-------------------- Begin Original Message --------------------
Message text written by INTERNET:Toy4speed@aol.com
"I'm starting to seriously plan for a trip to Topeka in September, maybe
even
run a few laps :) Would any of you veterans of the looong drive offer your
suggestions for best route to get there ? Northern, southern, any cities
or
motels to recommend staying over ? Looks like 3 days driving, 2 nights on
the road to me. Thanks for any info !
Don Lew
DSP #179 Supra"
-------------------- End Original Message --------------------
The path I normally use is to travel east on I-80 to Laramie, WY. Then take
a WY state route south to Fort Collins, CO. Then South to Denver on I-25.
Then turn left on I-70 and go all the way to Topeka. It's simple and
direct.
Stops vary depending upon when we get started. I've stopped as early as
Lovelock, NV and sometimes going all the way to Wendover on the first day.
The next day we stop in Wyoming. Getting all the way to Laramie works best.
While you can continue east to Cheyenne, I find the WY state highway headed
South less taxing on the tow vehicle and much more entertaining scenery
wise. I always try to get all the way through Utah without stopping. Salt
Lake City is not inexpensive.
We usually figure 3.5 days and make a final stop at about
Burlington, CO. on I-70 which is just about on the border with Kansas. Then
it's a half day into Topeka.
Most of the time I return the same way but it's also entertaining
to continue west from Denver on I-70, although the climb over Longmont Pass
is steep. It's the only place our 460 engine runs out of breath. The
Colorado Rockies are wonderful to tour through. We emerge at Grand Junction
and then go North on I-15 to Salt Lake City before turning left on I-80,
across Bonneville, and into Wendover.
There may be a state route shortcut to avoid Salt Lake City going
from I-15 to I-80 but I don't know how it works.
It's Motel 6 and Super 8s all the way except for Burlington. There
are several motels there with "other" names.
While I try to stop at name brand stations, I've still found my
fuel filter gets plugged at least once on every trip. Carry spares and
wrenches to change. If you use Chevron and/or Union 76 credit cards, they
are useless beyond Nevada. Most stations, like Conoco, Amoco, Sinclair,
etc. will accept Visa or MasterCard. So apply for one of those now or use
cash. As the station locations seems to change every year (not all of them
but enough to screw up your memory), it's best to note their location as
you go east and plan your return trip.
Don't forget you lose an hour twice on the east-bound trip.
--John Kelly
|