Depart from 7-11 in Golden, CO at 10:00am. Please arrive at a time that will allow you to top off fuel, catch up with old friends and apply your team name decal. After an orientation meeting, we will head out US-6, west along the narrow gorge of Clear Creek canyon. We will then have a short stretch on I-70 before getting off on US-40 for Berthoud Pass. This will be a nice change from the big slab as the terrain shifts from narrow canyon walls to wide-open, high-altitude alpine slopes. We will climb to 11,307 feet, where we will take a quick rest stop and allow our cars to cool a little. From here we descend the north side of the pass, the landscape transforms once again as you drop into the high-altitude basin known as Middle Park. As we pass the ski slopes, we will be heading to our lunch stop in Granby.

After lunch, we will head west on US-40 towards Kremmling. This stretch of road is more wide open and shows off the high-altitude beauty of middle park. We will have a quick after lunch pit stop here. Leaving Kremmling the road climbs as we head over Gore Pass. As we descend we into state bridge you will have two choices.

There is a well maintained 15 mile dirt road. The road is narrow and follows every twist and turn of the river. On the opposite bank, the Union Pacific tracks parallel the water. This road brings us to the Round Up River Ranch, where we will get to spend sometime at camp and visit with the kids. If you would prefer to not drive the dirt road, you can continue on down to I-70 and come back on the paved portion. It will add about 30 extra minutes on to your drive. After visiting the camp, we will finish the final leg of the day on I-70 through Glenwood canyon. Our overnight hotel is in Glenwood Springs and dinner is in downtown Glenwood Springs.

We will leave Glenwood Springs at 9:00am. The drive from Glenwood Springs to Crawford is a transition from high-alpine river corridors to the lush, agricultural valleys of the Western Slope, ending at the doorstep of a massive canyon. Leaving Glenwood Springs, you head south with the Roaring Fork River on one side and the towering Red Mountain on the other as we head down Highway 82. After turning onto Highway 133, the road becomes more intimate and rugged as you enter the Crystal River Valley. We will then have a rest stop in Redstone. As we leave Redstone we will climb McClure Pass. The climb is surrounded by some of the most extensive aspen groves in Colorado, where often the entire mountain side is shimmering gold this time of year. As we descend McClure Pass, the landscape softens significantly into a fertile, high-altitude oasis with a slight climb onto a high mesa to arrive at Crawford for lunch.

After lunch we will be driving from Crawford to Salida. This route takes us through some of Colorado's most dramatic and diverse high-altitude landscapes, shifting from the sheer depths of the Black Canyon to the sprawling waters of the Gunnison River basin and finally over the high peaks of the Continental Divide.

The third day, we will get to drive some of the best back roads Colorado has to offer. We start out on US-50 to Cotopaxi for our first stop. From there we will continue on US-50 along the Arkansas river until we get to CO-9. Turning north here the scenery changes greatly. There are vast ranchlands, the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and the south park basin. The final approach to Cripple Creek is marked by a shift from nature to industrial history. You will see the massive, man-made terraces of the active gold mines. The earth here is turned over in shades of ochre and grey, contrasting with the deep green of the surrounding forests. We end with a full loop around the Cripple Creek and Victor gold mine. We'll pass through Victor, where headframes (the tops of mine shafts) still stand like skeletons on the hillsides. Lunch will be in Cripple Creek where we will have our final official stop, finishing the 11th edition of Driving for Kids.