RROC Fall Tour September 2019 New Mexico & Colorado Upland Deserts National Parks Aspen Fall Color Mountain Motoring A Road Warrior s Delight

RROC Fall Tour September 2019 New Mexico & Colorado Upland Deserts National Parks Aspen Fall Color Mountain Motoring A Road Warrior s Delight Sunday September 15th 2019 Saturday September 21st 2019 A Point to Point Tour of 775 Miles Driving Outstanding National Parks, Western Deserts High Mountain Passes & Scenic Views Hosted by the Texas & Rocky Mountain Regions Revision 10 January 1, 2019

The RROC 2019 Fall Tour New Mexico and Colorado Mountain Country Participant Info & Instructions This will be a Point to Point Driving Tour. The emphasis will be on Driving and viewing the Scenery. There will be a few venue stops. Several National Parks of note. A Steam Train Ride Option. The starting point will be Albuquerque, New Mexico. We will drive north through remote northern New Mexico and the Western Colorado Rocky Mountains. We will conclude in Silverthorne, Colorado. The tour will cover about 775 miles. We will be in hotels for 6 nights, start to finish. We will Hotel in these places: These projected costs are based on signed contracts. Including taxes and fees. Taxes may change. Marriott Pyramid Hotel in Albuquerque Holiday Inn Hotel in Durango, CO Holiday Inn Express in Montrose, CO Marriott Element Hotel in Basalt, CO Quality Inn Silverthorne, CO 1st night Est $143 incl tax 2nd & 3rd nights Est $176 incl tax 4th night Est $126 incl tax 5th night Est $155 incl tax 6th night - Est $170 incl tax Estimated hotel cost for 6 nights will average about $158. This is higher than I wanted. But I suppose this is not too bad considering this week is peak Yellow Leaf Season in Colorado and the Aspens will be calling all tourists. The maps attached at the end of this document are an overview of the Tour Driving Route as currently envisioned. The Bug Dust Details, although exceptional in number at the moment, are very fluid and posted below for those who enjoy early BD. Don t take them to the Bank as yet. Briefing your Navigator however is recommended. These finer points of minutia are being diligently refined by the dedicated and highly experienced Members of the Texas Region and the Rocky Mountain Region. Photos, maps and other info are shown on this Photo Site. https://sneedadams.smugmug.com/2019-rroc-pix/colorado-new-mexico-2019-tour/n-9g5rp9/ Your Hosts Sneed & Anne Adams John & Marcy Lovick George Malesich Katy, TX Southlake, TX & Leadville, CO Arvada, CO Rocky Mt Region Chair Register your interest & sign up now for periodic updates & Tour details. Send an email request to Sneed Adams. stadams64@aol.com Formal Registration will be later in 2019

BTW This Tour will not conflict with the Annual Colorado Grande Tour. They will be September 9 to 14. Day Zero Meeting Day in Albuquerque, New Mexico Sunday September 15th, 2019 General Notes We will meet up at the Marriott Pyramid Hotel in Albuquerque, NM on Sunday September 22nd. This is a full service hotel with a sizable parking lot. If you are trailering there seems to be more than ample space. Please advise us so we can work this out with the hotel to park there for the week. Marriott Pyramid Hotel 5151 San Francisco Road NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109 USA This hotel can accommodate private dining and buffet meals. We will have an opening dinner to do the usual greet, meet, introductions, dining and review the Tour Book. The Tour Book will be emailed to each participant in advance. This should provide you the opportunity to read in detail and ask great questions at the opening dinner to stump the Tour Host. There is no covered parking at any of the hotels on this tour. This Tour will cover about 775 miles of direct driving. Most of it will at 6,000 feet elevation and above. Up to 12,095 feet in one location and well over 10,000 in several places. This tour is not for you if you have any kind of breathing issues. If you have doubt, get checked out by a pulmonologist ahead of time. Whatever your travel arrangements might be to travel to Albuquerque I recommend arrival before 3:00 PM on Sunday. Get rested. Phoenix is 400 miles. Denver is 450. Dallas is 700. San Diego and LA are 750. Houston is 900. San Francisco is 1050. Portland and Chicago are 1,400. Vancouver is 1,550. Boston is 2,200. The detail direction pages are below. Preliminary!! They reflect the daily driving schedules including a great deal of information as well as notes on the elevations of key locations. But just to make sure you appreciate the driving distances and altitudes, they are listed here. But you still need to read every word. It is more fun that way! There will be a quiz at the opening dinner.

