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2015 DENVER/FRONT RANGE ROADMEET - MAY 30, 2015

Started by corco, December 20, 2014, 10:40:02 PM

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corco

Hello!

Sorry for the late announcement, with a new job and exciting new challenges on my personal plate, I needed to hold off on announcing the date while I ensured that I'd actually be able to make this happen. I now know that this will be doable, and it will be doable on May 30, 2015.

I don't have specifics yet, those are to come. Here is what I can say:

1) One day meet on Saturday, May 30.
2) For your own surrounding roadtrips, note that my intent is to base this out of either Golden or Idaho Springs (if you have a preference, let me know).  Hotels will be reasonable at that time of year in that area- even if folks wanted to stay in Arvada or Wheat Ridge, there should be a good selection of hotels at a good price.

I'm going to mainly try to focus the meet west of Denver in the mountains, since that's the interesting part of the region that will distinguish it from having a roadmeet in any other random Great Plains city. Definitely we'll take a look at the I-70 Twin Tunnels project http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/i70twintunnels, and definitely we'll visit at least one of the abandoned tunnels on US 6 in the area. Beyond that, I'm looking at a couple different options to take us up into the mountains to see some interesting infrastructure, and I'll announce what that looks like specifically much closer to the date.


Facebook here, RSVP as you can here or there:
https://www.facebook.com/events/624466810998066/?ref=23&source=1&sid_create=1002724979


jpi

I am a maybe for now, if I can tac on 2 days off on top of my regular 3 day weekend and if finances and yes I will say this, permission from the Mrs. then I am in! :-)
Jason Ilyes
JPI
Lebanon, TN
Home Of The Barrel

codyg1985

I am definitely there. I have a few friends to visit in the Denver area, so I will be making a long week or so for the trip.
Cody Goodman
Huntsville, AL, United States

SSOWorld

as finances show I have to put this at 50/50 but I sense the ratio to turn toward the negative.  I need to balance out meets and keep them close to home (U.P., Madison for sure).
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

Dougtone

Currently, I am planning on attending, as I've had this meet on my radar for some time now.  I'm hoping to use this as a reason to spending a few extra days to explore Colorado and possibly New Mexico as well.

I'll also throw this out there, but I'd like to explore the idea of finding a decent hotel (or group of nearby hotels) where a bunch of us can stay at, similar to what was done for the St. Louis and (to a lesser extent) NYC meets in 2014.

corco

QuoteI'll also throw this out there, but I'd like to explore the idea of finding a decent hotel (or group of nearby hotels) where a bunch of us can stay at, similar to what was done for the St. Louis and (to a lesser extent) NYC meets in 2014.

Fully agreed. There's a tight cluster of inexpensive hotels at I-70 and Kipling in Wheat Ridge, which is what I'm probably going to advocate

Duke87

Work confirmed today that they have zero objection to me taking two consecutive weeks off, so there's that potential reason why not eliminated.

The biggest question now is whether I will be stopping in Denver on my way out west or on my way back east. I prefer the latter but scheduling may make the former work better.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

oscar

#7
One of my nieces will be graduating from college about a week before the meet, so I'll almost certainly putting the meet near the start of my trip out west rather than toward the end as I'd originally planned.  Also, I'll have to work out to meander my way home from Denver (probably through southern Colorado and Utah), as well as a route the other way that minimizes travel on roads I've already covered.  That will most likely include finishing off stray segments of US 40 in CO, KS, and MO, and perhaps also clinching US 24 or at least the part west of Toledo. 
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

hbelkins

Unless a pile of cash suddenly falls in my lap, there's almost no way I can attend.

Additionally, it's questionable whether I would have the necessary number of vacation days available in order to accommodate a leisurely, county-collecting drive there (it's two days of hard interstate driving) and a speedy trip back.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

The High Plains Traveler

There was a negative comment on the Facebook page for this meet about the hotels around I-70 and Kipling. I've stayed at the Quality Inn on U.S. 6 at the Simms/Union exit a couple of times, and it's OK. There is also a Baymont off the same parking lot. Further west on 6 there are some higher end hotels (Courtyard) for those willing to spend more.

Since I live two hours south, I will likely just come up for the day.
"Tongue-tied and twisted; just an earth-bound misfit, I."

jpi

I am in! :-) Will be going solo since Steph is saving her vacation time for our BIG trip west in July. This Dever meet would be a 5 day weekend for me.
Jason Ilyes
JPI
Lebanon, TN
Home Of The Barrel

A.J. Bertin

Right now I'm about 95 percent certain that I'll be able to attend. My plan at this point is to bring Sam Scholtens - doing half of the drive out Thursday, the other half Friday, staying at one of the hotels along I-70 Friday and Saturday nights, and then splitting the drive home between Sunday and Monday.

