The distance between Denver and Salt Lake City looks deceptively short on a map. But that’s ok, because it is one of the most scenic drives I have ever been on.
In yesterday’s post I remarked how I-70 is an impressive engineering feat and a road America can be proud of. I said that before I drove all the way west on I-70. It is really magnificent. Anyone capable of doing so, should one day take the drive from Denver to Salt Lake City. You will be treated to the best views from an interstate ever.
After checking out of yesterday’s hotel, I gassed up, got some provisions and started heading west. I did backtrack over some miles of I-70 since I had driven that some that day before, but that was no problem because I could drive that road every day.
Going up and down the mountains actually ended up resulting in me getting fairly good gas mileage on the first portion of the journey. I don’t think I’ll ever see 38.5mpg again, but it’s nice to know it’s achievable.
The drive was uneventful from a traffic perspective, however other than gorgeous views I was treated to every type of weather. From partly cloudy sunny skies, to rain, to snow showers, to extremely gusty winds. This drive had it all! Fortunately there were no accidents, or weirdos on the road. It did rain off an on, but the clouds were cooperatively and mostly stayed above the mountains.
I stopped frequently on the route. There were scenic views every 5 – 10 miles and I stopped at several of them. I wasn’t in a rush, and it’s a lot easier to get great pictures while stationary outside of your car than while inside and driving.
Because of the long distance and the frequent stops, I didn’t get to Salt Lake City until 10pm Mountain Time. After my good experiences at the Holday Inn Express past couple of nights, I went to another. This one is also nice, though not AS nice as the one in Denver, however it was more expensive. Alas. I contemplated shopping around, but I’ll spend the extra $10-$20 on a nicer place. Even though I’m only here to sleep (and write a blog), I’d rather spend my down time in a decent hotel. AAA has almost paid for itself in discounts so far. Probably saved at least $60 on hotels so far because of it.
Looking outside, the weather looks good. Last night when I got in it was raining pretty heavily in SLC. The highways around here are 70mph (80mph outside of the cities!) and it being dark and rainy and I having no clue where I am I was one of those slow people going like 55 in a 70. Oh well. There wasn’t too much traffic. I made it safe, and was extremely exhausted by the end. Once I checked in, I hit up the hotel bar for a bite and a brew. This hotel is right by the airport and a couple guys talking appeared to be pilots. Becoming a pilot has been one of the things I have thought about the most. I keep thinking how absolutely awesome this trip would be to do from a small aircraft. Mark my words: One day I will take a cross country trip of this magnitude, or greater, in an airplane I flew myself around in.
So… What’s next? Today the plan is to go even further west on I-80 across the Great Salt Lake Desert and the Bonneville Salt Flats. This will take me to northeast Nevada, which based on my map literally appears to be the middle of nowhere. I think after I get to Nevada on I-80 I will turn north on US Route 93 and go up through Idaho. Beyond that, I’m not sure! I may get back on the interstates, or I may decide to get lost in the Idaho wilderness. I will think about it a lot over the course of the next several hours of driving.
Well, I better get ready and fuel up at the hotel breakfast. Onward!