Albuquerque 5,300 feet Durango, CO 6,500 feet Molas Pass 11,000 feet Silverton, CO 9,300 feet Black Canyon National Park 8,320 feet BTW. It is 2,700 feet down to the bottom of the Black Canyon with exposed rocks that are 1.7 billion years old. It is rumored that these rocks were formed before Rolls met Royce. Montrose, CO 5,800 feet McClure Pass 8,755 feet Carbondale, CO 6,200 feet Basalt, CO 6,500 feet Independence Pass 12,095 feet Leadville CO 10,152 feet Fremont Pass & Climax, CO 11,318 feet Silverthorne, CO 9,200 feet Riders. This Tour without doubt will attract Members wishing to be riders. I love Riders. But I need to be frank. I need to discourage Riders. Riders work on Hub Tours. This is a Point to Point. Most folks on this tour driving their PMC will be away from home for 2 weeks. They will have a boot full of stuff including the rear seat. If we accept Riders it will be Very Conditional on space available and other Members willingness to accept Riders including their entire LUGGAGE! Spreading luggage to other cars does not work!!! Experience speaking here. A PMC fails to proceed and takes Dick & Jane s luggage 200 miles away and never to be seen again. Been there, done that. It s a tragedy and the Tour Host can t solve the issue. Sorry. See next paragraph! I will further break Club tradition and let it be known that I do not have an issue with Non-PMCs on Tour provided Hotel Rooms are available. PMC Drivers will have preference on the Blocked Hotel Rooms. That said, I believe in More

the Merrier concept of Touring. The understanding is clear. Members driving PMCs will be given preference to Blocked hotel reservations. I have done tours using this approach. It can work. I just ask the non PMC cars to bring up the rear. And please try to avoid blending in with the caravan. It limits the photo opportunities for PMCs on parade. Call and talk with me if you cannot bring a PMC. 281-787-3160. Non PMCs make wonderful Sweep Cars. Hint, wink & hint to those wonderful PMC fix it Shop Owners. Special consideration to those with great fix it expertise driving non-pmc. The Tour Registration Package will likely be issued in the Spring of 2019. The Registration Fee is expected to be in the Range of $500 to $600 per Participant. We will be working to try and bring this down. After your registration has been processed Participants will be advised of Hotel Booking Codes. 1st Day Touring - Monday September 16th, 2019 - Miles this day 221 6:00AM to 7:30AM Breakfast at the Marriott Pyramid breakfast area. Not free. 8:00AM Check out of the hotel. 8:30AM In car and ready to go. Drive 77 miles. Pit stop at Circle K Shell in Cuba, NM. Drive another 96 miles to Aztec, NM Lunch stop. Create your own picnic lunch at Safeway. Bring lunch to the picnic area at the Aztec NM. The Aztec National Monument just outside town. This National Monument is a FREE Site. This is a very interesting place. You get to walk & "crawl" through the 900 year old dwellings. This is a Small Park. You enter the Park HQ office. Show your Tour ID Badge. Proceed outside and go to the Right to the picnic area under the shade trees. After lunch you can tour the site. I am going to see if we can get a couple of Docents. We may have to pass the hat to collect a gratuity. The Pueblo people describe this site as part of their migration journey. Today you can follow their ancient passageways to a distant time. Explore a 900-year old ancestral Pueblo Great House of over 400 masonry rooms. Look up and see original timbers holding up the roof. Search for the fingerprints of ancient workers in the mortar. Listen for an echo of ritual drums in the reconstructed Great Kiva.

