Day 1 / Arrive in Golden
Welcome Party and Registration 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Tour Mathews Collection and Shop

Day 2 / First Day of Driving
Golden to Steamboat Springs
Driving west from Denver on I-70 you will pass the historic town of Idaho Springs and then through the town of Empire, home of the original Hard Rock Cafe. The first pass of the day is Berthoud Pass at 11,307 feet, the first of two trips over the Continental Divide today.

Through Winter Park, Frasier, Tabernash and Granby where on June 4, 2004, Marvin Heemeyer, a local businessman and skilled welder, used a 50-ton Komatsu D335A bulldozer he had custom armor-plated to damage or destroy several buildings in the town. Nobody was injured in the incident. The bulldozer used to carry out the rampage has since become known as “Killdozer”.

Today’s lunch stop is Walden, the “Moose Viewing Capital of Colorado”, located in the pristine mountains of Jackson County, commonly known as “North Park”. Jackson County is rimmed on the west by the Park Range, on the east by the Medicine Bow Mountains and on the south by Rabbit Ears Range. Forming the headwaters of the North Platte River, the basin opens north into the state of Wyoming. Just across the state line there is a nice stretch of new pavement. Pass through Riverside and the town of Encampment which lies at the base of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Formerly known as “Grand Encampment” this town along the Colorado-Wyoming border was, at the turn of the twentieth century, a booming center of copper mining and smelting.
Enter Medicine Bow National Forest and over Battle Pass at 9,955 feet, our second pass over the Continental Divide, and through the Snake River Valley and open range. Beware of the four-legged residents. Through Savery, Dixon and Baggs and back across the Colorado border. Baggs was reputed to be a former home of one of the most notorious outlaw bands of the old west: Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and their “Wild Bunch”. The Gaddis/Mathews cabin on Highway 789 in Baggs was a local hangout of Butch Cassidy.

Northwest Colorado is nationally renowned for big game hunting. We’ll pass through Craig, Hayden, and Milner before arriving at our first night stay. Anticipate an early arrival in Steamboat Springs with time to enjoy the many amenities at the Steamboat Grand before dinner.

Day 3 / Second Day of Driving
Steamboat Springs to Moab, Utah
Today is the longest day of driving. Leaving Steamboat Springs we will retrace our route from the previous day along US-40, through Hayden and back to Craig before heading south on CO-13 through Hamilton, Meeker and Rifle and a short stretch on I-70 before entering the Grand Mesa Scenic Byway. Proceed with caution after exiting I-70 as this stretch has many tight curves and is a residential area before reaching CO-65 and through the town of Mesa.

The Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway climbs through the rugged Canyon of Plateau Creek to the cool evergreen forests of the mesa top, 11,000 ft. above sea level. Catch a peek of porcupines, marmots, red fox, elk, deer, and black bears. The route passes by hundreds of sparkling lakes, through wildflower meadows and forests of shimmering aspen and aromatic pine before arriving in Cedaredge for our lunch stop.

After lunch we’ll depart Cedaredge, and go through Eckert, Cory, Austin, and Orchard City which, along with Cedaredge, comprise the beautiful Surface Creek Valley. The next town, Delta, the city of murals, is strategically located at the confluence of two rivers, the Uncompahgre and the Gunnison. US-50 takes us through Whitewater to Grand Junction where we merge back onto I-70, cross the Utah border and through Cisco which is mostly a ghost town with a post office and a handful of people. The Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway is a roller coaster at first, dipping and peaking repeatedly as it passes through some relatively boring surroundings. Eventually, the road meets up with the Colorado River, and enters a dramatic canyon. The first attraction you'll reach along the byway is the Dewey Suspension Bridge. Constructed back in 1916, this bridge was responsible for connecting Moab with the rest of the world. Even though it was built nine decades ago, the Dewey Bridge is still Utah’s longest suspension bridge. Although recently restored, only foot traffic is allowed. The nearby canyon walls, carved by the Colorado become much more dramatic just a few miles down the road.

Day 4 / Third Day of Driving
Moab to Gunnison
Heading out of the canyon we’ll pass through Moab and then La Sal before entering Manti-La Sal National Forest. The roads are in poor condition and there are several sharp turns so drive with care. We’ll cross back into Colorado and drive through Dolores Canyon. This canyon features some of the most spectacular slickrock canyons in western Colorado.

We’ll stop for lunch and a tour of The Gateway Colorado Auto Museum. The museum tells the engaging story about the marvels of automotive history and the revolution in personal transportation brought about by the invention, production and marketing of the American automobile. The story is so broad in scope that it takes a 30,000 square foot facility to house more than 40 cars in all. The Hendricks Collection recently acquired a one-of-a-kind 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 dream car designed by Harley Earl. The collection features other classics such as the 1906 Cadillac Model H Coupe, 1913 Pierce Arrow, 1936 Supercharged Auburn, 1939 Packard “Hollywood” Darrin, 1941 Lincoln V-12 Zephyr, plus classics from the 1950’s as well as stunning muscle cars and customs.

After passing through Gateway we’ll retrace the previous day’s route back on US-50 to Delta and on to Hotchkiss, “The Friendliest Town Around”. After Crawford is a scenic drive through Black Canyon National Park, over the Blue Mesa Dam and Reservoir and through the Gunnison River Canyon into Gunnison. The Black Canyon’s unique and spectacular landscape was formed slowly by the action of water and rock scouring down through hard proterozoic crystalline rock. No other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths offered by the Black Canyon. Blue Mesa Dam and Reservoir were constructed in 1966 to provide hydropower, flood control, irrigation, and recreational uses.

Day 5 / Final Day of Driving
Gunnison to Golden
The last day of driving is our shortest. After leaving Gunnison we’ll go through the Rio Grande National Forest and over the Continental Divide via Cochetopa Pass at 10,067 feet and through?Saguache. Over Poncha Pass at 9,010 feet and through Poncha Springs, “The Crossroads of the Rockies”. Through Nathrop and Johnson Village into San Isabel National Forest and over Trout Creek Pass at 9,346 feet. The next town is Fairplay which has become mildly famous in recent years as the town depicted in the South Park animated television series on?Comedy Central.
Through the tiny town of Alma, which is the highest city in North America at 10,578 feet, and over Hoosier Pass, elevation 11,539 feet. The road over the pass has a smooth approach on the south side but has several switchbacks on the north side with a grade of 8%. We’ll arrive in?Breckenridge for our lunch stop. Leaving Breckenridge for our last leg of the rallye we’ll head up Swan Mountain Road, through White River National Forest and past Keystone and Arapahoe Basin ski resorts before our last pass over the Continental Divide, Loveland Pass at 11,990 feet. Back on I-70 and cruise on into Golden with plenty of time to unwind before the banquet.