memorial weekend drive-a-round
In assembling my Colorado State Ends section, I realized I was missing some ends (Duh!), most notably in the Arkansas River Valley from the Front Range east. So, since it is the Memorial Day weekend, I thought I'd honor my American right to drive around aimlessly.
Heading south from the home base
After an aborted start to this venture (forgot the extra batteries for the camera), I headed south on SH 115. Gotta get down to the Arkansas River Valley, and this is the quickest way to go that isn't an interstate highway.
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Let's start at an END! that I've already photographed. This bridge carries SH 83 over 115. Technically, the end of 83 is another intersection to the west, but this is the de facto end.
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SH 115 is called the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. Yeah, I drove in the shit.
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The next interchange on 115 is for Ft. Carson's Gate 2 and the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station (a.k.a. NORAD).
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This is a typical cloverleaf except for two differences. First, the cross road turns hard and parallels 115 for about 1/4 mile, leading to one twisted onramp for SB 115. Second, if you exit here and you're not supposed to, say hi to your friends at Gitmo.
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Approaching Ft. Carson's main gate. This sign is a little in error now since the intersection ahead was recently redone.
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This intersection used to be completely different. The SB lanes (we're on them) didn't interact with the intersection at all. The turn lanes veered closer to the NB lanes, where there was a light. SB was a free flow.
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Then after the intersection, the left hand "merge lane" from the intersection would end. That's why the sign a couple of pics back said to keep right, even though the right lane ends now.
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115 now alternates between four, three, and two lanes all the way to US 50.
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Mathmatically inferior distance sign.
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115's eastern edge borders Fort Carson for the majority of its trek into Fremont County.
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Climbing a long hill.
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Mutant cross road sign. Both intersections come up fast, especially when you can't see them until you're on top of them.
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So I guess taking the sign down was out of the question?
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Yeah, can't get in there this way.
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115 still has its share of older bridges, but widening progress is slowly replacing all of them.
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That would be a fun road to drive, but you won't be able to ...
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... unless you join the Army. That's one of the access roads on the base.
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One section of 115 that's been recently widened. 115 gets quite a bit of traffic, so this widening can't happen fast enough.
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Older section of the highway heading through a large rock cut.
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For all the impatient drivers out there.
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Some bridges have already been widened, but the road has not.
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A closer shot of that bridge. I bet that guardrail is safe from impact for a while.
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Entering Fremont County. Fort Carson is still on our left, but it doesn't always butt right up to the highway now.
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Another impatient driver assurance. This is not for the same passing area as the one before.
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This section of 115 was the most recent to be expanded. Within the last few months, to be exact.
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This expansion ends about a mile after it began.
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Complete with painted arrows!
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115 snakes through various bluffs and rock formations.
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More rock goodness.
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Even the older sections of the roads have the banked curves. The speed limit never drops below 65 through all of this.
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We're then popped out of the formations into a wide valley.
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Distance shot. The object on top of the bluff is a transmitter tower.
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This is what I call a design flaw. The passing lane is also where traffic stops to turn left. Ugh.
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Approaching Penrose. And clouds.
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And we're not talking the good extreme, either. (FYI: on the day these shots were taken, six fires over 10 acres broke out in CO. Yeah, it's gonna be that summer again.)
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It's also been exceptionally windy today. The example of this is on the right in this pic and the next.
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Penrose's business district lies to the east of 115.
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Approaching US 50.
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The US 50/ SH 115 interchange is a typical diamond interchange.
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50 is heavily advertised. Can't miss the turnoff to the Royal Gorge now, can we?
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That 115 looks off in that big of a shield. The numbers should have been the wide font here.
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Florence is on 115 while Wetmore is on 67, which we intersect in Florence.
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After 50, 115 heads downhill into the Arkansas River Valley.
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Well, there's something this intersection serves, I just don't know what.
- Where to next?
- This trip's Index
- Page 2
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with any of the orginizations listed within this site. I'm just a bored roadgeek with way too much time on his hands. All of the picts in this page are mine and mine alone unless otherwise noted. Remember, kids: stealing is bad, mmmm-k? I get quite pissy if things are taken without telling me. I don't like to be pissy. You won't like it either. If you want to link to this page, that's fine. Please shoot me an email beforehand so I can link to your page as well. K? Thanks. --Ryan
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