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Posted
8 hours ago, texasdago said:

Going the Amarillo ways sucks.  We normally go through Lubbock, Muleshoe, Clovis, Fort Sumner, Santa Rosa then you can either go through Las Vegas or take a detour through Santa Fe to work your way up.  Much more scenic.  Cannot overemphasize how much the Amarillo up to Raton sucks 

Yeah, while nothing on the way is exactly stunning as compared with the scenery once you get there, I can at least find something to enjoy on that route, no doubt fueled by some nostalgia.  And the worst part of the drive (Lubbock to Clovis) is at least proportionally short (if pungent).  Even Post has its charms.

When I was a kid, the other route for us was to go up 35 to FW and then 287 to Amarillo and on.  That stretch, especially from Wichita Falls to Clayton, is to me just the most depressing, soul-suckingly endless stretch of practically-Oklahoma that I would go hours out of the way to avoid it, and I'm a guy who loves road trips.

And yes, the Allsups are much more plentiful on the former route.

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Posted
15 hours ago, Damor said:

When I was a kid, the other route for us was to go up 35 to FW and then 287 to Amarillo and on.  That stretch, especially from Wichita Falls to Clayton, is to me just the most depressing, soul-suckingly endless stretch of practically-Oklahoma that I would go hours out of the way to avoid it, and I'm a guy who loves road trips.

The only time we drove that stretch, I thought, I am never ever ever going this way again.  So bad.  And like you said, once you get past the Lubbock to Clovis drive, it gets a little better and the worst parts are more broken up.  But yeah, the closer you are to the Muleshoe part of the panhandle, it smells like a dirty public restroom.

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Posted (edited)
On 2/9/2025 at 8:06 AM, texasdago said:

Going the Amarillo ways sucks.  We normally go through Lubbock, Muleshoe, Clovis, Fort Sumner, Santa Rosa then you can either go through Las Vegas or take a detour through Santa Fe to work your way up.  Much more scenic.  Cannot overemphasize how much the Amarillo up to Raton sucks 

I might be the only one that loves that route. Now Ft Worth to Amarillo is a drag, but once I reach Amarillo then I'm having a good time.

 

Just north of Amarillo you have some wonderful views with those canyons and it certainly looks nothing like Central Texas. The Dalhart to Clayton portion is the excitement of leaving Texas and seeing who can spot the first antelope. Clayton to Capulin is looking for the first signs of the Rockies, plus the volcano is actually a fun stop. Capulin to Raton is basically a victory lap watching the temperature drop and the terrain getting better and better. 

 

We're summer Colorado people though so maybe that's what makes it more enjoyable to us.

 

Edited by SimonBolivar
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Posted
59 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

I might be the only one that loves that route. Now Ft Worth to Amarillo is a drag, but one I reach Amarillo then I'm having a good time.

 

Just north of Amarillo you have some wonderful views with those canyons and it certainly looks nothing like Central Texas. The Dalhart to Clayton portion is the excitement of leaving Texas and seeing who can spot the first antelope. Clayton to Capulin is looking for the first signs of the Rockies, plus the volcano is actually a fun stop. Capulin to Raton is basically a victory lap watching the temperature drop and the terrain getting better and better. 

 

We're summer Colorado people though so maybe that's what makes it more enjoyable to us.

 

I would show you pictures of the area to counter your assertion but did not bother LOL

But anyone who has driven from Austin has seen this...

image.thumb.png.e478c125a10e7f52dcb13ee824c1dcc6.png

Posted
31 minutes ago, texasdago said:

I would show you pictures of the area to counter your assertion but did not bother LOL

But anyone who has driven from Austin has seen this...

image.thumb.png.e478c125a10e7f52dcb13ee824c1dcc6.png

Imagine missing that! Those rich assholes flying don't know livin'.

Posted
2 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

Imagine missing that! Those rich assholes flying don't know livin'.

Not to mention that just before that, you get to see the the birthplace of Rogers Hornsby.

Posted
1 hour ago, SimonBolivar said:

I might be the only one that loves that route. Now Ft Worth to Amarillo is a drag, but once I reach Amarillo then I'm having a good time.

