Novel Fly/Drive Vacation Ideas...

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...

One possible solution: Fly Atlas to Denver, CO, and pick up a big ol'
rental RV. It seems you can rent one for around $600 per week (not
counting gas), and that would give us the "feeling" of a road trip
without the zillion hours spent getting there.

Anyone ever rented an RV? Are they a pain to drive? (I've driven
trucks, but never a motor home.)

They're not hard, but they take some getting used to. I would NOT recommend
driving one in the Colorado Rockies if you're what we mountain folk call
"Prarie Chickens" (those who are used to flatlands, then come to the
mountains and PANIC!!!!)

Anyone ever tried combining a flying
vacation with a road trip?

Yeah! It was easy, but it was drving in the flatlands of Texas, not the
Rockies.

You mentioned Estes park, so I assume you're going to Rocky Mountain
National Park. That would mean a trip up Trail Ridge Road. That, my friend,
is not for the faint of heart in a car, much less a motor home.

Rent a SUV or just a nice car. See RMNP, then take a trip out Highway 24
down to HW50 through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison to Montrose, then head
into Ouray. From there, if you want a "white-knuckle" drive, take the
Million Dollar Highway to Silverton. From there take the NGR to Durango and
back again.

If you take the Million Dollar highway, don't expect the driver to see very
much sceanery...only the roadway. :~)


--
Matt Barrow
Performace Homes, LLC.
Cheyenne, WY

Matt Barrow wrote:

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...

One possible solution: Fly Atlas to Denver, CO, and pick up a big ol'
rental RV. It seems you can rent one for around $600 per week (not
counting gas), and that would give us the "feeling" of a road trip
without the zillion hours spent getting there.

SNIP

Rent a SUV or just a nice car. See RMNP, then take a trip out Highway 24
down to HW50 through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison to Montrose, then head
into Ouray. From there, if you want a "white-knuckle" drive, take the
Million Dollar Highway to Silverton. From there take the NGR to Durango and
back again.

If you take the Million Dollar highway, don't expect the driver to see very
much sceanery...only the roadway. :~)



That is a beautiful drive. One year we stayed in Ouray, rented a Jeep,
and drove all over the Jeep trails there. Again, most beautiful. We
stayed at the Best Western there.
--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

"Ross" wrote in message
...
Matt Barrow wrote:

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...

One possible solution: Fly Atlas to Denver, CO, and pick up a big ol'
rental RV. It seems you can rent one for around $600 per week (not
counting gas), and that would give us the "feeling" of a road trip
without the zillion hours spent getting there.

SNIP

Rent a SUV or just a nice car. See RMNP, then take a trip out Highway 24
down to HW50 through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison to Montrose, then
head into Ouray. From there, if you want a "white-knuckle" drive, take
the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton. From there take the NGR to
Durango and back again.

If you take the Million Dollar highway, don't expect the driver to see
very much sceanery...only the roadway. :~)



That is a beautiful drive. One year we stayed in Ouray, rented a Jeep, and
drove all over the Jeep trails there.

Did you "do" the $Million Highway (550)?

Again, most beautiful. We stayed at the Best Western there.

If there really is a "God's Country", that's it.

We (wife and I) recently moved from Montrose (35 miles away) after living
there for eleven years and we hated to do it, but now that we're empty
nesters, we couldn't justify it anymore.

Hope Jay can get all through that part.

--
Matt Barrow
Performace Homes, LLC.
Cheyenne, WY

Matt Barrow wrote:
"Ross" wrote in message
...

Matt Barrow wrote:

SNIP



Did you "do" the $Million Highway (550)?

Yes, and several of the Jeep trail, Engineers Pass, Ophra (sp?) Pass,
and I cannot remember the others. We would take a picnic lunch and have
it somewhere on the trail. In late July the wildflowers are everywhere.
I do want to go back sometime. And someone mentioned the Aspens. We went
once when they were aglow. Cannot be described.


Again, most beautiful. We stayed at the Best Western there.


If there really is a "God's Country", that's it.

It is nice. So are the Canadian Rockies around Banff.

We (wife and I) recently moved from Montrose (35 miles away) after living
there for eleven years and we hated to do it, but now that we're empty
nesters, we couldn't justify it anymore.

We were going to use the last day to go over Stoney pass out of
Silverton. This is July and we got over the pass and on our way down and
we had lightening, rain, sleet, you name it. I was not going back over -
too slippery. We had to drive to Gunnison then over to Montrose and back
down to Ouray.

Hope Jay can get all through that part.

It certainly will beat flat Iowa, and TX

Ross

You mentioned Estes park, so I assume you're going to Rocky Mountain
National Park. That would mean a trip up Trail Ridge Road. That, my friend,
is not for the faint of heart in a car, much less a motor home.

I know -- I did it in a fully-loaded (for a 2-week camping trip)
Goldwing.

It was an amazing ride.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
You mentioned Estes Park, so I assume you're going to Rocky Mountain
National Park. That would mean a trip up Trail Ridge Road. That, my
friend,
is not for the faint of heart in a car, much less a motor home.

I know -- I did it in a fully-loaded (for a 2-week camping trip)
Goldwing.

It was an amazing ride.

A few years back we had friends visit us from the Chicago 'burbs (Elmhurst)
and one place we took them was RMNP. The husband, a real bicycle enthusiast,
did just fine, but his wife was getting altitude sickness at the top. Then
she freaked coming down the mountain.

Next May (2008), we're going to Waxahachie, Texas for a four day, outdoor
concert (think: pickup trucks and gun rack rather than VW microbuses with
peace signs all over them). We're going to rent one of these
http://www.usarvrentals.com/rv_renta...1_rvrental.asp and stay in it
for the four days (beats driving back to a hotel/motel after all that Lone
Star beer).

Other than earth moving equipment, the biggest thing I've ever driven is a
3/4 ton pickup truck, but Texas is pretty FLAT (at least where we'regoing)
and pretty much dead STRAIGHT.