I took a load out to Vernal, UT. Got off I-70 at Silverthorn (well before Vail, but Rifle would have probably been better), and took Colorado Hwy 9 north of up Kremmling. Kremmling might very well be a neat and picturesque little town, but it was snowing too hard to see any of it. From there I turned left onto US 40 and took that through Steamboat Springs, Hayden, Craig and onto Vernal. If you've never had the sheer joy of going over Rabbit Ears Pass, you haven't lived. Steamboat Springs is an amazing place. I highly recommend it, but I also just as highly recommend flying in rather than driving.
From Vernal I got a load picking up in Grand Junction, which meant backtracking to beautiful downtown Dinosaur, Colorado and then heading down state Hwy 64 to Hwy 139 and on down to Grand Junction. On Hwy 139 is a lovely place called Douglas Pass. It's another one I highly recommend. On the map it looks like a shoelace tied in a bow, complete with the knot. What the map doesn't show you is that it's about a 12-15% grade down through it.
The picture at the link below shows the road where I'll be in a little while, inside the red circle. The picture is taken from the edge of the summit, 10,838 feet. The road down there is nearly a mile down at 5,827 feet. It was fun.
Full resolution pic here:
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/kslaughter_01/IMG_0485a.jpg?t=1261245212
After picking up in Grand Junction, it was another sweet drive from US 50 over to Gunnison, CO, up and down two mountains and snaking along Gunnison Canyon through the Curecanti National Recreation Area along the Blue Mesa Reservior, at night.
Next is US 50 east up and over Monarch Pass (next to Mt Shavano - 14,229 feet). Then on up US 285 through Trout Creek Pass, then Red Hill and Kenosha passes, and on in to Denver. Yay.