I'll be heading out on a road trip / vacation tomorrow. I think it will be a week but maybe I'll make it an extra week. I am thinking of heading South/West of Michigan because I haven't been much in that area. Just a few times driving through on route to other destinations.

Is there anything to see or do in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas? I am not much of a tourist, just like to move from one place to another and observe life as it happens.

Another possibility is to drive through these states again and head to Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. I always wanted to see Monument Valley and more of New Mexico. The only problem is that it is going to be hotter than hell that far south and would like to camp some nights as well.

Perhaps drive to Chicago first and follow Route 66 from the beginning. I have driven part of the Route in California and Arizona and would like to see some more of it.

It'll be a lot of driving but that's part of the fun. The Saab has all maintenance and repairs done so I think she is ready for 2000+ miles of motoring. At least my A/C is working again. Most likely it will be much more than 2K miles.

How about heading to the Colorado mountains, then into northeast Utah, Wyoming, Montana and then taking the northern route home? You can even pass by Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks. Beautiful scenery, open roads, high speed limits...

I was there a few years ago when I drove my 2006 9-5 from California to Michigan. I like to try to go to new places whenever possible. However, I was only there for a few days so I really didn't see that much at all. http://saabworld.net/f172/road-trip-...ichigan-26374/

It is beautiful area and probably a better place to go in summer than south.

If you are camping I'd recommend that whole area. Go to Medicine Bow National Forest between Cheyenne and Laramie in Wyoming (off the interstate, it's on a two lane road), beautiful scenery through ranches, plenty of places for camping. Wyoming people are nice and welcoming. Check out the Fruita area in Colorado, and like I said, the northeast corner of Utah, right against the Wyoming state line. You might even see some pronghorn antelope.

Eastern Utah, by Colorado

I figured it would be best to go to Denver first and then make a right turn going North or left going South. The plan is not having a plan.



I left yesterday morning around 8:00. Beautiful sunny day in northern Michigan and my Saab parked in Boyne City with Lake Charlevoix in the background is ready for the trip.



I live just a little it north of the 45th parallel. I don't think I'll be making it to either the north pole or equator. Now that would be an epic journey.



This will be my view for the next weeks.





Swedish immigrants came to Michigan long before Saab made its first car.



Passing Saab on the highway.



The drive through Michigan and Illinois is not that exciting. But there wasn't much traffic so that was nice. About the cross the Mississippi river.



Le Claire in Iowa is a nice, old town along the river.



I don't go to antique places very often but I had to check out Antique Archeology in the same town. I was surprised it was open on Saturday at 5:00pm so it was nice just to look inside. American Pickers is one of my favorite TV shows. Mike Wolfe | American Pickers | Antique Archaeology | History Channel



I was going to stay at a hotel in Des Moines but couldn't really find anything under $80. Priceline wasn't much help either. I wasn't looking forward to spend that much for just a few hours of sleep and didn't want to go to a cheap Motel 6 either. So I turned to my Garmin loade up with campground POIs and found Iowa Lake county park. Quite hilly and nice quiet campground on a lake. Can't beat that for $10. It was hot during the day but cooled off to 70s at night. Perfect.

Picture this morning right before packing up. The birds were LOUD and started chirping at around 5:00am. So I was up at 5:30, packed up all my stuff, showered and was back on the road at 7:00am.



Nice and quiet on highway I-80 in Iowa on a Sunday morning.



I stopped for breakfast and to upload these pictures so I won't forget. I wasn't going to make a report but figured it would be nice as a memory to look back on. I'll probably won't be much on SaabWorld very often in the next weeks. The road is calling my name.

I better finish up breakfast and get going. Currently east of Des Moines and about 700 miles to go. Later!

Nice trip report so far, can't wait to see the pretty parts! And for a dutch you are very Americanized having that for breakfast!

Have a safe trip!

