MILES
626
STOPS
5
ORIGIN
Kansas
DESTINATION
Colorado
DRIVE TIME
9.5 hrs
TOTAL TIME
13 hrs
We wanted to get on the road as early as possible today because it would be one of our longest days in the car. The stretch along I-70 in KS can be "boring," but we somehow found things to do along the way to break up the drive into smaller chunks. We opted for a quick Chick-fil-a breakfast in Manhattan on the way to I-70. Today would also mark the only time we had any bad weather along the drive, a period of about 2 hours of rain between Manhattan and just after Salina, KS. We also wanted to get past Denver before rush hour - no dice… The goal was to get to Eagle, CO, so that we could grab some dinner and get enough rest for the Hanging Lake the next morning; the marquee hike of the trip.
🛑 Stop 1: We had originally planned to stop in Hays and Oakley, KS but the rain threw a wrench in our schedule. Instead we stopped (actually drove around) Salina for a bit as we let the worst of the rain pass us by. I had originally researched Salina but because it did not fit within our “2-hour” drive segment schedule I opted out for the other stops.
I was actually glad the rain diverted us to Salina because we got to see some really cool street art and lots of murals, albeit from a wet car window. I actually wish the rain had been a non-factor, otherwise we would have definitely walked around town to check out the art. Our one stop in Salina was definitely worth the visit. We grabbed a cup of coffee at AdAstra - that alone was worth the stop. The staff and customers were friendly and welcoming, as was the Machiato, Ari says the iced latte she was served was the best one she’s had so far.
As we were leaving town we saw what is quite possibly one of the coolest murals I’ve ever seen, the Mural at the Mill is a 100’ work that wraps around three sides of the old H.D. Lee Flour Mill. The work is by Australian artist Guido Van Helten and was completed over 60 days between August and October of 2021.
🛑 Stop 2: We planned a quick stop in Goodland, KS so that we could see the world largest easel. By the time we reached Goodland the rain was gone so we were able to enjopy a quick leg strech and enjoy Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. We had originally planned to have lunch here but opted to push on to Limon for a “late” lunch; The rain, along with the stop in Salina, delayed us a bit. We had also planned to visit Oakley’s Monument Rocks but the detour would have added nearly 2 hours to opur drive, and we did not want to drive at night.
🛑 Stop 3: Instead of lunch in Goodland we pushed onto Limon, CO and had a late lunch at Oscar’s Bar and Grille. where we enjoyed some good pizza and great service. Oscar’s is known to have over 400 whiskies, 100+ tequilas and over 40 beers - if you want to sample the spirits I recommend you spend the night at the Comfort Inn next door. We also took the opportunity to gas up so we had a full tank for the beginning of the next day’s drive.
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The World's Largest Easel
The World’s Largest Painting on and Easil, in Goodland, KS, is a reproduction of Van Gogh’s Three Sunflowers in a Vase. The artwork measures 24’ x 32’ and stands about 80’ tall.
🛑 Stop 4: We hit Georgetown Lake nearly already 11 hours into our drive so it was super nice to stop and hike around a visually stunning landscape (below).
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Georgetown Lake
Georgetown Lake is a 55 acre reservoir located next to the city of the same name. Georgetown Lake is a popular stop along I-70. It was great to stop and walk around the 1+ mile around the perimeter of the lake before our last leg of the drive.
Georgetown is also known for the big horn sheep that hang out around he hillsides and in and around town during cooler weather. It’s not unusual to see them roaming the hillside opposite the lake (across the interstate) in the winter or wandering through town on a winter morning. Some even hang out along the interstate or just off the road by the exGeorgetown is known for the big horn sheep that hang out there in the cooler weather. It’s not unusual to see them roaming the hillside opposite the lake (across the interstate) in winter or wandering through town on a cold winter morning. Sadly, we didn’t see any this time around…
🛑 Final Stop: We reached Eagle, CO and hour hotel, the Wingate by Wyndham, shortly after 8 PM. Our light lunch in Limon had been around 3 PM so we were ready for some food. We visited Casa Mexico and, since I had a designated driver, I had an Esteban Margarita…
