A rough Itinerary

Westie said:

OK, have done a little bit of research and I have a better
idea of what I'm planning to do. Can anyone give me an
opinion about this plan?

I'll fly into LA at the start of September and jump on
a tour for a couple of weeks. That'll satisfy my
initial tourist tendencies. When that finishes I'll go
from LA to Denver and then have three (maybe four)
weeks to go riding.

I'll be on my own and I intend to be pretty casual and go
where whim takes me, staying a few days here and a few
days there. I'd rather not pin myself down with transport
and accommodation bookings. Whatever I do I have to be
back in Denver for my flight out.

From Denver I head along the I70 to Grand Junction/
Fruita/Moab spending time in places like Breckenridge etc.
I expect I'll hit Moab in the last week of September. Once
I've done that I'll take the I50 to Salida stopping at
Gunnison and Crested Butte on the way. I think that I'll
skip Durango at this stage. From there I'll head to
Colorado Springs and back to Denver.

I'm assuming that there are plenty of bus services that I
can use and that I can use without having to book ahead.
Likewise with accommodation. Budget, backpackers or B&B
stuff that I can find when I arrive in a town and that I
don't have to book.

The only wrench in the works that I can think of at the
moment are a lack of accommodation, and long distances to
trailheads from my accommodation. Does anyone know off-
hand about the availability of accommodation in places
like Moab and Fruita in mid-September? How busy is it
likely to be? Is getting from hotel to trailheads going to
be a problem anywhere?

Why wouldn't you want to rent/hire a car? You can get pretty
decent weekly rates if you do some research. For $25 you can
join AAA here in the states and get a very nice discount at
Hertz. I had a Mazda 6 for $129 a week. It'll cost you more
for shuttle/bus services and they are few and far between
with strange schedules. You could also use the car to take
you to campsites (if you have gear) which could also save
you some $$$. Additionally, you can rent a small conversion
van which has sleeping quarters for about $250 a week. Then
you don't have to worry about finding a hotel/motel.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Ride-A-Lot said:

Why wouldn't you want to rent/hire a car? You can get
pretty decent weekly rates if you do some research. For
$25 you can join AAA here in the states and get a very
nice discount at Hertz. I had a Mazda 6 for $129 a week.
It'll cost you more for shuttle/bus services and they are
few and far between with strange schedules. You could also
use the car to take you to campsites (if you have gear)
which could also save you some $$$. Additionally, you can
rent a small conversion van which has sleeping quarters
for about $250 a week. Then you don't have to worry about
finding a hotel/motel.

I guess I'm thinking cheap and easy. I doubt that I'll be
camping as I don't want to bring gear with me from NZ and
lug it around for two weeks before I use it. I don't really
want to buy gear there either. Security for property is also
a consideration while I'm out on the trails. I hadn't
considered the car/van options before; you've now given me
something more to think about.
--
Westie (Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.)

Westie said:

Ride-A-Lot said:

Why wouldn't you want to rent/hire a car? You can get
pretty decent weekly rates if you do some research. For
$25 you can join AAA here in the states and get a very
nice discount at Hertz. I had a Mazda 6 for $129 a week.
It'll cost you more for shuttle/bus services and they are
few and far between with strange schedules. You could also
use the car to take you to campsites (if you have gear)
which could also save you some $$$. Additionally, you can
rent a small conversion van which has sleeping quarters
for about $250 a week. Then you don't have to worry about
finding a hotel/motel.

I guess I'm thinking cheap and easy. I doubt that I'll be
camping as I don't want to bring gear with me from NZ and
lug it around for two weeks before I use it. I don't
really want to buy gear there either. Security for
property is also a consideration while I'm out on the
trails. I hadn't considered the car/van options before;
you've now given me something more to think about.

Screw the California tour. Rent a car and us Californian's
will set you up with a good itinerary before you head east.
For a non-riding itinerary I'd do something like head up the
coast through Big Sur and up to San Francisco. Then over to
Tahoe and down to Yosemite, and then on to Colorado. If you
can spend more time in Calif extend that up to Redwoods Natl
Park. And in LA proper I'd be happy to give you a tour of
the local sights.

Greg

"Westie" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I'm assuming that there are plenty of bus services that I
can use and that I can use without having to book ahead.

What are you, some kind of communist?

CC

Westie said:

Quoted message said:

I'm assuming that there are plenty of bus services that I
can use and that I can use without having to book ahead.
Likewise with accommodation. Budget, backpackers or B&B
stuff that I can find when I arrive in a town and that I
don't have to book.

The only wrench in the works that I can think of at the
moment are a lack of accommodation, and long distances to
trailheads from my accommodation. Does anyone know off-
hand about the availability of accommodation in places
like Moab and Fruita in mid-September? How busy is it
likely to be? Is getting from hotel to trailheads going to
be a problem anywhere?

