It's a beautiful road and I think it's much safer in bad weather (which can be any time up there). I-80 from Laramie to Cheyenne goes over a high pass and it gets really hairy during a storm.
We got stuck in a blizzard in Laramie in May a few years ago after our daughter's graduation from UWYO. All the roads out of Laramie were closed and we thought we were going to miss our flight out of Denver. Luckily the 287 finally opened up and we could get through in our rental Class C and return the rental in time to catch our flight.
The Waffle House outside Ft. Collins is our landmark to turn west and catch the 287. Drop in if you have the time.