 

Just north of Amarillo you have some wonderful views with those canyons and it certainly looks nothing like Central Texas. The Dalhart to Clayton portion is the excitement of leaving Texas and seeing who can spot the first antelope. Clayton to Capulin is looking for the first signs of the Rockies, plus the volcano is actually a fun stop. Capulin to Raton is basically a victory lap watching the temperature drop and the terrain getting better and better. 

 

We're summer Colorado people though so maybe that's what makes it more enjoyable to us.

 

Fuckin' A this.  I look forward to the Amarillo to Crested Butte stretch every summer.  Getting to Amarillo sucks, though.

The one town we've been driving through for 20 years that I never understood is Trinidad.  It always struck me as a town that has a lot of potential, but the population has been between 9-10k for the past 60 years.  It sits at the base of a really cool mountain.  From the highway it looks like it should have a historic downtown with breweries, restaurants, an art district, etc.  It has fairly mild winters by Colorado mountain standards and hot summer days/cool summer nights.  Access to fishing.  I never understood why it wasn't more of an outdoors destination town.  Then I found out that much of the land around Fisher's Peak was privately owned.  That changed in 2019 apparently.

https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-trails/colorados-next-great-mtb-destination-plans-to-build-up-to-100-miles-of-singletrack/

May need to start looking at property.

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Posted

@SimonBolivar As a fellow summer Coloradoan, I do agree that the drive across the NE corner of NM from Clayton, especially now that they have widened the road, is pleasant.  When a summer storm blows through, it's quite beautiful, and I dig the volcano as well.  Maybe I'm scarred by too many trips home that route, because that makes Amarillo to FW even more bitter and depressing.

@Wiler77 Thanks for that.  I have never stopped to check out Trinidad because I'm in a hurry to get past Pueblo and into the mountains, but I agree it looks like it could be cool.  That said, I suppose it could be -- I never had a clue there was anything cool in Las Vegas NM until I was an adult and decided to stop for the night, since we'd always just rolled through as fast as we could to get on with it.


As long as I'm derailing this thread, I'll also put in a plug for anyone going Western Slope instead of Front Range to find a way to stay the night in Taos at the Taos Inn.  I always wanted to stay there as a kid because of the awesome neon sign, but never got to do so until I was the dad.  Totally worth it, and one of my happy places in this world is having a jalapeno margarita in their front courtyard.

IMG_8976.thumb.jpg.49512ae52322bf3fa598ce5459593d90.jpg

IMG_8942.thumb.jpg.479b59497016abb0176697d8d47ff555.jpg

Oh, and the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is certainly... a thing.

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IMG_9050.thumb.jpg.df10ea650fa13950447a8bb933572a1f.jpg

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Posted
2 hours ago, Damor said:

Totally worth it, and one of my happy places in this world is having a jalapeno margarita in their front courtyard.

The view of the construction barrels is lovely these days.

But yeah, Taos kicks ass on so many levels.  Going the non NE NM way gives you Santa Fe (if you want), Taos, the beautiful drive up towards Alamosa...

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Posted

Breck owner.  Make the trip by car several times per year.  Austin to Trinidad is 11 hours for us.  New Hilton Gardens hotel at the main exit.  Decent pub food next door and there is a bar in the hotel.  It is 4ish hours to Breck via 9, 24, or 470/70.  On the turnaround, it is 11 hours from Breck to Sweetwater.  New La Quinta there and a Whataburger across the interstate.  4ish hours home via 183 or 71 next morning.  Breaking it up works best for us.  No kids, no dogs.

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Posted

Always struggle to find a decent place to eat in Trinidad, it's such a depressing town. One year when we stopped they were having a music festival called Trinidaddio that was as sad as you might expect. 

Posted
37 minutes ago, stc said:

Always struggle to find a decent place to eat in Trinidad, it's such a depressing town. One year when we stopped they were having a music festival called Trinidaddio that was as sad as you might expect. 

I don't know, man... this looks hoppin'

image.thumb.png.f0962ec5ac605491a746f3d1b847a2e2.png

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