Drive another 39 miles to Durango, CO & the Holiday Inn Hotel. Nice big parking lot and hidden from passing traffic. We will be in this hotel TWO nights. ETA Durango estimated to be 4:30 PM. Total drive today 215 miles. Special Note. Fast forward to the Mesa Verde info below. You need to visit the Durango Visitor s Center BEFORE 7 PM and get your Tickets for the $5 Ranger Guided Tours in Mesa Verde. Corner of 8th Street and Main Ave. About 1 mile. Please read below. Important! Dinner will be at the Holiday Inn. They have a Bistro Restaurant in house. We would have a private room. Refreshments & Dinner at 6:30 PM. 2nd Day Touring - Tuesday September 17th, 2019 - Miles this day 120 6:30AM to 8:00AM Breakfast in the Holiday Inn hotel restaurant. Breakfast Coupons are available at time of check-in for $5. 8:30 AM In car and ready to go This is Option 1 Mesa Verde - Option 2 Steam Train Ride Below We are going to spend the full day at Mesa Verde National Park. This is the outstanding NP for ancient Native American habitation. The park entrance is 35 miles west of Durango on US 160. This Park has much to see. And it is carefully regulated to preserve the ruins. Tickets are required for visits to some places as there are guided tours by Rangers. Mesa Verde NP website https://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm See Ticket info below. This is important.!!! Be mindful that some of the sites that are Ranger Tour Guided will require some walking and maybe climbing ladders. Please investigate wisely beforehand. See info and websites below. To enjoy this VERY popular National Park you will need to do research beforehand. This is important.!!! And wear walking shoes Please! There are the usual National Park Entrance Fees at Mesa Verde, unless you have a Senior Pass. See details below on how to acquire a Senior Pass.

TICKETS FOR RANGER-GUIDED TOURS OF CLIFF PALACE, BALCONY HOUSE, AND LONG HOUSE Price: $5.00 per person. Tickets must be purchased in person. Tour tickets sell out quickly, but can be purchased up to two days in advance at the following locations and times. This is important.!!! Do not overlook this. You might miss Mesa Verde. Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center at the entrance to the Park. 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum inside the Park 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Durango Welcome Center, 802 Main Ave at 8th St, Durango, CO. This is about 1 mile from the Holiday Inn Hotel. It is highly recommended that Participants purchase the Ranger Guided Tour Tickets Monday after arrival in Durango. Note: Parking for tour ticket purchases is at the Durango Transit Center, one block west. Narrow Gage Ave & 8th St 9:00 am to 7:00 pm For tour descriptions and schedules, go to the Guided Tours webpages. See below. https://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/guided_activities.htm Dwellings Visits https://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/visitcliffdwelling.htm Mobility and Access https://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/physical-mobility.htm Visitor s guide in PDF form https://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/upload/visitorguide_summerfall18_508_04-04-18.pdf Photos of sights in Mesa Verde https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?id=ff5c3901-155d-451f-67834e810684af7a Cliff Palace is a must see. Mesa Verde's Largest Cliff Dwelling. This is a one-hour, ranger-guided tour involves climbing five, 8-10 foot (2.6-3m) ladders, on a 100 foot (30m) vertical climb. Total walking distance is about 1/4-mile (400m), round-trip. The tour begins at Cliff Palace Overlook. This point is 23miles & a one-hour drive from the Visitor and Research Center.