Local bus service rarely exists outside metorpolitan areas.
Based on your itinerary, I can't imagine not having a car.
The assumption of bus service might be a bit of a stretch
particularly in the CO destinations you are planning to hit.
You can probably find decent accomodation in most places,
but getting from point A to point B without a car is going
to be tough. Likewise, you might want to check the mileage
scales between LA and CO. Youre talking a 15-20 hour drive
from LA to Denver by car. Longer by bus. Getting from hotel
to trailhead without a car is going to be nearly impossible
unless you plan on riding your bike.

car." Like it or not, its how we get around, particularly in
the western states. On a brighter note, car rentals tend to
be cheaper in the US than in other parts of the world. It
will have to be included in a budget, but it might not be as
bad as you imagine.

Tom

Ride-A-Lot said:

Westie said:

OK, have done a little bit of research and I have a
better idea of what I'm planning to do. Can anyone give
me an opinion about this plan?

I'll fly into LA at the start of September and jump on a
tour for a couple of weeks. That'll satisfy my initial
tourist tendencies. When that finishes I'll go from LA to
Denver and then have three (maybe four) weeks to go
riding.

I'll be on my own and I intend to be pretty casual and go
where whim takes me, staying a few days here and a few
days there. I'd rather not pin myself down with transport
and accommodation bookings. Whatever I do I have to be
back in Denver for my flight out.

From Denver I head along the I70 to Grand Junction/
Fruita/Moab spending time in places like Breckenridge
etc. I expect I'll hit Moab in the last week of
September. Once I've done that I'll take the I50 to
Salida stopping at Gunnison and Crested Butte on the way.
I think that I'll skip Durango at this stage. From there
I'll head to Colorado Springs and back to Denver.

I'm assuming that there are plenty of bus services that I
can use and that I can use without having to book ahead.
Likewise with accommodation. Budget, backpackers or B&B
stuff that I can find when I arrive in a town and that I
don't have to book.

The only wrench in the works that I can think of at the
moment are a lack of accommodation, and long distances to
trailheads from my accommodation. Does anyone know off-
hand about the availability of accommodation in places
like Moab and Fruita in mid-September? How busy is it
likely to be? Is getting from hotel to trailheads going
to be a problem anywhere?

Why wouldn't you want to rent/hire a car? You can get
pretty decent weekly rates if you do some research. For
$25 you can join AAA here in the states and get a very
nice discount at Hertz. I had a Mazda 6 for $129 a week.
It'll cost you more for shuttle/bus services and they are
few and far between with strange schedules. You could also
use the car to take you to campsites (if you have gear)
which could also save you some $$$. Additionally, you can
rent a small conversion van which has sleeping quarters
for about $250 a week. Then you don't have to worry about
finding a hotel/motel.

What he's really trying to say is that pulbic transportation
in the US can really suck.

Penny

On 5 Jun 2004 06:33:29 -0700, [email hidden] (Corvus Corvax)
blathered:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm assuming that there are plenty of bus services that I
can use and that I can use without having to book ahead.

And remember to turn onto the wrong side of the road at the
first junction after you come off I70. It would be difficult
to do a trip within your time limit, without a car, where
you did much riding other than plugging along roads from one
location to the next. CC is right.

I did a 3 week Moab/Colorado trip in 2001, late Sept/early
Oct. Best part was Durango, Fruita and especially Crested
Butte. The stuff I did at these places, inevitably an
exercise in cherry picking given time constraints, was not
hugely technical but still very enjoyable riding. I would
like to return to this area for a longer trip one day.
Altitude is a factor to bear in mind. Moab was a
disappointment on most levels.

Many towns (e.g. Durango) have campsites nearby analagous
to the $5 DoC campsites in NZ - basic but adequate, with an
honesty box. There does not seem to be the backpacker
hostel style network you will be familiar with from NZ,
although Crested Butte does have one such place, $20/night,
that is pleasant.

Pete

On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 15:04:34 +1200, "Westie"
<[email hidden]> blathered:

Quoted message said:

OK, have done a little bit of research and I have a better
idea of what I'm planning to do. Can anyone give me an
opinion about this plan?

Back, for a limited time only: btinternet.comUSAOpen ↗
mtb/

Quoted message said:

I'll fly into LA at the start of September and jump on a
tour for a couple of weeks. That'll satisfy my initial
tourist tendencies. When that finishes I'll go from LA to
Denver and then have three (maybe four) weeks to go riding.

I'll be on my own and I intend to be pretty casual and go
where whim takes me, staying a few days here and a few days
there. I'd rather not pin myself down with transport and
accommodation bookings. Whatever I do I have to be back in
Denver for my flight out.

