Mountain Driving

[Ron N Deb]

I do the Mancos/Dolores/Lizard Head route ...wish i  KNEW
the owers at Dunton

 

[Daniela]

Was he horny????

It wasn't his "horns" that were the problem...   

[wyomingfestivarian]

All those "flatlanders" headed to TBF: a few hints (from someone who's lived above 8k feet thier whole life...)
1. Turn your lights on, even in broad daylight. It helps you see, and others see you.
2. WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT.
3. If wildlife jumps out in front of you, and the choice is hit the wildlife or hit the ditch, take out the animal, especially on mountain roads. We can replace your car, we can breed another rabbit (or they usually take care of that themselves), you're irreplaceable. We love our wildlife, but we love you more!
4. Altitude sickness is a big deal, espeically coupled with fatigue and alcohol. It doesn't just happen to the elderly! PM me if you need more information.
5. If you have a chronic heart or lung condition, are a diabetic, or have a serious medication allergy, carry a list of meds on your person. Punch a hole in it, hang it around your neck behind the set list that's already laminated and hanging there.
6. Wear your sunscreen! We get a ton more sun up here in this thin air than down at sea level. You burn faster and burn worse. 

OK, done the RN/NP duties! Be safe, enjoy and have fun!

[Hippie]

  God / Goddess bless you for that info. I am a wilderness EMT and understand the vagaries of high altitude. Be safe folks. Take it slow, buckle up and practice extreme self preservation. 

  It's a marathon, not a race 

 

 Listening to: Greg Brown

[Debbiefromtucson]

You all are reminding me of our t-ride trip in 1995.... We couldn't handle the weather anymore and decided to bug out on Sat morning when we woke to snow..... We were totally unprepared for the weather ( coming from Tucson) and I believe we may have nee suffering from hypothermic problems with judgement... But, anyway... we leave via the road that goes to Dolores... We had no chains and the pass was getting very, very snowy and icy.... DH told me, his 7MONTH PREGNANT wife to go sit in the back of the van with a bunch of the gear on the axle to try and get us some ballast....LOL.. We did try but was still too hairy- we ended up turning around and went home another way that took many more hours...LOL
Yes, we laugh about it now but it was FREAKING SCARY!

[Debbiefromtucson]

Oh and if it's a full moon - watch out for the ELK.. 2 yrs ago, we ran into more ELK on the road to Dolores/Cortez that we ever have before- around every bend there were 6-7.. We decided it must have been because it was a full moon... In all the years, this was the 1st time we had seen elk.. We must have seen 100 that night.

[Auntie Hope]

Bump for the new Folks on the Forum.

Safe Travels!

HiBanji from the Campus 

[Pearhead]

I can't wait to start my travels 

[Cindy Lou]

You all are reminding me of our t-ride trip in 1995.... We couldn't handle the weather anymore and decided to bug out on Sat morning when we woke to snow..... We were totally unprepared for the weather ( coming from Tucson) and I believe we may have nee suffering from hypothermic problems with judgement... But, anyway... we leave via the road that goes to Dolores... We had no chains and the pass was getting very, very snowy and icy.... DH told me, his 7MONTH PREGNANT wife to go sit in the back of the van with a bunch of the gear on the axle to try and get us some ballast....LOL.. We did try but was still too hairy- we ended up turning around and went home another way that took many more hours...LOL
Yes, we laugh about it now but it was FREAKING SCARY!

'95 was a cold year.  My old man who I didn't know at the time was riding his Harley over Red Mtn. and said he just 'bout froze to death cuz the snow was meltin' and flowing off over his chaps where there was NO protection.  But Lizard Head is not that bad, really a piece of cake if you don't freak out.  I drive it quite often pushing 10-12" of new powder just to get up there and make some turns in the fresh stuff!  Maybe I'm just used to it, but all you really have to do is keep up your momentum and don't freak out.  Of course, keeping good rubber on your car is crucial, but a set of chains can be whipped out and installed in about 4 minutes.  No worries; come up in the winter and I'll teach ya how to drive in it!  Woo-hoo it's what keeps life interesting.