Tickets required! Tours are conducted daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Every 1/2 hour. Balcony House. Tours daily 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; every hour and 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM. Long House. Tours daily 9:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 2:00 PM NOTE The Spruce Tree House visit does not require a ticket. However, the Spruce Tree House is closed because of concern for falling rocks. There are overlook locations which offer nice views at a distance. https://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/sth_closure.htm Currently, Spruce Tree House can be seen from overlooks near the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. Rangers are available to answer questions. After a full day at Mesa Verde you should get back to the Holiday Inn in Durango by 5:00 PM. We have dinner planned at the Dalton Ranch Golf Club in the hills country about 8 miles outside Durango. Depart the Hotel at 6:00 PM. Suggested car pooling. That way fewer of us will get lost.. There is a Map in the Tour Book. Hidden where it will be hard to find of course. This is Option 2 Steam Train Ride to Silverton, CO If you have seen Mesa Verde and have never ridden on a Steam Train in the Colorado Mountains here is your opportunity for a very unique experience. The scenery is special. This is a high altitude trip off the beaten path. Check out the video and web pages below. For a truly unforgettable step back in time, ride their coal-fired, steam-powered narrow gauge train to the historic mining town of Silverton and back. Savor the 3 1/2 hour journey each way and spend 2 hours in Silverton for lunch and shopping and exploring. But you gotta book in ADVANCE. And you gotta get up EARLY for the 1st train. The 1st train for the round trip to Silverton & back to Durango is 8:00AM. This train returns to Durango at 5:30 PM. This is the train I suggest for the RROC Tour Folks. Comradery and all that. You may be a few minutes late to dinner but we will wait for you. There is a 2nd train at 8:45 AM and gets back at 6:15 PM. Not recommended. It will make you a lot bit tardy for dinner.

http://www.durangotrain.com/ http://www.durangotrain.com/round-trip-silverton-train-tour#.w8y6xfzfwdu Experience the Colorful History in the D&SNGRR Railroad Museum The Durango & Silverton Railroad is proud to share the fascinated history of railroading, transportation and mining with people from around the world. Exhibits are added frequently and admission is FREE so visit often! Open daily 7 a.m - 7 p.m. We have dinner planned at the Dalton Ranch Golf Club in the hills country about 8 miles outside Durango. For the Steam Train Riders Depart the Hotel at 6:30 PM. Suggested car pooling. There will be someone designated to lead the caravan to the Dalton Ranch. There is a Map in the Tour Book. Hidden where it will be hard to find of course. 3rd Day Touring - Wednesday Sept 18th, 2019 - Miles this day 150 6:30AM to 7:30AM Breakfast in the Holiday Inn hotel restaurant. Breakfast Coupons are available at time of check-in for $5. 8:00AM Check out of the hotel. 8:30AM In car and ready to go Drive US 550 N 42 miles UPHILL to Molas Pass, 11,000 feet. When I say uphill I mean uphill. It is slow going. Drive carefully. Make sure you have a big helping of courage at breakfast. This drive is not for the faint of heart. But the view at the top is great. 11,000 feet is scenic. We will stop here to rest for 15 minutes after the stressful drive up the mountain. Did you bring your Boost Oxygen? See photo below. Drive 6 miles DOWNHILL to Silverton, CO. Drive straight into town. You can t miss it. The view of the entire town, in the valley, as you are driving down the mountain from Molas Pass is spectacular. Go slow. Get a photo out the right passenger window. For goodness sake do not stop. You might get rear ended and your car will be in the river 1,500 feet below. See Photo No. 37.

Living off the Grid in Silverton, CO. Main Street is paved. Others are dirt. You deserve a 2nd cup of coffee after that hill climb. The Brown Bear Café. ½ mile in town on the left is a good choice. There are several others. See Photos No. 37 through 40. Those who visited Silverton the day before on the train ride may wish to skip and move ahead and spend more time at Black Canyon. Tear yourself away from Silverton at 10:45 AM and get on up the road another 33 miles to Ridgeway for a quick Pit Stop. There is a Shell on the left and a Conoco on the right. If you need petrol. If not, keep moving. Drive 26 more miles to Montrose, CO. As you enter town you will see the Holiday Inn on your right. We will be back there later today. But FIRST!! Next door to the Holiday Inn is a Safeway. It is make your own picnic lunch again. Safeway has readymade sandwiches. Subway is also nearby. After you Sandwich UP, get your machine back on US 550 N. Continue through this neat aggie inspired community. Keep eyes peeled for US 50 East. About 1 mile. At the BIG traffic light. Turn Right. This takes you to CO 347 to the Black Canyon NP. There are several small signs. Follow them to Black Canyon NP. The Park entrance is about 15 miles from Safeway. Interesting drive uphill to the mountain top and the National Park. Fees are required if you do not have the National Park Senior Pass. As you depart the NP entrance Gate, continue straight. DO NOT turn Right. That road goes very steeply downhill to the river bottom. After you enter the Park, you will pass an overlook and then the Visitor s Center. If you stopped in Silverton, just keep on going. Drive the 7 miles to the very end of the Park. You will pass many places you will want to stop when your return after lunch. There are 8 picnic tables under the shady trees next to the parking lot. We will lunch there. Just in case some tables are taken by others, this is your opportunity to use that folding chair which you brought along on the trip. After lunch and maybe a snooze in the shade of a pine tree. Be cautious of the attack squirrels and chipmunks. Do not have cookies in your pockets. You might be carried away and stuffed in a hollow tree for winter nibbling. The Gray Jays are also fun as they try to steal your lunch.

