Great drives in the southwest... in August...

With a trip from Texas to Monterey and another trip from Monterey to Texas (hopefully following a different path), I need to do some route planning. The direct route is 1700 miles in 2 really long days of absolute boredom cruising I40 (snore). Blech! I'd rather find some fun, twisty, scenic roads to drive! Even if that means an extra day of driving. Hopefully not lots of extra days though... so no major-delay detours. And of course, 4-lanes better than 2; and freeways better than stoplights. But typically you have to trade efficiency for scenery and fun. Only those with experience can help make those trade-offs right.

So, if you have any expertise with these southwestern states, PLEASE tell me about the best drives for a Ferrari (no SUV or 4WD drives) in California, Nevada, Utah, southern Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas. Or F-car-guy attractions that may make a particular route attractive (e.g., a Ferrari or F1 museum). Also, please tell me about the major east-west byways through those states:

New Mexico/Arizona:
I know I40... just lotsa dull straight slab. (Just did that back from Vegas.)
How about I10... is it just as dull? Looks worse on the maps, actually.
Any good alternatives?
How is US60?
Any great side-trips off I40 to break things up?
How is US89 in AZ? Looks more interesting, but may be a major delay?
And Alt89 vs US89?

Colorado/Wyoming:
I know I70... eastern boring; middle great; western moderate.
Is there a good alternative for the western half of I70?
How is US40 from Steamboat west to Utah? Looks boring.
How is I80 through Wyoming? Worth the major trip to the north?
How about the trek 191 north to 44/43 to I80 for just the westernmost Wyoming?
I know many great side-trips in central Colorado; a few listed below.
Any great side-trips in western Colorado? Or in southern Wyoming?
Feel free to suggest other side-trips that make general east-west progress.

Utah:
How's I80? Better or worse than I70?
How's US40? Better or worse than I70?
How's I15 from I70 to I80? (I15 is pretty fun from I70 to Vegas.)
Is there a better way to jump from I70 to I80??
How's US6 from I70 through Price to I15?
How's US6 west of I15?
Any great side-trips? I hear Utah12 near Bryce Canyon is awesome.
How's Utah24 from I70 thru Hanksville over to Utah12? Make sense?
And then from Utah12 at US89? Take 89 south to Mount Carmel Junction and then west to I15??

Nevada:
How is I80?
How is US50?
How is US6?
How is US95? Is there any good way west into California? Perhaps hopping from 95 to 395 in CA and then through Yosemite?
Any great side-trips?

California:
How is I80 down to Sacremento?
How is US50 across to Sacremento?
Is there a side-trip around Tahoe that is efficient and fun?
What's the most enjoyable trek from Tahoe or Sacramento to Monterey?
How is US395? Any good way to make the east-west trek through Yosemite? How is the drive through Yosemite if you're just breezing thru? And what is the most enjoyable trek from Yosemite to Monterey?
How about CA1 or US101 or I5 to approach Monterey from the south? Are any of those worth the trip through Los Angeles?
How is I40? Looks as straight and boring as AZ and NM. I40 to Monterey?
How is I10? Looks even more boring than I40. Is it?
Suggestions?


On the side-trips, just list them with reasonable directions from a start point to an end point... I'll then do the work to figure out how to string them together.

Here's some mid-Colorado ones that I am familiar with:

1) I70 from west Denver to Vail - beautiful and twisty, despite being an interstate; Eisenhower Tunnel is long enough for two runs up and down the gears

2) Loveland Pass - Hwy 6 - much prettier and twisty than Eisenhower Tunnel - takes you by A-basin, Keystone and then to Lake Dillon, and then to either I70 or detour Sapphire Point...

3) Sapphire Point - jump from Hwy 6 to Hwy 9 on south side of Lake Dillon

4) Hoosier Pass - Hwy 9 from I70 in Frisco or from Sapphire Point thru Breckenridge up Hoosier Pass and then around to 24 to 82, Leadville or Vail

5) Independence Pass - 82 from 24 over the pass and into Aspen - stunning climb and very twisty road with just enough room to facilitate passes - tallest mountains in Colorado here - worth the detour and trek back up 82 to I70 (though you end up missing Vail and the great drive on I70 west of Vail)

6) Freemont Pass - 91 from I70 to 24 and on thru Leadville to 82; or 24 back to Vail as a detour off I70

7) Berthoud Pass - 40 - two-lane on climbing side making passing a breeze - very twisty and pretty

Please add any side-trips you love in these southwest states... especially if they can be done efficiently in an east-west trip.

Thanks a lot!

P.S. Let's please keep this thread focused on the drive options, not specific plans for who's making the trek to Mecca, errr, Monterey this August. For that, go here or make a new planning thread. Thanks.

