Colorado Driving

WrightOn wrote:
With the 2015 vacation behind us, plans for V2016 begins. We are considering a trip to Colorado. However, with the age of the 1999 7.3L PSD (125,000 miles), I'm concerned with the mountains. She handled Wyoming 16 very well in 2010, but that "only" 9,500 feet at the top of Powder River Pass.

I don't have exhaust breaks and don't plan on installing any as 95% of our trips are in the flatlands of the midwest. We are looking at going counter-clockwise from Denver to Ouray to Colorado Springs (and the little towns in between).

1. Should I be concerned with the truck and the elevation of Colorado?
2. Should I leave the combo at home make this trip a van/hotel trip?

I appreciate the insight you will add.

Brian

You mentioned Powder River Pass at "only" 9500 feet. There are a goodly number of passes in Colorado that are not significantly higher than this; in the range of around 10K to 10.5.

Yes, there are "difficult" or "challenging" passes and climbs, US 550 between Durango and Ouray being one of them (3 passes between 10-11000 feet), regardless of direction. Independence Pass, topping out at over 12000 is also a "challenge" due to it's altitude and narrowness. Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is another of those "challenges". But these are exceptions, and not the rule in Colorado. For every pass such as these mentioned, there's a Willow Creek Pass (barely noticeable), a Poncha Pass ("is that it?") or a Wilkerson Pass ("darn...I missed it"). I guess it just depends on your perspective. And route choice.

Given your posted itinerary, it just depends on what route you want to take. If you want to stay on I-70, there's multiple climbs that need to be considered (Floyd Hill outside Denver, the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnel approach, Vail Pass) versus taking alternative routes such as US 285/US 50 (Kenosha Pass, South Park, Monarch Pass).

ETA: Regarding your questions about whether to tow or do the van/hotel thing, I agree with the others that your combo should be sufficient. Basically a matter of personal choice. Age/mileage of the TV are not as important as the maintenance/upkeep. I tow my Outback with a 2003 Tahoe with nearly 200K on it, and it does just fine with high elevation towing. Slow? Yup, sometimes. But I'm not looking to win any races, and my guess is most folks who tow aren't either.