As I was saying, after lunch, drive back through the Park. Stop at the overlooks. Especially stop at the Visitor s Center. The view is outstanding. If you are a Member of Acrophobia Anonymous please have someone with you to hold on to while at the Visitor's Center overlooks. See Photo No. 54. It is 2,722 feet to the bottom of the Canyon and the Gunnison River that runs through the canyon. The black rock exposed massive cliffs are 1.7 billion year old rocks. After visiting the Park, drive about 16 miles back to Montrose. At town center where US 50 and US 550 intersect turn LEFT and drive the 1 mile to the Holiday inn Express. ETA back in Montrose is likely 4:30 PM. Have a rest. You deserve it. After a stunning mountain drive and a beautiful National Park. Can t beat Touring. I have arranged for us to have dinner at the Bridges Country Club at 6:30 PM. We will depart the hotel at 6:15 PM. Did you bring your clubs? Get there early and do a quick 9. 4th Day Touring - Thursday Sept 19th, 2019 - Miles this day 168 6:30AM to 8:00AM Breakfast in the Holiday Inn Express Breakfast nook. 8:30AM Check out of the hotel. 9:00AM In car and ready to go Find US 50 East again. Like you were returning to the Black Canyon. Drive 39 miles, make a sharp turn left and head back up the mountains. We will follow this CO 92 for 53 miles across the hill tops and connect with CO 133. Turn right at CO 133 and head toward the east. More uphill stuff. And we are going to pass a few coal mines. Look for the trains hauling it down the mountain. Near the top we will stop at Azure Cellars. It might be before lunch but without a doubt it is late afternoon on Iceland and we need to have a sip before lunch. Then motoring on downhill we come to Redstone, CO. ETA 1:30 PM. Home of the famous Redstone Coke ovens. About 120 years old. Stop and read the story on the signs on the Left side of the road.

And across the street is our lunch venue at the Redstone Inn. Built in 1902. Across the street, partially hidden by trees is the Redstone Inn. We will have a casual and lite lunch in POSH antique surroundings. This is a 90 minute break. No rush. Depart 3:00 PM After lunch we motor into Carbondale, CO. Home to Marble Distilling. They will give us a tour of how they make the hard stuff. I have not as yet figured out where we will park during this tour. We may have to just find notches along the narrow city streets. This is one of those communities that came about before cars were invented. They have not recovered yet. After Touring a winery, lunching at a 116 year old hotel and tasting fermented potatoes, we will drive a short 8 miles distance to the Westin Element Hotel in Basalt. I suspect ETA will be about 5:30 PM. While driving on CO 82 from Carbondale, CO to Basalt, CO you might want to make a Pit Stop at the Shell Station. On the left at the traffic light at the intersection of El Jebal Rd. About 1 mile before the Right Turn for the Hotel in Basalt. You do not want to head to Leadville, Climax and Silverthorne on Friday with a semi-dry tank. Steep uphill is not great for gas mileage. For dinner this evening I will develop a list of recommended dining spots in Basalt. They have several highly rates places. I will have a list and drive maps. I have dined at Heather. Very nice. Outside on the patio. The Chicken Pot Pie and a dry white. Excellent!! 5th Day Touring - Friday Sept 20th, 2019 - Miles this day 133 6:30AM to 7:30AM Breakfast in The Element by Westin. You will be required to include Wheaties in your breakfast routine. You are going to need it. The driving up to Independence Pass and 12,095 feet elevation will require a steady grip and a sharp eye. 8:00AM Check out of the hotel. 8:30AM In car and ready to go. Driving through Aspen will be an experience. Interesting city planning. Enjoy. Drive 38 miles uphill about 4,000 feet to Independence Pass. 12,095 feet elevation. This highway is part of the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway. This road passes by Mt Elbert. At 14,433 it is the tallest peak in Colorado.