 

What could be more appropriate for a bunch of Ferraris?! The Pony Express Run!

Interesting. I'm familiar with US 50 from Pueblo to Canon City... nice scenery. Getting a pic of my Ferrari in front of Royal Gorge would be sweet... I'd already been trying to think how to swing that. The roads north from there to Cripple Creek are outstanding in an SUV! May be a bit too scary for a Ferrari.

US50 along the gorges in Gunnison is certainly a good alternative to the western segment of I70! After Montrose, US50 heads up to Grand Junction where it joins I70 through most of Utah, right? It splits off at Salina and heads north to I15; joins I15 south and then zigs back north from Greenwood up to Delta where it joins US6 to continue its westerly trek to Nevada. Just looking at the maps, US50 through Utah looks fairly dull. Any Utah'ers care to elaborate?

To make Utah more interesting, we could dive off I70 and do the Utah24 to Utah12 side-trip... but then to get back to US50 before Nevada, we could take Utah21 across. What's Utah21 like from I15 at Beaver over to US50 at Majors Place, NV?? Or would it be better to take Utah56 out of Cedar City since it runs near Dixie National Forest... take that to US93 north, which takes you to US50 in Ely, NV?? Utah 56 does go through Modena!!!

Dale, is Montrose where you are suggesting a detour to the four corners area? (You said "up", but I assume you mean "down"?) US550 through Silverton and on down to Durango is a pretty sweet drive. And then US160 west is not bad. Its a shame you can't travel through Mesa Verde... just in and back out... but might be worth some time. US160 would take us to four corners and then across northern Arizona... looks pretty dull on the maps... and then to US89, which I asked about earlier. We can take that or shortcut AZ98 up to Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, and then on thru Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument, and then ??? Its not clear to me how you get efficiently from four corners back onto US50 through Nevada.

Moving way back north to US50, assuming US50 is a great way across Nevada, that takes us right by Lake Tahoe which is definitely great. It then proceeds on to Sacremento... looks like a fun drive to there. Is that where US50 ends/starts?

Those of you familiar with US50 in CA, NV, or UT care to offer advice/opinions??

 

Okay, putting a US50 trip together with the UT12 and Durango side-trips, I get the following Texas-to-Monterey trip. The times are Mapquests and should be pessimistic unless the group needs extra stops (gas tanks or bladders too small).

Aug8 - Texas to Pueblo - 9-11 hours - roughly 287 to Dumas, 87 to Raton, 25 to Pueblo - unavoidably dull through Texas, but run on I25 over Raton Pass is nice, plus nice mountain views.

Aug9 morning - Pueblo to Montrose - 4.5 hours, 250 miles - US50 across with stop at Royal Gorge and along Black Canyon in Gunnison area.

Aug9 afternoon - Montrose to Durango - 2.5 hours, 110 miles - US550 thru Silverton to Durango with photo stops along the way.

Aug9 evening - Durango to Blanding, UT - 2.5 hours, 127 miles - US160 to US491 to US191. Do you see much of Natural Bridges National Monument from 191?

Aug10 morning - Blanding to Boulder, UT - 4.5 hours, 210 miles - UT95 to UT24 to UT12. Lunch between Dixie Nat Forest and Grand Staircase Nat Monument, in middle of highly acclaimed UT12.

Aug10 afternoon - Boulder to Beaver, UT - 3 hours, 140 miles - UT12 to US89 to UT20 to I15

Aug10 evening (long day!) - Beaver to Ely, NV - 4 hours, 180 miles - UT21 becomes NV487 back to US50

Aug11 - Ely, NV to South Lake Tahoe, CA - 7 hours, 350 miles - US50. Perhaps add some driving time around Lake Tahoe in the evening.

Aug12 morning (early start!) - South Lake Tahoe to Carmel - 5 hours, 290 miles - US50 until it becomes I80, then I680 to US101 to CA156 which becomes CA1. See the Pebble Beach cars at lunch time, then go check in.

Questions:
1) Is there somewhere nice to stay in Ely? Or in one of the smaller towns on the way to Ely?
2) Is there somwhere nice to stay beyond Tahoe an hour or so, to shorten up the morning drive?
3) Is this just too much longer a drive for scenery rather than straight interstate? Skip UT12?

 

Definitely going to do different roads in each direction...

Interesting option as I am thinking the drive back should be a more northern route.

Sounds like a good revision to the Pueblo to Montrose stint... US50 west from Pueblo is okay, but certainly not "amazing".

 

This thread seems to have stalled... so, I have decided to go to the local experts for advice on the pieces of the puzzle... but I'll pull it back together here. For those wanting to follow along, here's the local threads:

California
Rockies & Utah
Arizona & Nevada