Road Trip Report

I'm generally a very private person, and I don't post a lot on social media. On here, I was a lurker for several years, reading road trip stories, the funniest comments section, technical articles, etc. Now that we are also owners, I know I should help contribute to that legacy and help foster additional dreams. Since this is the first one of these posts for me, please feel free to give feedback on whether you all would like more/less texts and more/less photos. I'm sure this is going to be a little long since this road trip was over two weeks.

My wife had a work function in Jackson, WY, so I thought, "we're probably not going to get a better opportunity to do a road trip to this part of the country for a while." We roughed out a few plans, booked some hotels, and then I set off alone.

Starting off in Dallas, the goal of the first evening was to reach Amarillo. This was really just to get into range of Denver for day 2. There I would pick up my brother, hit Garden of the Gods, and then start our journey for week one through Colorado/Utah.

Those of you who have driven it before know, but for those of you that haven't, DFW to Amarillo isn't exactly the most exciting drive. Avoid the speed traps in the small towns, hope you don't hit any of the microbursts (which a lot of times can contain hail), and stay awake.

Along the journey there were many encounters at fuel stations, people hanging out the window taking videos as they drove by, people taking pictures of the car in parking lots, etc. It is amazing to me how respectful people have been. Many ask if it is ok just take a picture of the car.

I won't share all of those fuel station stories, but a few of them really stood out. The first was at a fuel station in Dalhart. While fueling, a couple next to me came over asking about the car, and one of the first things they asked was if it was running ok. Apparently since I was only going a couple MPH over the speed limit, they were concerned it wasn't running well. After a few laughs about trying to avoid tickets on this road trip, we discussed the journeys we were on. Once they found out that our northernmost point was Whitefish (they have a cabin on the reservation on the east side of Glacier), they offered up their cell numbers in case we ran into trouble.

Northeast New Mexico is a place that I find very relaxing. There are no twisty roads, mountain passes, or anything remotely resembling a great driving road, but there is something about it that makes me feel very at peace. Getting up on the high plans, you have different cloud formations, the land becomes covered in grass, and you get these buttes that start to line the roadways. It is the first place where I really feel free of the city and stress. In the picture below, I first shot the abandoned ranch seven years ago while going to Colorado in a little Abarth (blast to drive btw). I had always had this picture in mind of being able to someday stop to get a photo of whatever supercar we had on one of our drives to Colorado. In reality, this stuff is way more stressful. Parking on the side of the road, waiting for traffic, and running around hoping you or the car doesn't get smashed into at 70+ isn't enjoyable. I guess my prospects of becoming a Youtuber are slim (being slightly overweight and nearing 40 probably doesn't help either).

After picking my brother up at the Denver airport, we headed down to Garden of the Gods. While the drive is very slow through the park, it is definitely worth doing if you are in the area.

The next morning we got up early to start our way up Pikes Peak. After arriving at the entrance, we were asked if we had a reservation. I had no idea so many parks, monuments, etc. had started introducing reservation requirements over the last couple years. Obviously, we didn't have one, so we weren't able to drive up. This would certainly open up additional possibilities later in the day...

With that disappointment out of the way, we decided to get a move on and head out to Westcliffe. This area of Colorado is far less visited than the ski towns to the north. It is quiet and chill. While we were there, several groups of people were setting up pretty large telescopes for the even star gazing in the town park. Here we went to the local grocery store, grabbed some supplies for cold meat sandwiches, and had a relaxing lunch starting at the mountains.

Since we were so far ahead of schedule, we decided that instead of heading from Westcliffe up to Aspen directly, we would loop down south to see Great Sand Dunes. This turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. Not being familiar with the area, we followed Google Maps exactly.

While this sign should have been a clue that things may get worse, the roads to this point (and for a while after) were really not that bad. Later on however, we were basically driving down a dry creek bed. We were definitely the only car on the "road" that morning, let alone supercar. I really wish I knew what all the people in the jacked up Jeeps and 4Runners were saying as we went by.

We made it through with all 4 tires intact, and really better than I thought we would to be honest. My stress levels were through the roof on this. I 100% do NOT recommend doing this journey in a car.

We eventually made it to Great Sand Dunes national park. I was shocked by how large they are. This isn't a particularly great drive, but still something to see. We essentially traded a drive up Pike's Peak for a stressful drive in a dry creek bed and a seeing a large pile of sand. Definitely check if any park or outdoor attraction requires reservations now.