Not a healthy start of the vacation, that's for sure. I actually only went there for the free internet and had something to eat because it was the decent thing to do. Today's drive was pretty uneventful, pretty much because Iowa, Nebraska and eastern Colorado are just so flat. Iowa is actually pretty nice with the rolling countryside compared to the other two. I like the 75 mph speed limit in Nebraska and Colorado and that makes the endless ribbon of tarmac eaten up by the Saab just a little bit faster.

I am getting a 31mpg average for the last 1,200 miles so far. Not bad for mostly cruising between 65 and 75 mph.

I was planning on camping again near Denver but it was getting late. So I jumped on Priceline and got a room for 2 nights at the Marriott Denver Airport for $60 a night. I like camping but this is pretty nice too. Thank you Price Negotiator!

60 bucks is not bad. Now that you reached Colorado things will get better. The eastern half of the state if boring and flat, but the mountains aren't far. Since you're in Denver you are right at the footsteps of the mountains. 31 mpg is not bad at all considering you did mostly an uphill drive, although on a very slight incline.

Sounds like a good trip so far!

I miss the days of just being able to pick and go!

I spend the day in Denver yesterday and that was enough to get a feel for the city. It has a nice downtown area and a few other sights. I only took a few pictures.

The State Capitol



That famous Mile High step



Governor's mansion



Denver Airport. It wasn't far from my hotel and I always wanted to see it.



I was browsing through a Colorado tourist guide in my hotel and noticed Pikes Peak wasn't too far away from Denver. That seemed like a fun destination for the day so that's where I headed.

It was pretty quiet and I expected it to be busier. View near the beginning of the Pikes Peak Highway.



A 100+ year old Ford coming down. Not sure if they made it all the way to the top.



























It started raining when I was getting closer to the summit. There was quite a bit of thunder and lightning as well. Here you are above the tree line.











There is no room for error on these roads. Miss a turn and you may experience a tumble of a few thousand feet.

After an awesome drive (or ride) up the mountain made it to the summit.



As you can imagine, spectacular 360 degree views.



It stopped raining but more clouds were closing in. And another thunderstorm wasn't far behind.



Food place and gift shop. You notice the air is very thin up here. I was lightheaded several times after just a short walk. I never experienced that before.









The new Subaru BRZ. Looks great in person and it seems like it would be a blast to drive up and down Pikes Peak.





I was glad I took some pictures when I first got at the top because the rain didn't stop. It's interesting to see lightning bolts coming from clouds below you. So bak down the mountain again.









It was close to 6:00pm and the road down was quiet. That's one advantage of the crappy weather. Nice to go into turns a little bit faster and stretch the Saab's legs a little bit. Still very cautious though because you don't want to miss a turn and the last words that come out of your mouth is Oh sh..

From Pikes Peak, I headed to Salida about 120 miles away where I booked a motel. The rain cleared and it was a pleasant evening drive.





Did I mention you will see pictures of a Saab without any apparent reason? Wide open spaces, I could live here.

You are probably familiar with Pikes Peak and a certain Saab challenge if you're a Saab aficionado but for the others that don't know..

I think it took me just a little bit longer to reach the top. The entire road is paved these days.

Per Eklund - Pikes Peak - magazine article

Beautiful topic ! Awesome photos !

I have seen so many Pikes Peak race videos to know those curves! Too bad on the two times I drove through Colorado I missed going there.

Per Eklund's Pikes Peak SAAB 9-3 is a beast with over 800 hp and four wheel drive. Insane!

Internet access hasn't been very good at the campgrounds and most hotels so it is time for another update. After Pikes Peak, I drove through Telluride, CO and ended up in Mesa Verde National Park. I think I heard about it but never realized how beautiful it is.

Telluride, a well-known town for winter activities like skiing. Weather was kind of crappy and it was the 4th of July so very busy. I walked around a bit but didn't spend too much time there.



Wonderful driving roads and scenery from the mountains towards the desert. Still quite a bit of rain and didn't quite feel like summer yet.





The entrance to Mesa Verde.



The road goes up into the mountains quickly and the views are amazing.





