Road trip to the mountains
09-08-2013, 11:56 AM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Road trip to the mountains
Just got back from a week in beautiful Durango, CO. Mountainbiking is my passion and Durango is a Mecca for it, my second trip there this summer. First one was in a 15 passenger rented van full of my team, this time was a last minute end of summer solo trip....because I could.
Drove from Houston to Santa Fe the first day, 12 hours, then into Durango in 4 hours the next morning. West Texas is flat and boring but once you start getting into the foothills in New Mexico it starts getting prettier. The stint from Santa Fe north gets you into the red rock mountains that in turn go green once you near CO. While there, I did a morning run up to Silverton, a 70ish mile roundtrip over two passes each way, and also did some smaller mountain roads.
After riding my bike 8 hours over three days, I headed home a slightly different route, headed back to Pagosa Springs but kept going east on 160 which takes you through two mountain passes before getting into a basin. One more set of mountains before you hit I25 near Trinidad, then back through the corner of NM and into Texas again. 2440 miles total over five days, 16 1/2 hours straight home the last.
The 991 is such a supurb road machine. Comfortable, luxurious, yet totally capable of the thrill ride I wanted on the curvy mountain roads. I know the term GT car is somewhat derided here, but that's what it is. Sports car yes, but more than that too. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the 991's that are rarely driven, there's absolutely no reason not to take one on a cross country jaunt.
BTW, I managed around 25 mpg mostly on the way out, averaging around 80ish with a bike on the roof. Prevailing winds must have helped on the way back, I got an astonishing 28 mpg on first leg home, the around 26-27 the rest of the way.
Here's my route, and a couple pics:
Drove from Houston to Santa Fe the first day, 12 hours, then into Durango in 4 hours the next morning. West Texas is flat and boring but once you start getting into the foothills in New Mexico it starts getting prettier. The stint from Santa Fe north gets you into the red rock mountains that in turn go green once you near CO. While there, I did a morning run up to Silverton, a 70ish mile roundtrip over two passes each way, and also did some smaller mountain roads.
After riding my bike 8 hours over three days, I headed home a slightly different route, headed back to Pagosa Springs but kept going east on 160 which takes you through two mountain passes before getting into a basin. One more set of mountains before you hit I25 near Trinidad, then back through the corner of NM and into Texas again. 2440 miles total over five days, 16 1/2 hours straight home the last.
The 991 is such a supurb road machine. Comfortable, luxurious, yet totally capable of the thrill ride I wanted on the curvy mountain roads. I know the term GT car is somewhat derided here, but that's what it is. Sports car yes, but more than that too. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the 991's that are rarely driven, there's absolutely no reason not to take one on a cross country jaunt.
BTW, I managed around 25 mpg mostly on the way out, averaging around 80ish with a bike on the roof. Prevailing winds must have helped on the way back, I got an astonishing 28 mpg on first leg home, the around 26-27 the rest of the way.
Here's my route, and a couple pics:
09-08-2013, 04:29 PM
#3
Thanks for the write-up. I am on my 4th 911 and I used to travel cross country TWICE every year when I would close up shop on my seasonal restaurant on Cape cod and vacation on the West Coast. I always drove a 911 and it was a sheer joy to drive. The newer models out now are far superior--comfortable, better handling, quieter with a LOT more technology/convenience. LONG love the 911: KING OF THE ROAD :-))))
09-09-2013, 02:38 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