We headed to Aspen from there. Highway 82 is certainly one of the best roads out there. I'm sure many of you have driven it, but if you haven't, it is well worth the added time. It can get pretty busy, but have some patience and enjoy the drive. Fortunately for us, it was not that busy on the day we went, so we were able to enjoy it. The aspens had started to turn at certain elevations and with the afternoon sun behind them, they were gorgeous.

We spent a day in Aspen watching a rugby match, enjoying some food, walking around, etc. As we were loading up the car the next morning, the valet asked us if we had rented it locally or somewhere else. I honestly wasn't sure how to respond. I figured being honest was probably the best thing telling him that we bought it last year in Dallas.

While Highway 82 gets a ton of attention, Highway 133 is also a great road. Coming out of Carbondale to the pass is definitely worth driving. It is a little more open than 82, and there are more opportunities to get around slow traffic if need be.

After the pass we headed down to the Black Canyon of Gunnison. While on the way, we ran across this cool mine, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take another picture.

We then went down highway 149 to South Fork. This road is fully paved, nice, and very remote. It was very lonely out there, but a great drive. You can certainly enjoy your vehicle out there. Lake City is a pretty cool small town if you are looking for a place to stop while on the drive.

The next day we drove over to Telluride via Durango, Highway 550, and Ourey. For those of you unfamiliar, Highway 550 in Colorado may be one of the greatest driving roads in the whole country. Every bend there is a gorgeous view. Traffic can get backed up during the tourist times, but if you get out early it usually isn't a problem.

Part 2 Below
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The old Idarado mine also provides some stunning visuals along the road.

We took the next day off from driving and went for a hike in Telluride. A word of advice: if going above the power station the extra 1.4 miles to Blue Lake instead of Silver Lake is brutal.

Following a nice steak dinner at the New Sheridan the night before (best steak I've ever had btw), we headed off to Moab. While a hike to Delicate Arch happens every time I visit Moab, the surprise of the trip was heading down to Red Cliffs Lodge. This was my first time staying there, and the drive down the canyon to the lodge was spectacular. This was definitely a surprise, and I highly recommend doing the drive even if you are not staying down at the lodge.

When driving in Salt Lake, a bus full of kids kept screaming out the window at us. There had to be 10-15 kids yelling out the window. Normally I do not directly respond, but when you have that many, it was hard to ignore. I couldn't exactly make out what they were yelling, so I gave the car a rev at the next light. Then plain as could be I heard, "that isn't the horn!" yelled at me. Well, sorry kids, so I honked the horn. They all went nuts cheering. I don't know what their fascination with the horn was or if I had just committed some crime by honking, but the kids loved it and cheered loudly. For this trip we didn't hit any of the roads around Salt Lake. We were there to see a college friend and hang out with him for the night, so no further stories on that.

Week #2 started off very early on Friday. I had to drive my brother down to SLC for his flight, and then begin my journey up to Jackson to pick up my wife. I really enjoyed the relaxing morning through Idaho. The only advice I'd give here is to pay attention to blind corners. I came around one to find cattle in the middle of the road. Good thing for good brakes.

We then headed up to Whitefish, MT to hit up Glacier. We both loved Whitefish. Of all the small mountain/ski towns we stayed at along the way, this was my favorite. The reason I liked it so much is probably its biggest downfall though. We definitely felt very remote. Glacier was simply amazing. Going to the Sun is an all-time great road. There are very few turnouts so expect to get stuck behind something. We made it most of the way up the pass without getting stopped, but this is not a road you can expect to go blast like a canyon outside of Malibu.

Next up were the Tetons and Yellowstone. We were a little nervous with all the flood damage through the park, but it said all roads were open. There were definitely a lot of patches under construction without pavement, but it wasn't near as bad as the road in Colorado.

While sitting in a queue due to construction heading over to the canyon, the truck in front of us was giving us a bunch of thumbs up and held out an old Ferrari hat out the window. Had to be a true fan/owner with that out there.

When coming out of Jackson, we came out of a convenience store to a father/son around the car.
- I see other threads asking what people do, how did you get here, etc. Our only plan was to choose a career that gets you paid (in our case accounting/finance and engineering) and to live below your means. Build wealth by spending less than you make and try to ensure you make a decent amount.

Start to finish ended at 5362 miles. Overall a good trip, but I can't wait to do the next one.

FYI, the official Ferrari spare tire for the 458/488 fits behind the seats if you are not too tall. It certainly brought some piece of mind driving around such remote places.

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