From Denver I head along the I70 to Grand Junction/
Fruita/Moab spending time in places like Breckenridge etc.
I expect I'll hit Moab in the last week of September. Once
I've done that I'll take the I50 to Salida stopping at
Gunnison and Crested Butte on the way. I think that I'll
skip Durango at this stage. From there I'll head to
Colorado Springs and back to Denver.

I'm assuming that there are plenty of bus services that I
can use and that I can use without having to book ahead.
Likewise with accommodation. Budget, backpackers or B&B
stuff that I can find when I arrive in a town and that I
don't have to book.

The only wrench in the works that I can think of at the
moment are a lack of accommodation, and long distances to
trailheads from my accommodation. Does anyone know off-hand
about the availability of accommodation in places like Moab
and Fruita in mid-September? How busy is it likely to be?
Is getting from hotel to trailheads going to be a problem
anywhere?

Pete

"tcmedara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:Xpkwc.4718$wS2.4048@okepread03...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

car."

Yep, due to the greedy capitalist oil and auto industry
lobbying the commie public transportation infrastructure out
of existence here in the West back in the 40s we're stuck
with a worthless 300 yard subway that cost 78 billion
dollars to build here in LA. The only city's public
transportation that survived in California was San
Francisco.

Greg

tcmedara said:

Westie said:

Quoted message said:

I'm assuming that there are plenty of bus services that I
can use and that I can use without having to book ahead.
Likewise with accommodation. Budget, backpackers or B&B
stuff that I can find when I arrive in a town and that I
don't have to book.

The only wrench in the works that I can think of at the
moment are a lack of accommodation, and long distances to
trailheads from my accommodation. Does anyone know off-
hand about the availability of accommodation in places
like Moab and Fruita in mid-September? How busy is it
likely to be? Is getting from hotel to trailheads going
to be a problem anywhere?

Local bus service rarely exists outside metorpolitan
areas. Based on your itinerary, I can't imagine not having
a car. The assumption of bus service might be a bit of a
stretch particularly in the CO destinations you are
planning to hit. You can probably find decent accomodation
in most places, but getting from point A to point B
without a car is going to be tough. Likewise, you might
want to check the mileage scales between LA and CO. Youre
talking a 15-20 hour drive from LA to Denver by car.
Longer by bus. Getting from hotel to trailhead without a
car is going to be nearly impossible unless you plan on
riding your bike.

I'm planning on flying into, and out of, Denver. Distances
to trailheads is important. I wasn't sure if I could just
bike a few miles or would need a car.

Quoted message said:

To reiterate what Corvus said. "This is America, boy.
You rent a

Quoted message said:

the western states. On a brighter note, car rentals tend
to be cheaper in the US than in other parts of the world.
It will have to be included in a budget, but it might not
be as bad as you imagine.

I'll start checking prices.
--
Westie (Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.)

Pete Jones said:

On 5 Jun 2004 06:33:29 -0700, [email hidden]
(Corvus Corvax) blathered:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm assuming that there are plenty of bus services that
I can use and that I can use without having to book
ahead.

<grin>

Quoted message said:

And remember to turn onto the wrong side of the road at
the first junction after you come off I70. It would be
difficult to do a trip within your time limit, without a
car, where you did much riding other than plugging along
roads from one location to the next. CC is right.

I'm really don't want to try to drive in the bigger cities
but I guess where I'm going it should be OK. I thought that
there would be a better transport network - buses or
something scooting regularly between towns. Looks like a
car is it.

Quoted message said:

I did a 3 week Moab/Colorado trip in 2001, late Sept/early
Oct. Best part was Durango, Fruita and especially Crested
Butte. The stuff I did at these places, inevitably an
exercise in cherry picking given time constraints, was not
hugely technical but still very enjoyable riding. I would
like to return to this area for a longer trip one day.
Altitude is a factor to bear in mind. Moab was a
disappointment on most levels.

I've considered altitude. I'm coming from sea level here in
NZ too. I'm not sure how much of a problem it will be and I
can't see that I can avoid
it.

Quoted message said:

Many towns (e.g. Durango) have campsites nearby analagous
to the $5 DoC campsites in NZ - basic but adequate, with
an honesty box. There does not seem to be the backpacker
hostel style network you will be familiar with from NZ,
although Crested Butte does have one such place,
$20/night, that is pleasant.

I take it that you travelled with camping gear? I've got
camping gear but figured it would be a hassle dragging it
around on aeroplanes. Any suggestions, like buy the tent
there or something?
--
Westie (Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.)

Pete Jones said:

On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 15:04:34 +1200, "Westie"
<[email hidden]> blathered:

Quoted message said:

OK, have done a little bit of research and I have a
better idea of what I'm planning to do. Can anyone give
me an opinion about this plan?

Back, for a limited time only: btinternet.comUSAOpen ↗
mtb/

Nice. It answered quite a few of my questions. And it gives
me confidence to see that someone-else has done it before me
and lived to tell the tale. Thanks for posting that.
--
Westie (Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.)

