Western US Vacation w/ photos
 

We just returned from our annual vacation. This year it was mainly to Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. We also drove on more of Route 66 on the way home, mostly in OK and TX. Weather was extreme, ranging from hot weather to a snowstorm in Bryce Canyon. Our now 10 year old 2007 GT/CS handled it all very well and averaged 24 mpg over 5,400 miles. Here are some of the photos.
1) narrow Skyline Ridge near the Royal Gorge in CO
2) high mountain pass over 10,000' in CO (yes, that's ice on the road)
3) near the entrance to Arches NP in UT
4) along the 'Million Dollar Road' from Durango to Silverton & Ouray in CO
5) same road as #4
6) along our scenic travels in UT
7) snowstorm in UT at Bryce Canyon NP
8) Lake Powell in AZ
9) approaching the famous Route 66 "standing on a corner in ...."
10) old restored Conoco gas station in TX on Route 66

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:nice:

Very nice I loved Bryce Canyon when I was there! :nice:

Nice!!!

The USA has much to offer in the way of vacation destinations, always felt safer touring at home. Great photos, love the snow...

Really didn't need the convertible top on this trip. We only had the top down on 3 of the days. Here are a few more.
1) On the way to Meteor Crater near Winslow, AZ
2) Driving in remote Utah approaching a bridge spanning the Colorado river
3) An old Phillips 66 on Route 66 in Chandler, OK
4) Another on the Million Dollar Highway in CO
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Great pictures Dave. It looks like a great trip. Lord willing we'll be leaving on our annual road trip in August. Up to Fargo, and out through the badlands, down through Yellowstone. Gonna take the plastic car this time.

BTW, the money shot is above on the Million Dollar Hwy. Beautiful

Several beautiful shots there. Love those million dollar highway mountain shots. Enjoy following your trips. :nice:

So, just parking "on a corner in Winslow Az..."

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for all the comments guys.
wanted33, I agree with ya on that photo. You will have a wonderful trip. Yellowstone is our favorite NP.
shaneyusa, Here is the actual 'corner' with the Glen Frey statue and the Flatbed Ford plus the Route 66 on the street. I actually got a break with no pedestrians or traffic. There is a quality gift shop on the other corner where they are playing all the Eagles songs which you can hear outside on the street. We bought a few Route 66 shirts there MADE IN USA. So cool!
Take It Easy!! :)
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^^^ Very Cool. Love to visit some day. Thanks for sharing that picture. :nice:

Closest I have ever been is watching the History of the Eagle video.

Do put a Route 66 journey on your bucket list Shane. It's one of the most unique vacations/road trips you'll ever make.


Lucille's Road House in Hydro, OK.

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Wow. Words cannot describe how cool this is. Dreamed doing such trips ever since I got the car. This is how Mustangs should be driven. Going to a race track compete with Porsches and Ferraris, driving through the desert canyons and route 66's in a cowboy hat. All of it. Someday I will, someday. Awesome photos!

You take some really cool road trips! Love the photos. I'm hoping to make it out to Colorado this summer in the Mustang!

Great photos. I remember driving on deserted sections of Route 66 in the '80's. You couldn't drive 100 yards without running over a tarantula. The wheel wells were not a pretty sight! :wacko:

That is definitely a bucket list item for me. Love to tour the country in my car, enjoying the ride and seeing the sites... Now to just get rid of that pesky thing called a job. I think it is holding me back. Oh wait, it pays for my toys. :grin: But, someday, and not to far out there...


:dunno:
Ok so, NC07GTCS (Dave?) got a question for you. Looking though your trip threads I notice that your car always looks fantastic in the photos :photo: that you post from the wonderful tours of the country... So I was wondering how do you keep it looking so good. No bugs, mud, dust, anything. Always looks showroom. So can you give us your secret on how you do that on a road trip? Just wondering because I am sure you do not just pop into a quick road side automatic car wash. And being from NC you are putting in some serious miles behind you when you make these journeys.

Thanks!! Many people ask me this but when you are a nut job about keeping your car clean (that's me) it isn't too bad. My wife of 40 years is used to it also. I bring a one gallon bucket and load it with small bottles/containers of bug/tar remover, protectant, detailer, spray wax, tire shine, and many microfiber rags. It all takes up very little space in the trunk and snugs up against our luggage. If you run out of rags or really hit a bad stretch of mud or tar, get old towels from the motel maids or desk clerk. I also bring an extra pair of jeans and grub shirts so I don't mess up my clothes. Remove all the product bottles and fill up the bucket from a hose outside the motel or from your room and you are set to go. I doubt I have ever spent more than 30 minutes first thing in the morning making the car nice. It's perfect timing as the wife needs about 30 minutes to get ready anyway. Just get used to other motel guests asking, "can you do mine next?" If it's a long highway trip ahead with rain in the forecast I won't even bother. The key at the beginning of every trip for me is to get the car as slick as possible with wax and load up the front grill with so much protectant that nothing will stick to it. The bugs come off real easy. I learned a lot about this process when I grew up and worked in Florida where love bugs have destroyed many a car's finish. They were like acid that struck FL each May and September. Nothing else in the country has compared. The convertible top is treated with Raggtopp before each trip and it repels everything! That's my ritual anyway. I know many here are probably shaking their heads :shakehead: at the effort but that's me. My Trans Am looks the same after 16 years (I bought it new too) and my C4 (even though purchased used) is now immaculate as well. Cars are my hobby, even during my working years. My mid life crisis started at age 16 and has never stopped. :)

Thanks for the info. Always good to get insight from those who have a process figured out. I like to keep my cars always looking their best, as yours does. Your method sounds like a great way to go. My Stang has only made one long road trip. It was a challenge to keep it sharp, especially when I was not really prepared. With my Jeep GC it is easy to hit an automatic car wash. But that will never happen with my hand wash only Mustang. Tried the wand car washes, but just do not cut it on their own. I also am worried they will blast off all my wax protection. I will have to get me a little road wash bucket kit put together. Thanks for sharing your! :nice:

I so glad to know I'm not the only one my friend, and our long suffering wives are the same. We try to plan cloths washing day with car washing day. That way she's not cooped up in a hotel room with nothing to do while I give in to my OCD. :grin:

:lol: Now that's just evil, but why didn't I think of that??

Don't you go and tell your dear bride I told you about that. :grin: