Originally Posted by
revcp
Yes, all accurate. My riding partner and I actually gravitate toward the 'whole lot of nothin' option, so it works for us. ACA probably gets more "tourers" than riders adept at open country travel. Also, Saguache is pronounced Sawatch because, well, it's Spanish, and that's how it's pronounced (in the same way that Saguaro is pronounced Sawa'ro).
First, your use of the term "tourers" could be interpreted as being derogatory. The ACA route was chosen from a number of different options to provide fairly low traffic routes with at least some regularity of services. That doesn't mean that those routes are well traveled or that they are somehow only for the inexperienced. Additionally, if you ask for help with routes, I assume that you aren't familiar with the territory so you might not know the lack of services.
Second, no, Sagauche isn't a Spanish word. It's derived from Ute meaning 'blue earth' or 'water at blue earth'. Since it's a phonetic pronunciation, Sawatch would be just as appropriate as trying to bastardize it into a Spanish
like word. In fact, there is a mountain range that extends north that is actually called the Sawatch Range.
Originally Posted by
jamawani
Cyccommute has argued with practically everything I have ever posted here.
Simply put - I have 100,000 of riding - much of it in the West.
My routings are not for everyone - and certainly not for Cyccommute.
So you have done 100,000 miles of riding. Many of the rest of us have done similarly.
I wouldn't avoid your routes for myself but I wouldn't suggest many routes you have proposed for someone not familiar with the area. I have no problem going to remote places but I'm not going to suggest to someone that they go there without foreknowledge of what they are trying to do. I have no idea what revcp's abilities nor experience level is so I'm going to err on the side of a little bit of caution. The route you suggest does about 120 miles across the least populated part of the Red Desert. It's doable but I wouldn't suggest it to just anyone. Going through Walden also crosses part of the Red Desert but it is at least a little more populated.
Originally Posted by
jamawani
Neither CO 17 nor US 285 is ideal - but those are the paved options.
Both are arrow-straight and have high speeds with moderate+ traffic.
The CO 17 option has 24 miles; the US 285 option has 17 miles. So fewer tough miles.
CO 17 has a shoulder inches wide with cracks into the main roadway.
About 1/3 of the US 285 section has wide shoulders, the rest 1-2 feet.
But hey, choose what you like.
CO17 has a bit less traffic.
Originally Posted by
jamawani
The route north of Saguache is not for a beginner.
But if offers very little traffic in many stretches and great scenery.
Plus, it's far more direct than via Walden or Vernal, Utah.
And therein lies my problem with your routes. You offer routes that aren't for beginners without apparently knowing whether the person is a beginner or not. I assume that someone doesn't have my level of knowledge of an area or they wouldn't be asking the question in the first place.
The most direct route isn't always the best route. Nor is the lest direct route always the best route. You seem to go out of your way to avoid traffic of any kind. That's your choice and opinion. I suggest routes that are still pretty low on traffic but at least have a bit more in terms of places to stop and/or obtain necessities. Different approaches. That doesn't make your choice better than mine. On the other hand, it doesn't make my suggestions wrong either.
Originally Posted by
jamawani
US 24 thru Buena Vista is brutal with killer traffic.
ACA is beginning to rethink its route because of the traffic on Hwy 9.
US24 doesn't go south of Buena Vista. US285 does. US24 goes north out of Buena Vista to Leadville or east towards Colorado Springs. But both have the same wide shoulders that you tout as great around Saguache. Riding through the Arkansas River Valley around Buena Vista is hardly a hellhole. And, if you want to avoid CO 9 north of Dillon, going north on US24 out of Leadville then going north at Walcott on CO131 is a good option. Tennessee Pass and the Yampa River Valleys are great rides.
Hey, wait a minute! I seem to recall having some chops being busted about riding on I-70. The only place in the entirety of Colorado where there isn’t a shoulder on I-70 to my knowledge occurs on the short little section of I-70 you are suggesting on that route. Curious that.
Originally Posted by
jamawani
(It's pronounced "Sawatch" because that approximates the Spanish.)
Not Spanish.