"G.T." <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"tcmedara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:Xpkwc.4718$wS2.4048@okepread03...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

car."

Yep, due to the greedy capitalist oil and auto industry
lobbying the commie public transportation infrastructure
out of existence here in the West back in the 40s we're
stuck with a worthless 300 yard subway that cost 78
billion dollars to build here in LA. The only city's
public transportation that survived in California was San
Francisco.

Greg

San Jose, but San Diego isn't bad either. MUNI sucks.

R

Pete Jones said:

Back, for a limited time only: btinternet.comUSAOpen ↗
mtb/

Pete

Classic: "I believe each passenger should just be allowed a
'total weight' allowance - you AND your bags. So if you're a
fat [censored] - you have to pay excess lardage. Sounds
eminently sensible to me."

ROTFLMAO
--
Slacker

Westie said:

I'm really don't want to try to drive in the bigger cities
but I guess where I'm going it should be OK.

Don't sweat it... it's not that big of a deal. We (Los
Angeles) probably have the largest population of idiot
drivers anywhere. Just yesterday: I was driving down the
street with one of those idiot Harley moto riders next to
me. The bonehead whips out a cell (one hand on the
handlebar) and starts dialing. All this while attempted a
lane change without looking. The dumb ass almost side swiped
a car that was in the lane he tried to go into.

I have to confess, I did experience intense, perverse
pleasure from the above scene. I hate, hate, hate
Harleys and the sorry wretches that ride the obnoxious
pieces of [censored].

--
Slacker

Slacker said:

I have to confess, I did experience intense, perverse
pleasure from the above scene. I hate, hate, hate
Harleys and the sorry wretches that ride the obnoxious
pieces of [censored].

Well, you'll be pleased to hear this story then. A friend of
mine was heading down to a Motorcycle Rally a couple of days
ago. He left late and it was dark with a full moon.

He tried to outrace a cop. He flicked the lights off and
used the light of the moon to see. His old Harley promptly
blew up as he hit the gas so the chase was over before it
started. He ended up with a $550 fine for his troubles and
was stuck in the middle of nowhere in the dark in wet, cold
sleet waiting for the tow-truck the cop called in for.

He also owes another mate a few beers because he had to
travel 400 miles and back in an equally old Chevy pickup to
go get him and the bike.
--
Westie (Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.)

Westie said:

Slacker said:

I have to confess, I did experience intense, perverse
pleasure from the above scene. I hate, hate, hate
Harleys and the sorry wretches that ride the obnoxious
pieces of [censored].

Well, you'll be pleased to hear this story then. A friend
of mine was heading down to a Motorcycle Rally a couple of
days ago. He left late and it was dark with a full moon.

He tried to outrace a cop. He flicked the lights off and
used the light of the moon to see. His old Harley
promptly blew up as he hit the gas so the chase was over
before it started. He ended up with a $550 fine for his
troubles and was stuck in the middle of nowhere in the
dark in wet, cold sleet waiting for the tow-truck the cop
called in for.

He also owes another mate a few beers because he had to
travel 400 miles and back in an equally old Chevy pickup
to go get him and the bike.

Send your friend my, HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

A police chase in sleepy NZ ?? How can that be... what did
he do, steal some farmer's sheep? That thing must've
weighed a ton after it go all wet. Maybe that's what blew
the engine??

--
Slacker

Slacker said:

Quoted message said:

He also owes another mate a few beers because he had to
travel 400 miles and back in an equally old Chevy pickup
to go get him and the bike.

Send your friend my, HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

A police chase in sleepy NZ ?? How can that be... what did
he do, steal some farmer's sheep?

No such luck. I think it was a cow. It was doubly amusing
because the guys had been discussing tactics just last
Saturday night at the Pub. They'd decided that the best way
to deal with a police chase was to turn the lights off and
put the pedal to the metal. He did exactly as planned.
Brilliant.

Quoted message said:

That thing must've weighed a ton after it go all wet. Maybe
that's what blew the engine??

I actually think that it might have been him. He's no
lightweight. Especially in a wet full leathers.

--
Westie (Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.)

On 2004-06-05, Westie penned:

Quoted message said:

I've considered altitude. I'm coming from sea level here
in NZ too. I'm not sure how much of a problem it will be
and I can't see that I can avoid it.

Some people handle it better than others, but I think
conventional wisdom says that it takes a few weeks to fully
acclimatize -- so when you're huffing and puffing, you will
have a legitimate excuse =)

Just make sure you drink a lot of water here in CO -- like,
an insane amount of water. When my dad came to visit, this
became a running joke. Every problem he mentioned, I told
him to drink water. But it's true! Headache, lethargy,
whatever, it's almost always dehydration. Of course, alcohol
only makes it worse =/

--
monique