like getting provisions at a grocery store can become a stressful experience. Eating at roadside stops now requires reservations. Parking at rest stops at night usually brings the police knocking on your window. Places that you might think will be empty can be really crowded as in-state tourists are packing open spaces now. Just sayin’.

[Hakkalugi]

It’s shut down for the foreseeable future. Cottonwood Pass from Gypsum is also closed. This fire could turn really ugly. I’m expecting evacuation orders tomorrow, so that may mean some bikes get saved, some get...well, you know. Probably a good time to cross much of the Western Slope off the list for 2020.

Originally Posted by Butch

One suggestion, see where the smoke from fires is bad. There is a big fire just north of Grand Junction that is throwing smoke our way. I know another fire popped up in Glenwood Canyon and shut down I70 yesterday between Glenwood Springs and Dotsero.

[weisan]

Originally Posted by Hakkalugi

I’d say the Roaring Fork Valley has some pretty amazing road and gravel. I’ve ridden all over the state and this area is still my favorite.

https://mamilmusings.com/road-and-gr...ng-fork-valley

This is interesting...