Crossing I-70

[fish]

Fish

[Old Grinner]

Good 'ol I-70.

Always makes me think of Kansas City, MO or Kansas City, KS.

[Limey]

Makes me think of Colorado.

Lived 4 miles south of I-70 for 20 years and commuted 25 miles each way daily into and back from Denver.
Not to mention towing the fifth-wheel through the Rockies!

[Old Grinner]

On my trip through CO in the '70s the first area we stayed at was in the Black Hawk/Central City area. It was up in the hills west of Denver . . . the "mile high city". You lived/commuted in a great area. I never got into the city streets of Denver because we stayed on Rt. 70 going up into the foothills. But I remember what the area looked like in general.

Also, coming into CO from KS we spent some time on Rt. 36.

I'll never forget the view from the plains looking up at the Rockies after passing through the rolling terrain around Last Chance.

[fish]

I drove my new '73 Beetle from Mass to San Francisco once and thumbed nearly the same route x 3 in my youth. Recall a lot of 2nd gear usage up the Rockies and backfiring coming down ( from the timing change?)
For pure scenic enjoyment - the hitch hiking was better. Not sure I'd carry a Martin guitar in a hard case again all that way again.
Lots of youngsters hitching in those days. Sometimes had to que up and wait my turn. Those with a female were always quicker to snag a ride.
So often the scene from the perch on my guitar case was amazing , once past Kansas!
Fish

[Mel46]

I did my share of riding and driving through that area back in the late '60s/early '70s. We were more likely to get rides back then, before all of the distrust, and the bad people started driving the roads looking for trouble. I too drove my VW bug on I-70 heading west. Poor little Bug. I had to have the engine worked on after I got to San Francisco. I ended up trading it for a much bigger car for the return trip, taking I-80 to Cheyenne and going straight down to Denver and beyond down to Albuquerque. (I don't think they had completed I-25 yet when I drove it.) Now THAT was a tough drive! Then we took I-40 to Oklahoma City, and from there back to Dallas. It was a very long drive, and I was very glad that I had "upgraded" to a more comfortable car with a bigger engine.

I can't find it on the map now, but I know that we took Route 66 much of the way either to or from California more than once. I wonder where it stops now, knowing that once upon a time Route 66 was highly trafficked. If I remember correctly we use to pick it up in Albuquerque and go to L.A. in Southern California.

I could not imagine taking a bike the route I took in the car. Even old Route 66 was very hot...and lonely.

[Old Grinner]

I drove my new '73 Beetle from Mass to San Francisco once and thumbed nearly the same route x 3 in my youth.

I did my share of riding and driving through that area back in the late '60s/early '70s. We were more likely to get rides back then, before all of the distrust, and the bad people started driving the roads looking for trouble. I too drove my VW bug on I-70 heading west.

Great stories guys . . . keep those cards and letters coming folks . . . and don't forget to save those wrappers! (George Carlin . . . may he RIP).

I held onto my '69 VW (used) Bug until the #3 cylinder started to loosen up and I had a chance to get a deal on a used '73 Ford LTD. My parents ended up helping me get the Ford for a college graduation present. The gas crisis had come and gone . . .. I think W.T. Grants had just gone out of business and a store chain from NJ called Caldor was buying up all the old W.T.Grant real estate in shopping centers. Now they are gone too . . . enter Walmart.

I digress . . ..

[relic]

Crossed Colorado Feb 1973 in a 63 VW van-talk about slow- the older vans had outboard reduction gears to compensate for that tiny VW engine.
Anyway east to west, it started to snow after leaving Boulder, can't remember my tire situation but sure they were not winter rated radials.
Just kept climbing and getting colder,had a parka on with a set of snowmobile gloves, the air cooled engine had no chance of supplying a full sized van with any heat.
After partying in Steamboat Springs slept in the back toasty in my down sleeping bag.
Next morning found my boots frozen to the floor.
Don't think much was done on the interstate if my memory serve me well a lot of twists and turns, white knuckling it through the snow-a very long day.

[relic]

Sorry Feb 1972- Stuck In The Middle-Stealers Wheel-seemed to playing everywhere back then.