The "Road Trip" Denver to Boise Part 1 in Misc. Thoughts opinions, the whole trash can.

We were supposed to be headed toward Boise Idaho on May 18th. The reason was for a wedding of my wife’s college friend’s youngest son. Plans would rapidly change.

May 17th 1230 pm:
I did my errands for the upcoming trip, that will also take us into Canada as well. I went to TRAVELEX to purchase some Canadian money. Next Stop was EXPRESS-SHRED to get rid of four boxes of mail and junk-mail, most unopened. I went to the car wash to get the grime off the truck, from the last snow storm. I also stopped at the store, for dinner and a few things needed for the trip. I noticed a familiar car in the parking lot. It was my wife’s, because she was taking my son to the store for groceries, while we are gone. I picked up what I needed and saw them at the check out line.

I am told, I hate to do this, but Jill called and said they are out of Laramie, Wyoming. There are warnings out for severe weather conditions and possible road closures. Jill is another Gonzaga University roommate, and they driving up a day earlier. A decision was made we’ll head out in few hours and try to beat the storm. Denver, late Thursday was to get 8-10 inches of spring snow.

I put all the “dinner’ stuff back gave my wife the things I needed and headed home. We both need to pack for 10 days away. I need to cancel and re-book the hotel at Ogden, Utah, since we will be there about 18 hours earlier. That was an exercise in futility, since the contact number went to a voice mail box. So I had to cancel through Hotels. com and directly call the hotels booking agent. I got it done and said we will be arriving after 1200 am.

A quick pack for both of us, and check to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything. The baggage is loaded, our wedding regalia, will be hung on a hook in the car. Cameras, I-phones and associated chargers are accounted for. Gas is at 3/4 of a tank. We’ll gas up at Cheyenne. It is 320 pm and we are headed north. We are catching the early rush hour, but we skirt through and it will ease a bit north of Thornton. Coming into Ft. Collins, traffic is heavy again. Road construction is the major delay and by Wellington, CO we are making the speed limit. Clouds are threatening over the front range, I think we made the right call.

Cheyenne, WY 525 pm:
Little America will be the gas and food stop. I remember road signs saying 120 pumps and it had a dining room and coffee shop. Many things have changed. The last time I was in Little America was about 35 years ago.. LOL. About 8 pumps for cars and 10 pumps for diesel. Remember I said how we were to check, so we didn’t forget anything? LOL When I went to the car wash, I placed my debit card on the front seat, well it spent the trip with the mail in the truck, in the garage. My wife has hers, so shes the responsible adult for the trip. I gassed up and we went to eat. The Hotel closed coffee shop, and added meeting rooms instead. It is now the Little America Hotel Resort and Spa. They have a nice dining room and we ate there before making the dash to Ogden. The meal was very good. Clouds were gathering and it was cloudy dark when we went in. It is now raining and the wind has picked up.

Buford and Sherman Hill, WY:
Clouds are staring to get lower as we leave Cheyenne. We’ll rejoin the Union Pacific mainline about five miles east of Granite WY. We got on I-80 at Otto Road, leaving Cheyenne. It you take Otto Road westward, you follow the UP through Borie and the old road up to Granite, before the interstate. The grade is stiff here 2 1/2 percent. It is steep for the truckers as well. The heavier freights take the Harriman Cut-off, via Speer,WY, just a little west of Cheyenne, and rejoining the UP trans-con around Hermosa. At Buford, well it is snowing, and sleeting. We are getting a little slush, but nothing drastic. It will be like this till the Ames Monument exit at Happy Jack Road, and we’ll lose it in the canyon dropping into the Laramie Valley. Laramie, WY it is dry road and HIGHBALL!!

The Wyoming DOT road signs are saying from 9pm tonight to 11pm the next night “I-80 WESTBOUND Expect heavy snow and road closures to Green River”. We are both thinking, we made the right call. It will be clouds and wind till almost Wamsutter, WY.

Sinclair WY:
Wonder why it is named that? It is due to the Sinclair refinery, which is 99% of the town. It is quite a huge operation. A few homes, but the refinery and the UP yard there, make up the majority. Rawlins, WY is about six miles west and probably the majority of the people live there. UP crew changes at Rawlins.

Wamsutter, WY:
We are getting a sunset at Hanna,WY, coming into town, but darkness will fall shortly before our arrival. I catch an eastbound passing through town. A couple of miles west a glow of a dimmed headlight on a DP consist boosting up a stack train. This area is very pretty, because you are getting the buttes coming into Green River, WY. Then Echo Canyon, also impressive.

A through the windshield shot at Hanna,WY, first sun of the day

Green River, WY:
A gas stop here. It is very quiet in Green River, the sidewalks have rolled up for the night. The only activity is in the UP Yard here. East and westbounds coming in at a steady rate. The UP Crew changes here. 18 gallons of gas and about midnight, only another hour and a half to Ogden.

Echo / Echo Canyon, UT:
A few miles out of green River, we cross the Utah state line. Catching “color” on the UP. We are gaining on a train in the canyon. We’ll see him, as I-80 splits and we’ll take I-84 into Ogden. It is a UP vehicle train looks like about 70 auto racks, loaded or empty I don’t know. It is 60-70 mph, highway, depending on curves, maybe 45 to 50 mph. For the UP, 25 to 30 mph snaking through the canyon. Just before Ogden, around Hennefer, a Triple RED and a dimmed headlight. This vehicle train will meet a stack train, but we head for the hotel.

Ogden, UT:
Almost 130 am, our 8 hour and 45 minute dash is over. The historic Ben Lomond Suites and Hotel. We’re checked in, and head for the room. We are told sorry we are still under renovation. Well like we say on the railroad, we’ll be out on rest.
Waking the next morning at 800 am, we found out we made the right decision. They closed I-80 in Wyoming and I-70 in Colorado. The Denver Metro had 8-14 inches depending on the area The mountains got 2 to 3 feet. In Wyoming, Cheyenne got 10 inches, and I-80 was closed due to ground blizzards and drifting snow. Ogden, UT sunny and 51 degrees.

To be continued

Last updated May 30, 2017