I didn't have any reservations for the campground and I was a bit worried the place would be full. It was the 4th of July week after all and prime summer vacation time. Well... no need to worry! This campground is very big (500+ sites) and I found a spot as far away from others as possible.





Anywhere you drive in the park, the next view is even more amazing than the previous.









Camper van from Switzerland. I also saw a huge Mann truck converted to camper with German plates.



Mesa Verde is know for the many cliff dwellings. You can see quite a few from the park roads and the largest require a tour with a park ranger. A bit busy but still very interesting to see. These tours require reservations and are $3 each. There was a huge line (looked like 1+ hour waiting time) at the visitors center for these tickets in the morning so I went back early afternoon and got tickets for a 4:30pm tour and one for the next morning.









There are a few places to eat in the park and I expected busy places with overpriced average unhealthy food. But I was quite surprised they served great sandwiches/burgers and the local specialty Navajo Taco. It is a flat bread topped with things like lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream and other stuff. Choice of beef, chicken or vegitarian. Delicious, fresh and quite a large portion for $8.



More wide open views from the restaurant and parking lot.





The largest dwelling Cliff Palace.





I stayed there for 2 nights and headed back down the mountain again. Very cool to see weather develop many miles away.



So that was Mesa Verde. An awesome place to visit and relax for a while. On to new road trip adventures.

Very nice Frank! I was in Mesa Verde years ago and it sure is breathtaking!

And the road trip continued towards Monument Valley. One of those places we all know from pictures and a place I always wanted to see. Between Mesa Verde, I took a little detour past Shiprock, a huge rock in the middle of the desert.





The road towards the Valley (which isn't actually a valley) already has some interesting looking rocks.



And the first sight of the main area.



It was already towards the end of the day so I found a spot at the only campground in the area. Not very big sites but there were plenty left.



As the sun was setting, I went back to the main road because the sun was casting some beautiful light on the rocks.







The following day, the first stop was the visitor center where you're greeted with an awesome view.



There is a dirt road that loops through the area. It's a slow ride, especially with a car. One of those times I wish I had a crossover or SUV. But the Saab handled it fun, as long as you're very careful and take your time. The views are definitely worth it.











This is John Ford's Point and the Navajo on the horse is real. A bit touristy but still a pretty cool sight. You could have your picture taken on the horse for $2.





Those rock walls look massive when you're standing near it.





You can see the car if you look closely.



Lunch break in the shadow of a tree with a magnificent view.







And the views continued.







I think it took about 3-4 hours to do the 15 mile loop and stop many times to take in all the views. And I had to take it slow because of the bad road. But it was definitely worth it. The pictures only give an impression of this amazing place. You have to go there yourself to really experience this natural wonder.

One hell of a trip, Frank!! I am jealous.

Are you headed into California? I can recommend a few places in Mojave desert.

How hot was in Monument Valley? It's one of the places I wanted to visit in Arizona but never got to.

Looks like a great trip Frank and thanks for the amazing photos!!!

If I knew you were coiming thru Colorado Springs I could have taken you out for some good chow.

Oh and the probably the reason why Pikes Peak was a little dead is because of all of the evacuations from the fires.

Have a safe trip Frank!

Originally Posted by rpiereck

Are you headed into California? I can recommend a few places in Mojave desert.

How hot was in Monument Valley? It's one of the places I wanted to visit in Arizona but never got to.

No, I am not headed to California. I have seen quite a few places in CA, AZ and NV when I lived in SoCal and there already is enough to see and and do in the Southwest. It has't really been that hot in most places I have been. Monument Valley was hot (90s) but not uncomfortable. And there is no humidity so that's a good thing as well.

Originally Posted by toxicavenger

Looks like a great trip Frank and thanks for the amazing photos!!!

If I knew you were coiming thru Colorado Springs I could have taken you out for some good chow.

I knew you live in Colorado but for some reason, I thought you lived north of Denver. Didn't spend any time in Colorado Springs though, as I always seems to be running out of time on my way to other places. Too many places to see, to little time!