Our 2024 Colorado trip started off with a literal bang. Trump was shot as we crossed into NM from TX. Literally as we were driving under the Welcome to NM sign on I-40 listening to Fox News as it all unfolded. This would occupy our attention for most of the night when we settled into the hotel.
The first night of the trip we stayed in Tucumcari, NM at The Motel Safari on Route 66. It opened in 1959 it was restored and saved from neglect in 2007. It has period correct décor all the way down to the original sign featuring Clyde the Camel.
The next morning we ate breakfast at Kix on 66. A diner with a long history on Route 66. It suffered fire damage recently and the owners plan to rebuild.
We made our way out of Tucumcari heading northwest on 104 towards Las Vegas NM. Received a speeding ticket northwest of Las Vegas in Mora, NM. We ended up in Taos, NM for lunch @ Taos Mesa Brewing. I would not recommend this place. Beer sucked (warm) food sucked and it wasn’t the cleanest.
From Taos we hit Hwy 64 and headed the Rio Grande Gorge bridge. We didn’t stop here, we were trying to make it to camp before dark so it was hammer down! We drove through beautiful Carson NF north to Antonio, CO and back down to Chama ,NM then up to Pagosa Springs, CO. This was a very indirect route but very scenic.
We camped our first night in Pagosa Springs off F 923. Thanks to John with Gator Overland for camping information in this area. We found a lot of dispersed camping options NW of Pagosa Springs.
Day 3 we left the Pagosa Springs area and headed to see Chimney Rock National Monument. From there we took several off shoots off Hwy 160 down forest roads exploring and looking for more camping spots for future trips. We ended up in Durango, CO for lunch. I can’t say enough about Switchback Tacos on Main Ave. If you are in Durango I HIGHLY recommend this place. After lunch we made our way towards Hermosoa, CO along the Million Dollar Highway. We camped @ the Lower Hermosa Campground which is in the Hermosa Creek Wilderness in the San Juan NF.
Day 4 we headed North on the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton, CO where we had lunch @ Handlebar’s Food and Saloon. The Handlebar Burger was amazing! From here we moved on towards Ouray, CO and the KOA and SHOWERS! We spend the night at the KOA in Ouray where my buddy Matt was staying with his family. His brother Kevin was down from Alaska and they were celebrating Matt’s 50th birthday. We hung out around the campfire for a while that night before turning in for the night.
Day 5 we cooked breakfast at camp & took our time packing up. We said our goodbyes to Matt and crew and headed to Cinnamon Pass! In 2023 we did Engineer Pass on our way from Creede to Ouray. This Year we were headed the other way. We had an AirBnB in Lake City for the night so Cinnamon Pass was the logical route, right. The trip over the pass was pretty uneventful. The scenery was amazing! We chatted at the pass with a couple of different groups of people who were impressed with the Taildragger, I mean who wouldn’t, right? We rolled into Lake City late afternoon and what an amazing Airbnb we had for the night. Room to spead out and just a block or two from Lake City Brewing Co or LCBC. The deviled eggs are AMAZING and the Korean Pork Melt sandwich….shut up!
Day 6 we left beautiful Lake City, passed over the continental divide and eventually landed in downtown Creede CO. This has to be one our favorite places in all of Colorado! We had lunch at the Creede Hotel Restaurant. We had eaten here in 2023 so we had to pop in. We walked and shopped along Main Street before heading towards Weatherford, OK for the night.
One of the things that stood out to me on this leg of the trip was rolling into Amarillo TX from the North at dusk and seeing the lights of the city lighting up the southern horizon. As we rolled into and through Amarillo, we were waiting for Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. What a great way to roll down I-40. That is, if you were paying attention to your fuel level and open gas stations were getting fewer and fewer. Oh, and did I mention I had a completely empty rotopax fuel container on the AluCab. We were drafting behind 18 wheelers for several miles. The low fuel light was BLAZING and the third time we pulled of I-40 we found a gas pump @ 11:55 pm in Shamrock TX. All that was left after this adventure was a night in Weatherford and the last 600 miles home!