Road trip tips? Seattle to Denver

SomethingCreative
SomethingCreative Kazoo, MI Posts: 3,422
in All Encompassing Trip
I'm going to be taking a trip to see QOTSA at Red Rocks this October.  Anyone have any suggestions on cool stop along the way?  Or just road tripping tips in general?  This is by far my longest road trip.  Figured this would be a good crowd to get some good advice from :lol:
"Well, I think this band is incapable of sucking."
-my dad after hearing Not for You for the first time on SNL .

Comments

  • northerndragon
    northerndragon Posts: 9,851
    Avoid Idaho, seriously.
    Anything you lose from being honest
    You never really had to begin with.


    Sometimes it's not the song that makes you emotional it's the people and things that come to your mind when you hear it.
  • SomethingCreative
    SomethingCreative Kazoo, MI Posts: 3,422
    northerndragon said:
    Avoid Idaho, seriously.


    haha We drove through there and stopped to use the bathroom on the way to missoula in 2008.. Never again.
    "Well, I think this band is incapable of sucking."
    -my dad after hearing Not for You for the first time on SNL .
  • markymark550
    markymark550 Columbia, SC Posts: 5,253
    Depends on which route you're taking and how far off course you're willing to travel. If your general route is going to be I-90 to I-25, you're not going to be too terribly far away from Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore at different times on the trip. Yellowstone looks to be about a 2 to 3 hour drive from Bozeman, MT. Mount Rushmore looks to be a 3 to 4 hour drive from Buffalo, WY (where the 90/25 intersection is).

    I've driven through southwest Colorado and that's a pretty neat area. Most memorable to me was Mesa Verde National Park and seeing the ancient cliff dwelling sites.

    Just some suggestions for you, if you might be interested. 
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,846
    In defense of Idaho, if you're going through Twin Falls (well, OK, I can't defend Twin Falls, haha) take a little detour north on US 93/26 and check out Craters of the Moon National Monument.  It's marvelous and you'll see where it got it's name, for sure!

    If you're a book hound and are heading through Salt Lake City, check out the very excellent Ken Sanders Rare Books (268 S 200 E, Salt Lake City).  If you're lucky and catch Ken in the store, tell him Brian from Quiet Corner says hello!

    Have a great time!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • SmallestOceans
    SmallestOceans Posts: 13,542
    1)Don't let your gas tank get under half a tank(especially out west)

    2) Use an Atlas

    3) Improvise

    4) Don't drive more than 5-7 hours a day

    5) Bring snacks

    6) Respect the big rig trailer trucks (don't cut them off, try to stay away from them generally)

    7) Definitely camp out at a couple state parks

    8) Have a blast!


    Worcester1 13, Worcester2 13, Hartford 13, San Diego 13, Los Angeles1 13, Los Angeles2 13
    Trieste 14, Vienna 14, Gdynia 14, Leeds 14, Milton Keynes 14, Denver 14
    Central Park 15
    Fort Lauderdale 16, Miami 16, Tampa 16, Jacksonville 16, Greenville 16, Hampton 16, Columbia 16, Lexington 16, Philly1 16, Philly2 16, NYC1 16, NYC2 16, Quebec City 16, Ottawa 16, Toronto1 16, Toronto2 16, Fenway1 16, Fenway2 16, Wrigley1 16, Wrigley2 16


  • chadwick
    chadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    edited June 2017

    the internets says it's about 1,300 miles.


    get an oil change/fluids & bulbs checked before heading out

    go over your roadside emergency kits

    have your well used rand mcnally road atlas fired up & ready to rock

    thermos of coffee

    cash is king/plastic isn't always gonna work in certain situations. stash a little bit of money somewhere for emergencies.

    you may not always have cell phone service, this could go on for quite a while

    i always wondered who it was that put red circled stickers on the deers' noses on the deer crossing signs. this went on for a good thousand miles or some shit       

    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "Hear me, my chiefs!
    I am tired; my heart is
    sick and sad. From where
    the sun stands I will fight
    no more forever."
    Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
  • RKCNDY
    RKCNDY Posts: 31,013
    keep a pack of wet wipes in the glove box
    The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