Did you bring your Boost Oxygen? It might be chilly. You did bring a jacket? Really chilly!!! It is a large scenic stop. Places to walk about. We will stop here for 30 minutes. Would like to get a Group Photo around the Big Sign and with a car in front of the sign. Hope someone brings a drop top. Then downhill big time. Do your brakes work? 15 MPH Curves ahead. On to Leadville, CO. Another 43 miles At 10,152 feet, Leadville is the highest incorporated community in the United States. Leadville is surrounded on all sides by 14,000-foot behemoths. South of town, Colorado's two loftiest mountains - Elbert and Massive. To the east Quandary Peak and Mt Lincoln. All over 14,000 feet elevation. The colossal peaks of this area yielded fortunes of like proportions in the 19th century, as miners pulled millions of dollars' worth of mineral from the ground. The luckiest of them, Horace Tabor, became one of the titans of Colorado's silver industry. Average temperatures in September in the Leadville area of Colorado the last 3 years were high 63. Low 34. Highest 75. Lowest 19. Visit to the Mining Museum. Should be $10 admission. About 90 minutes. http://www.mininghalloffame.org/ After the Museum visit, please motor a short ways to Club Members John & Marcy Lovick s home for lunch. 220 Tabor Drive. It s the blue house. After lunch make your way back to The Museum and Harrison Ave. Find US 24 North. Go about 1 mile and find CO 91. Drive CO 91 over the mountain. Another road chasing the clouds. CO 91 is a continuation of the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway. This road passes by Quandary Peak, 14,265 feet & Mt Lincoln, 14,285. We will also go through Fremont Pass and the village of Climax at 11,360 feet. Did you bring your Boost Oxygen? Climax was an unincorporated mining village and a former U.S. Post Office located in Lake County, Colorado, United States. Climax is known for its large molybdenum ore deposit. Climax is located along the Continental Divide at an elevation of about 11,360 feet (3,465 meters). It was the highest human settlement in the United States, and it holds the record for having had the country's second highest Post Office and the highest railroad station. The Climax

mine was the largest molybdenum mine in the world, and for many years it supplied three-fourths of the world's supply of the metal. The village of Climax is now considered to be a ghost town. After 23 miles you will intersect I-70. Take I-70 EAST. Exit at number 205. To US 6 East. The sign says Silverthorne / Dillion. At the traffic light, turn Left and take CO 9 North. Pass under I-70. Take first Right at Rainbow Dr. and then immediate Right to Tanglewood Dr. Hotel is on your Right. I have selected another Country Club for dinner. They prove to be more flexible and accommodating. Dinner will be a short drive of 2.5 miles to the Raven CC at Three Peaks. We will depart the Hotel at 6:00 PM and try to caravan. You can't miss the Country Club Entrance. Return to CO 9 North. Drive 2 miles north. On the LEFT. Big Wooden Entrance Archway with sign for Three Peaks. This is Golden Eagle Rd. The CC is on the Right 0.2 miles. Refreshments at 6:15 PM and dinner at 7:00 PM. Excessive wild tales of dangerous and hazardous driving experiences are expected. 6th Day Drive Home - Saturday Sept 21st, 2019 Breakfast at your leisure. Say good buys. Check out and head home. Safe travels to all. Recommendations & Other Stuff Weather Remember to bring warm clothing. It will be late September and on occasion it has gotten chilly at the higher elevations. There are daily temperature charts for the Leadville high country area posted in the Tour Photo Site. https://sneedadams.smugmug.com/2019-rroc-pix/colorado-new-mexico-2019-tour/n-9g5rp9/ Average temperatures in September in the Leadville area of Colorado the last 3 years were high 63. Low 34. Highest 75. Lowest 19. Remember to bring binoculars, camera and walking shoes! Senior Passes for National Parks

