B's Travel Guide to Denver, Part II

There's another way! Perhaps the Wyoming idea isn't for you. You can still get to Denver from the Salty North, but travellers beware, for this path is fraught with peril.

I speak of course of the dreaded Highway 6, the Highway that follows Spanish Fork Canyon through the Misty Mountains.

Looks nice...

...but don't be fooled! Note the way the narrow-shouldered road twists and turns. With over 730 fatal accidents a year, it is the 5th most dangerous road in all of Utah.

Car accidents don't phase you? Well what about mudslides, tough guy? Yes, in 1983 a massive mudslide buried Highway 6 and completely obliterated the sleepy hamlet of Thistle.

The Highway was shut down for over a year, costing the Utah economy over $200 million (in 1983 dollars!)

If that wasn't enough, in 2005 the highway exploded when a dynamite truck crashed. No joke.

The flames reached the explosives and sparked a massive explosion just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, leaving only the truck's engine block and a mangled axle. The blast carved a hole in the road 30 feet deep and about 70 feet wide and propelled concrete barriers into the Spanish Fork River hundreds of yards away. The force of the blast also sent out concussion waves that shattered windshields and crumpled car frames and left many of the witnesses with temporary hearing loss.

If you still think you can handle Highway 6, I've got one word for you: dinosaur attacks.

If you do make it through the canyon a reward awaits you in the form of the beautiful Green River.

A common misconception is that the Green River is named for it's greenery, but it's actually named after soul singer Al Green.

Once you cross the border into Colorado the first town you hit is Grand Junction. That city can be summarized in one picture:


Then you drive a few more hours, yada yada yada, you're in Denver.

Next time! The Airport!