WINTER TREK - JANUARY 2016

I am planning to spend about 2 to 3 weeks in January 2016 driving through the central and west United States in my 2007 Mustang GT. The idea is to experience driving in winter weather conditions, including winding roads and elevation. A lot of the trip will be in Colorado. Its sort of like making a winter trip to Colorado to ski, but without the skiing. I have new all-weather performance tires and cable-type chains for the rear wheels, which are the drive wheels. As usual on my road trips, I will be traveling on my own. Because of the weather, I will be staying in motels. I will be adjusting my route and distance daily to accommodate weather and driving conditions and my own fitness. This is my proposed route and schedule:

Day One - Hiawassee, GA to Memphis, TN. 430 miles,
          minimum driving time 7 hours.

Day Two - Memphis, TN to Springdale, AR. 320 miles, 6 hours.
         Travel through the Ozarks.

Day Three - Springdale, AR to Woodward, OK. 360 miles, 6 hours 30 minutes.

Day Four - Woodward, OK to Raton, NM. 320 miles, 5 hours.

Day Five - Raton, NM to Durango, CO. 280 miles, 4 hours 30 minutes

Day Six - Durango, CO to Cortez, CO via Telluride, CO. 200 miles, 6 hours.
          San Juan Skyway
          Million Dollar Highway
          Ouray Hot Springs Pool and Fitness Center
          Telluride/Mountain View Gondola

Day Seven - Cortez, CO to Page, AZ. 290 miles, 5 hours 30 minutes.
          Hovenweep National Monument
          Monument Valley

Day Eight - Page, AZ to Green River, UT. 360 miles, 6 hours.
          Utah Highway 12

Day Nine - Green River, UT to Gunnison, CO. 370 miles, 7 hours 30 minutes
          Alternate intermediate stop: Glenwood Springs, CO
                    Green River UT to Glenwood Springs, CO. 210 miles, 4 hours.
                    Glenwood Springs, CO to Gunnison, CO. 160 miles, 3 hours
                         30 minutes.

Day Ten - Gunnison, CO to Golden, CO. 270 miles, 7 hours.

Day Eleven -  Golden, CO to Gillette, WY. 360 miles, 7 hours
          Powder River Basin Coal Area

Day Twelve - Gillette, WY to Hot Springs, SD. 230 miles, 5 hours.
          Devil's Tower
          Black Hills

Day Thirteen - Hot Springs, SD to Norfolk, NE. 380 miles, 6 hours.

Day Thirteen (alternate) - Hot Springs, SD to Sioux City, IA. 430 miles. 7 hours.

Day Fourteen - Norfolk, NE to Naperville, IL. 530 miles, 8 hours.
          Midwest Regional Hosta Society Winter Meeting

Day Fourteen (alternate) - Sioux City, IA to Madison, WI. 400 miles. 6 hours.
          Visit with Michael Eggen's family

Day Fifteen - Naperville, IL to Canton, MI. 280 miles, 4 hours 30 minutes.
          Visit with Jeff Eggen's family
          North American International Auto Show

Day Fifteen (alternate) - Madison, WI to Canton, MI.  410 miles. 6 hours.
          Visit with Jeff Eggen's family
          North American International Auto Show

Day Sixteen - Canton, MI to Lexington, KY. 340 miles, 5 hours 30 minutes

Day Seventeen - Lexington, KY to Hiawassee, GA. 340 miles, 5 hours 30 minutes