I can't wait!
-A.J. from Michigan

SSOWorld

Stay out of Kansas for hotels - when I drove I-70 out in 2013, I dodged tornadoes in western Kansas.  When I stopped in Salina for lunch (for me and the cat) it was crazy humid and hot.  The storms blossomed as I got closer to the CO line.  everything fizzled out after getting well into Colorado except for some tall cloud that produced nothing.
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

bugo

Quote from: SSOWorld on December 28, 2014, 11:10:10 PM
Stay out of Kansas for hotels - when I drove I-70 out in 2013, I dodged tornadoes in western Kansas.  When I stopped in Salina for lunch (for me and the cat) it was crazy humid and hot.

Welcome to my world.

jpi

I have booked a hotel in Wichita for the drive out, mainly getting new counties in KS and new interstate mileage on I-35. I did I-70 accross the state back in July 09 on my first "cross country" trip to Albuquerque, NM it was hot, dry and triple digit heat all the way to eastern CO. I will moniter weather closely since it is late May and higher potential of tornadoes then in July.
Jason Ilyes
JPI
Lebanon, TN
Home Of The Barrel

bugo

We don't even bother changing our schedules when the forecast calls for tornadoes here. If a tornado is imminent, we go outside and look at the sky.

SSOWorld

Quote from: bugo on December 30, 2014, 03:32:45 PM
We don't even bother changing our schedules when the forecast calls for tornadoes here. If a tornado is imminent, we go outside and look at the sky.
* SSOWorld likes this. 

Proper response to a tornado.  Too bad I didn't get that chance in my town last year ("Why?" you ask; because nobody knew until it was over. - no "Tornado" warning.)

[/off-topic]
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

kharvey10

This might be an outside chance but it will fall on work related stuff.  I cannot plan stuff more than a month in advance cause my employer loves to change schedules on us (it happened right before Brandon's meet last year).

hbelkins

Quote from: bugo on December 30, 2014, 03:32:45 PM
We don't even bother changing our schedules when the forecast calls for tornadoes here. If a tornado is imminent, we go outside and look at the sky.

Yeah, that's my running joke at work. When we have a tornado drill, while everyone else heads for the designated shelter area, I grab my camera and head outside.

(We seriously had a tornado warning either earlier this year or last year, and that's exactly what I did.)

Quote from: jpi on December 30, 2014, 02:22:28 PM
I have booked a hotel in Wichita for the drive out, mainly getting new counties in KS and new interstate mileage on I-35. I did I-70 accross the state back in July 09 on my first "cross country" trip to Albuquerque, NM it was hot, dry and triple digit heat all the way to eastern CO. I will moniter weather closely since it is late May and higher potential of tornadoes then in July.

Hey, an impromptu storm chasing trip!  :clap:


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

codyg1985

Quote from: hbelkins on December 31, 2014, 08:49:11 PM
Quote from: jpi on December 30, 2014, 02:22:28 PM
I have booked a hotel in Wichita for the drive out, mainly getting new counties in KS and new interstate mileage on I-35. I did I-70 accross the state back in July 09 on my first "cross country" trip to Albuquerque, NM it was hot, dry and triple digit heat all the way to eastern CO. I will moniter weather closely since it is late May and higher potential of tornadoes then in July.

Hey, an impromptu storm chasing trip!  :clap:

Now that would be a new kind of road meet, for sure.
Cody Goodman
Huntsville, AL, United States

jpi

Yeah, will see how it goes, over 11 years of living in the souths "tornado ally" and I still have yet to see one. BTW Cody- still looking for lodgeing in the Golden, CO area.
Jason Ilyes
JPI
Lebanon, TN
Home Of The Barrel

bugo

I saw a tornado in Whitehouse, Texas of all places when I was in middle school. That day there were at least 5 tornado warnings for Smith County. My aunt's house had a huge picture window and we sat in front of the window and watched the storms. The tornado moved from west to east and "bounced" up and down like a basketball along a ridge in the distance. We weren't in any danger so we just watched it.

Then there's the time that I drove through what I suspect was a very weak tornado....

Zmapper


TheHighwayMan3561

Just booked my hotel (the Howard Johnson Denver West). See you there!
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

corco




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