    - Christopher McCandless
  • Halifax2TheMax
    Halifax2TheMax Posts: 43,456
    Stop by the Wob's in Salt Lick. He'll leave the light on for you.
    09/15/1998 & 09/16/1998, Mansfield, MA; 08/29/00 08/30/00, Mansfield, MA; 07/02/03, 07/03/03, Mansfield, MA; 09/28/04, 09/29/04, Boston, MA; 09/22/05, Halifax, NS; 05/24/06, 05/25/06, Boston, MA; 07/22/06, 07/23/06, Gorge, WA; 06/27/2008, Hartford; 06/28/08, 06/30/08, Mansfield; 08/18/2009, O2, London, UK; 10/30/09, 10/31/09, Philadelphia, PA; 05/15/10, Hartford, CT; 05/17/10, Boston, MA; 05/20/10, 05/21/10, NY, NY; 06/22/10, Dublin, IRE; 06/23/10, Northern Ireland; 09/03/11, 09/04/11, Alpine Valley, WI; 09/11/11, 09/12/11, Toronto, Ont; 09/14/11, Ottawa, Ont; 09/15/11, Hamilton, Ont; 07/02/2012, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/04/2012 & 07/05/2012, Berlin, Germany; 07/07/2012, Stockholm, Sweden; 09/30/2012, Missoula, MT; 07/16/2013, London, Ont; 07/19/2013, Chicago, IL; 10/15/2013 & 10/16/2013, Worcester, MA; 10/21/2013 & 10/22/2013, Philadelphia, PA; 10/25/2013, Hartford, CT; 11/29/2013, Portland, OR; 11/30/2013, Spokane, WA; 12/04/2013, Vancouver, BC; 12/06/2013, Seattle, WA; 10/03/2014, St. Louis. MO; 10/22/2014, Denver, CO; 10/26/2015, New York, NY; 04/23/2016, New Orleans, LA; 04/28/2016 & 04/29/2016, Philadelphia, PA; 05/01/2016 & 05/02/2016, New York, NY; 05/08/2016, Ottawa, Ont.; 05/10/2016 & 05/12/2016, Toronto, Ont.; 08/05/2016 & 08/07/2016, Boston, MA; 08/20/2016 & 08/22/2016, Chicago, IL; 07/01/2018, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/03/2018, Krakow, Poland; 07/05/2018, Berlin, Germany; 09/02/2018 & 09/04/2018, Boston, MA; 09/08/2022, Toronto, Ont; 09/11/2022, New York, NY; 09/14/2022, Camden, NJ; 09/02/2023, St. Paul, MN; 05/04/2024 & 05/06/2024, Vancouver, BC; 05/10/2024, Portland, OR; 05/03/2025, New Orleans, LA;

    Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.

    Brilliantati©
  • F Me In The Brain
    F Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 32,033
    Bring a roll of deuce paper
    Other suggestions are good.  
    Agree that Idaho is not much fun...I would go through Montana into Yellowstone and down into Wyoming.  
    Expect to see some major redneck action.  ;)
    Beautiful drive for parts, to be sure.
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,846
    With all the Idaho bashing you may end up skipping that state but, true, the cities pretty much such but some of the blue highways take you through some very wonderful off the beaten path scenery.  I've been on US 95, and US 93 and the west side of 93/26 and saw some spectacular scenery. 

    Those of you who hate Idaho- I'm curious, did you get off the beaten path or just visit some of the sh*thole cities?
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Hobbes
    Hobbes Pacific Northwest Posts: 6,439
    About a 20 hour drive one way. That's a lot of bootleg listenin'.
  • F Me In The Brain
    F Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 32,033
    Brian, I drove through as we worked our way cross country.  Didn't go to see the sights, more to get to Yellowstone and to take a quick look at a part of the state than anything else

    This sounds rough but most of my opinion is from the people we observed and met in Idaho Falls at the place we stayed at and a local "club"
    What a shithole
    Sure there are many,any nicer things.  This is how we experienced many states, however, and only one turned my wife and I completely off and saw us making jokes the next day.  Idaho.
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,846
    F Me In The Brain said:
    Brian, I drove through as we worked our way cross country.  Didn't go to see the sights, more to get to Yellowstone and to take a quick look at a part of the state than anything else

    This sounds rough but most of my opinion is from the people we observed and met in Idaho Falls at the place we stayed at and a local "club"
    What a shithole
    Sure there are many,any nicer things.  This is how we experienced many states, however, and only one turned my wife and I completely off and saw us making jokes the next day.  Idaho.
    Yeah, the cities in Idaho are pretty much good  for gassing up and moving on!  It's the wild scenery that makes the place worth seeing. 

    I've got to get to Yellowstone again some day.  Only been there once a long time ago and due to limited funds and time only got to spend a day passing through.  Next time-- much more time than that!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • SomethingCreative
    SomethingCreative Kazoo, MI Posts: 3,422
    lol I think the idaho stuff was mostly in good fun, we'll likely go through there because we just got setup to stay with a friend in Salt Lake City.

    and wow thanks for all the posts, I knew you'd be road trip pros. love this place
    "Well, I think this band is incapable of sucking."
    -my dad after hearing Not for You for the first time on SNL .
  • SomethingCreative
    SomethingCreative Kazoo, MI Posts: 3,422
    Hobbes said:
    About a 20 hour drive one way. That's a lot of bootleg listenin'.
    :lol:  No joke, as soon as we decided to go for it, I checked to see if I had a code still available
    "Well, I think this band is incapable of sucking."
    -my dad after hearing Not for You for the first time on SNL .
  • northerndragon
    northerndragon Posts: 9,851
    I wasn't kidding about Idaho. It was wind, sage scrub, rednecks and sketch ass towns. Also filled with shit drivers. I have no intention of ever going back. Now southern Utah is sweet, I would love to go back there.
    Anything you lose from being honest
    You never really had to begin with.


    Sometimes it's not the song that makes you emotional it's the people and things that come to your mind when you hear it.

Categories