Road-Tripping Colorado’s Western Slope in a Mustang Mach-E
We had already squirted around the Western Slope earlier in the week, getting as far west as Fruita before returning to Fort Collins—just in time for me to take delivery of a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E. This was my first new car in ten years and a staggering sixteen years newer than any car I’ve ever owned. The Mach-E will get its own dedicated blog post, but let’s just say I barely had time to connect my phone to the car and give it an overnight 110V slow charge—let alone read the owner’s manual—before we were pointing its Rapid Red nose straight back toward the Western Slope of Colorado.
Why so soon? Three reasons.
First, this was the weekend of the 40th-anniversary screening of American Flyers. It was a rare chance to meet people involved in the original 1985 film. One person I was particularly excited to finally meet in person was Bob Shaver, founder of ShaverSport, whose logo and sponsorship played a prominent role in the movie. Bob and I had been corresponding over email for months. That event will get its own separate post too.
Second, it was another chance to show Andrea more of Colorado’s mountain towns—places she had heard about but hadn’t yet fully explored.
Third, we had arranged to have breakfast with our friend Tori, who was out working actually closer to the Aspen area, but had offered to meet us in Glenwood Springs. Glenwood Springs was actually a town I had yet to visit, and of course, neither had Andrea.
First Stop: Frisco (Again)
The first town we stopped in was actually one we had lingered in just a week earlier: Frisco. This time, however, we weren’t there to sightsee—the Mach-E needed its very first charge.
Frisco’s Walmart has a four-stall Electrify America station, which was, unfortunately, very busy. Fortunately, we only waited about ten minutes before pulling into a stall. While electrons flowed into the Mach-E, we grabbed a snack inside Walmart and then hopped back onto I-70.
Vail… Or Maybe Not
The next logical lunch stop seemed to be Vail—manicured, glitzy, picture-perfect. But apparently, it was also in full “off-season” mode. The streets felt quiet, and nothing in the way of restaurants caught our fancy. So we continued west until a highway sign in nearby Gypsum advertised a Mexican restaurant.
We exited expecting a sit-down place… and instead found a carnicería/Mexican market. But inside was a tiny kitchen serving wonderfully authentic food, and there were indeed a few high-top tables. Everyone spoke Spanish, so we placed our order en español. Andrea went with quesadillas; I had a burrito that was absolutely delicious. Fuel for us—then back on the road.
Grand Junction and the American Flyers Event
We reached Grand Junction only five to ten minutes before my target arrival time, but we were never stressed. The new EV made everything feel relaxed.
The anniversary event was fantastic. Andrea enjoyed seeing American Flyers again—six months after we first tried to watch it, and this time she didn’t fall asleep partway through! This was better anyhow, especially after we had spent the last couple of weeks visiting many of the film locations (like Boulder and Golden) in real life. It was meaningful, nostalgic, and energizing. More about this in that dedicated post.
That night we stayed in what can kindly be described as a forgettable hotel as there was a lodging crunch—partly due to the Tour of the Moon bicycle ride being held the next day. But at least charging was easy—there’s an Electrify America at Sam’s Club, and we arrived to find all stalls empty. Twenty-something minutes later, we were back on the road the next morning, pointed toward Glenwood Springs.
Glenwood Springs: Trains, Town Life, and Tori
We had plans to meet our friend Tori for coffee in downtown Glenwood Springs. With time to spare, we wandered the streets a bit before she arrived.
Glenwood Springs is a scenic little city—population around 10,000—tucked in a valley where the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers meet. It’s known for its hot springs, outdoor recreation, and a surprising number of residents who work in the tourism, hospitality, and ski industries tied to Aspen, about 40 miles up the road. The town also happens to have Colorado’s second-busiest Amtrak station after Denver’s Union Station. Conveniently, that station was directly across the street from the coffee shop where we met Tori.
Tori lives higher up in the mountains, but Glenwood was convenient meeting point for all of us because it’s right off I-70. She told us the cost of living in the region is definitely higher than that of the Colorado Front Range, and that finding workers is tough. High seasonal demand by wealthy Aspen homeowners and the logistical challenge of getting tradespeople to make the drive all contribute to the shortage. She mentioned that even many moving companies won’t take jobs up in her area. I was surprised—after all, I-70 is a major interstate—but considering the grades, weather, and winter closures, it made sense.
We had a great visit and were grateful she could make the trip down.
Final Stretch: Off to DIA… and Then New Orleans
After coffee, we headed back toward the Front Range—not to Fort Collins, but to Denver International Airport. We would be spending two of Andrea’s last days of vacation somewhere she had always wanted to visit: New Orleans.
Another state, another adventure, and another chapter in this stretch of autumn travel.
