6-26-2024 - Lincoln, NE to Glenwood Springs, CO

Wednesday, June 26, 2024, driving from Lincoln, NE to Glenwood Springs, CO. This is the second of two days driving from Indianapolis, IN after watching the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials and participating in the U.S. Masters Swimming Spring Nationals. Rather than taking the direct route back along I-70, I jumped up north on I-74 and connected with I-80 to head west. This allowed me to see new parts of the country that I had not been through before. Today is a marathon drive starting before sunrise and spending more than 14 hours on the road and 735 miles. It is also a bit of a contrast in drives with the drive through the plains on interstates and through the mountains on back highways. I took the route that I did to stop on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park at the headwaters of the Colorado River where the Grand River Ditch diverts water from the Colorado River Basin into the South Platte River Basin (specifically into La Poudre Pass Creek a tributary of the Cache la Poudre River that flows into the South Platte).

Google Map of the drive:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2JoQqgjjRLJcq...

0:00:00 – Lincoln, NE – I-80
0:19:25 – Kearney, NE
0:35:15 – North Platte, NE
1:09:58 – Cheyenne, WY to I-25
1:15:25 – Owl Canyon Road to US-287
1:20:00 – CO-14 (Poudre Canyon)
1:35:20 – Long Draw Road and Long Draw Reservoir
1:40:50 – Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand River Ditch, Continental Divide, and Colorado River Headwaters
1:50:47 – CO-14 (over Cameron Pass)
1:54:45 – CR-27 (Gould, CO to Rand, CO cutoff)
1:58:30 – CO-125 (over Willow Creek Pass)
2:05:54 – US-40 to CO-9
2:11:50 – Trough Road
2:18:21 – CO-131
2:21:52 – I-70 (west at Wolcott)
2:25:55 – I-70 (Glenwood Canyon and ending at Glenwood Springs, CO)