Day 5: Denver to Gateway Canyons Resort; 411 Miles; “This Is the Best Road in America”.

[From 2009]

We arrived last night in Denver at 1 am, staying at another Ritz-Carlton property, though very different in atmosphere from the Ritz in St Louis. Same great comfy bed, though, and I’m very grateful for the five hours of sleep.  Also arriving last night was Nathaniel Greene, Dan’s neighbor, who’s flown in to join in the drive for two days.  Today will be the only day spent in one state.  Sitting down to our breakfast repast at the Ritz, Dan and I realize that this is the first meal ordered off a menu since the diner in New Jersey.  Clearly, we need to upgrade our dining options.

The transporter is parked outside the Ritz, and we roll out the McLaren to a gathering crowd.  Saddling up all four cars together for the first time, we head North through the resort town of Estes Park and into Rocky Mountain National Park.  Nathaniel, 36, who’s not driven a Ferrari previously, is as giddy as a schoolboy.  And even after the long-haul the rest of us have endured, that giddiness is infectious, as we’re again facing some interesting mountain roads rather than flat interstate.  Even the loose gravel scattered all over the roads approaching the park don’t dissuade us from our good cheer; Dan’s attitude towards rock chips is,. “eh, cars can be repainted.”

Making the climb into the mountains though, does reveal a major drawback.  We flatlanders haven’t really acclimated well to the altitude.  In particular, I’ve neglected to keep properly hydrated, so combined with the lack of sleep, I’m sucking wind even crossing a parking lot for a view.  Uh-oh.  I feel even worse about my middle-aged decrepitude when, while sitting in the Mantide catching my breath, a pair of women bicyclists pass me, ascending the mountain as if commuting to school.  Dang.

Above the tree line, not only were we succumbing, but the McLaren as well.  Whether it’s the weak 91 octane gas available here or the altitude, the McLaren no-likey, running rough and wanting to stall.  Conversing over the radio, we suggest that what the McLaren really needs is an Italian tune-up.  The roads in the park aren’t conducive, however, filled as they are with vacationers and RVs.  While the views are the most magnificent to date, clearly, it’s time to beat a hasty retreat. 

We stop at Shadow Mountain Lake for gas, and decide to blow off lunch to make it to our destination by dinnertime.  Everyone else loads up on chips, cookies and yet more sandwiches in triangular plastic boxes, I have a craving for hot dogs.  The store doesn’t sell cooked hot dogs to go, but they do have packages in the case.  Hmmm… I buy a pack, stick three of them in a coffee cup, microwave for a minute, and chow down in the parking lot.  About upgrading our food options….  To my surprise, the guy in the checkout line behind me comes up to me outside, introduces himself as the local distributor for the hot dogs I just bought, and pushes $3 into my hand, to thank me for my patronage!  I guffaw, thank him for his generosity, and think about the ridiculousness of the situation:  I’m driving a $2 million car, eating micro-waved hot dogs out of a coffee cup, and a guy pays for them for me.  Only in America.

I-70 in Colorado is perhaps the most scenic stretch of interstate in the country, as it winds through canyons past Vail.  In a quandary; do we push it up a few notches, to make dinner at our destination, or slow down and keep absorbing the scenery?  Our stomachs dictate the answer, so we press onward.

Departing the highway just East of Grand Junction, we take RT 141 towards Gateway, Colorado.  We soon discover that RT 141 is easily our favorite road of the trip.  Ninety miles of smooth two lane road, with almost no crossroads, traffic, buildings, or anything, other than the occasional cattle guard.  And as the road heads South, it descends deeper into the awe-striking Unaweep Canyon vistas.  We’re soon driving the Pace at average speeds above 80 mph, with periodic bursts up to 150 mph, as Dan and I swap the lead between the Bertone and the McLaren.  The English supercar likes this altitude much better, as it’s thrown off its earlier recalcitrance, perhaps due to the Italian tune-up it received on I-70.  Radio silence is broken only for repeated bursts of “Oh. My. God.  Look at this.  This is the most beautiful drive in the world.  Where are all the tourists???”

We do arrive at our destination, the luxurious Gateway Canyons resort before dinnertime.  As we park the cars, a rainbow forms overhead, pointing to the giant mesas that form the resort’s trademark silhouette.  A sign of heaven.  The five of us take over the bar for dinner, downing pitchers of margaritas and wolfing down a side of beef.  Bruce Stover, COO of the resort, joins us for dinner, and gives us a history of the place.  Offering full spa treatments, full adventure outfitting and even guided driving tours with supercar rentals available, Gateway Canyons intends to be one of the leading destinations for auto (and outdoor) enthusiasts in the country.  You owe it to yourself to get out here to see this undiscovered gem of the fast car community.