Do you have a National Park Senior Pass? I believe they now cost $90. That would likely cover your entrance to 2 parks. And it is good forever. By mail order at this web site. https://yourpassnow.com/parkpass/park/senior/seniorpassinfocollect?passtype=seniorlifetime Here is a link to all of the places in the USA that sell Senior Passes in person. You have to search for the location nearest you. The PDF document is 44 pages long. There is a search icon in the upper left corner. Put in your city and or state. https://store.usgs.gov/s3fs-public/passissuancelist.pdf Cell Phones & GPS Units Keep in mind. Much of the rural areas between cities and villages which we will be driving will have no Cell Phone coverage. A cyber wasteland so to speak. Even Facebook and Twitter will be gone. No texting and no email. Tragedy! Relying entirely on your iphone as a GPS device is not a great idea. iphones do not function without a cell tower. The In an effort to cover any emergency or maybe a remote chance of a failure to proceed, we will rent several satellite cell phones. It will be one of the cost items in the Registration Fee. One in the lead car. One in the middle. One in the sweep car. Now for a bit of recommendation from years of hard earned experience. I suggest you have a portable windshield mounted GPS device with the up-todate maps. A GPS Unit will guide you when the iphone quits. It will also be a great help when the Tour Host s Maps fail. I have scouted about 75% of the route, hotels and venues. I will catch the other bits next June with a 2nd Scout Trip. Thus far I have found all venues, dining places and hotels in my GPS. One thing a GPS unit will do is provide you with latitude and longitude position. aka GPS Coordinates. If you have no idea where you are, you can tell the Rescue Driver your GPS Longitude and Latitude GPS Coordinates. He can then drive direct to your location. And tell you how far away he is and ETA. For your safety and welfare I suggest you practice finding the GPS coordinate display on your GPS. As for GPS Coordinate Format. There are 3 Formats

Degrees, minutes, and seconds (DMS): 59 24'12.2"N & 106 10'26.5"E. Degrees and decimal minutes (DMM): 58 24.2028 N, & 106 10.4418 W. Decimal degrees (DD): 59.40338 N, & 106.17403 W. I recommend the DD. I feel it is easier to communicate by phone. Your GPS unit should offer you a choice to select. As an infamous Wagon Master once said. Who you gonna call when you make a wrong turn? Your windshield mounted GPS! I use the Garmin Drive Smart 61 LMT-S. Or similar is fine. Get the one with the 6 inch screen. 6.0"W x 3.5"H - 6.95" edge corner to edge corner diagonal. Cost is around $260. Best Buy and Amazon sell them. They also make a 5 inch unit, if you have a small dash and great vision. But get the 6.95 version. Rescue from Failure to Proceed Now of course Hagerty will provide tow truck rescue. But it has its limits. Provided you can get phone service. This is why we will go for the expensive rented Satellite Cell Phones. Regardless, I also recommend having AAA Premium Service Membership. It includes 200 miles towing. I will develop a list of towing companies along our route and post them later. Registration Form As noted above, The Tour Registration Package will likely be issued in the Spring of 2019. At this time the Registration Fee will cover the following. The Registration FEE will be PER PERSON. Tour Books, Maps, Scouting Missions, Badges, Awards etc Satellite Cell phones. Likely 2 phones Opening dinner at the Marriott Albuquerque Dinner in Durango at Holiday Inn Dinner in Durango at Dalton Ranch Country Club Dinner in Montrose at the Bridges Country Club Lunch at the Redstone Inn Built in 1902 Lunch at John & Marcy Lovick home s in Leadville Closing Dinner at Raven CC at Three Peaks in Silverthorne, CO All meals will have a cash bar

Estimate of Registration Fee at this time $500 to $600 per person. Tour Hotels The following is a list of Accommodations. season in Colorado. Cost are high. It s the Aspen Yellow tree color We will Hotel in these places: These projected costs are based on signed contracts. Including taxes and fees. Taxes may change. Marriott Pyramid Hotel in Albuquerque Holiday Inn Hotel in Durango, CO Holiday Inn Express in Montrose, CO Marriott Element Hotel in Basalt, CO Quality Inn Silverthorne, CO 1st night Est $143 incl tax 2nd & 3rd nights Est $176 incl tax 4th night Est $126 incl tax 5th night Est $155 incl tax 6th night - Est $170 incl tax Estimated hotel cost for 6 nights will average about $158. This is higher than I wanted. But I suppose this is not too bad considering this week is peak Yellow Leaf Season in Colorado and the Aspens will be calling all tourists. As a note on the changes from the previous Version. I had said we would end in Vail. I tried to book a hotel in Vail and have dinner in the same place. Things were going well. We had agreed on a couple of rates for rooms and meal. All very high and quite frankly outrageous. But then they issued the contract to sign. They wanted unreasonable guarantees and revenue liabilities. I felt it necessary to decline. We only wanted to stay one night. Not buy the hotel. So I went east on I-70 to Silverthorne hoping to find a fortress of sanity. I was shocked to discover that the best place in town was equally as expensive and they expected us to fund their planned 2020 restoration. I kept telling them we only wanted rooms for one night. We had no interest in buying the hotel. Such is the high end of Mountain Vacations Colorado. To make a long story brief. I found a Quality Inn owned by a local Family who were eager to accommodate us. Not the Hilton but it seems nice, convenient, clean and good parking. And only 2.5 miles from our final dinner spot. I think it will work out just fine. The Season in this area is late summer with mountain hiking, biking and Aspen Yellow Leaf fall color. Much less cost than the Snow season, but none the less, this is a big tourist travel area and they accommodate millions annually. After you have submitted your registration with PMC in tow, and have been accepted you will be advised of the hotel secret booking codes. As noted above. Those driving PMCs will have preference to Blocked Hotel Rooms. Sorry.

Summary of Attractions, Scenery, and Points of Interest Aztec National Monument Aztec, NM Mesa Verde National Park near Durango, CO Durango Silverton Steam Railway Molas Pass on US 550 11,000 feet elevation Silverton, CO Downtown!! Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park near Montrose, CO Azure Cellars in Paonia, CO Redstone Coke Ovens built in 1899 Redstone Inn built in 1902 Redstone, CO Marble Distillery Carbondale, CO Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway CO 82 Independence Pass on CO 82, 12,095 feet elevation Pass Mt Elbert Highest in Colorado 14,433 feet National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum, Leadville, CO Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway CO 91 Freemont Pass 11,318 feet Pass Mt Lincoln 14,286 feet Pass Quandary Peak 14,265 You may have noticed I mentioned Boost Oxygen several times. Boost is small hand held bottle of 95% Oxygen. It is advertised for athletes etc. But it sells well in high places. It will not save your life. But it might make you feel better for a brief moment. I saw it for sale in several Colorado stores selling hiking equipment. It can be found in most stores selling athletic stuff. Also on Amazon. Varies in price. $10 to $20. About 100 one second puffs. Made in USA! Don t forget. Photos along the Tour Route can be found here. https://sneedadams.smugmug.com/2019-rroc-pix/colorado-new-mexico-2019-tour/n-9g5rp9/

Maps Day 1 Monday September 16, 2019 Drive Albuquerque, NM to Durango, CO 215 Miles

Day 2 Tuesday September 17, 2019 Drive to Mesa Verde National Park & back to Durango 120 miles Alternate is the Steam Train ride from Durango to Silverton.

Day 3 Wednesday September 18, 2019 Drive Durango, CO to Silverton, CO to Montrose, CO 150 miles Silverton, Colorado in the Valley Elevation 9,300 feet As seen coming around the mountain from 11,000 foot elevation Molas Pass

Day 4 Thursday September 19, 2019 Drive Montrose, CO to Basalt, CO 168 miles

Day 5 Friday September 20, 2019 Drive Basalt, CO to Silverthorne, CO 120 miles Top of the Rockies Road CO 82 & 91