Chicago to Denver....ride to Rapid City
 

I will leave Chicago and arrive in Denver at 7:30 am Denver time. Will then drive about 6 hours to Rapid City. 2 1/2 hour flight + 6 hours drive....has anyone done this? How difficult is this? Not young at 69. Too much for one day or do-able?

Chicago to Denver flight/Drive to Rapid City
 

Leaving Chicago to Denver and will arrive at 7:30 am. 2 1/2 hour flight to Rapid city then 6 hour drive to Rapid City. Anyone take this route? Too much for one for a 69 year old guy?

Do-able? Yes.
Enjoyable or a good way to start off a trip? Not in my 69 year old book.

If it were me, I'd pull up short, like Cheyenne, or perhaps push on to Fort Laramie, which is worth seeing.
Don't be surprised if I-25 between Denver and Fort Collins is a real mess, and your 6 hour time estimate is way off the mark.
Did you do your Colorado trip last year?

Thanks for asking....I did do that trip. Red Rocks Amp./Garden of the Gods/Colorado National Monument/RMNP/Maroon Bells among other things.

It's a 12 hour drive to Rapid City from Chicago. By the time you fly anywhere including the 2 hour advance arrival, etc. maybe just drive there in the first place. no direct flight to Rapid City from a big hub like Chicago?
I'm considerably older than you and drove to Denver last year.

They do have a direct flight from Chicago to RC. Right now it's $525 r/t (United). With my Southwest Reward Card I fly into Denver for $11.40 (Southwest does not fly to RC.) Thats saves me over $500. PLUS with Southwest TWO bags fly FREE which also saves a lot! And from where I live it's a LOT closer to fly out of Midway than O'Hare and a lot less traffic. I have had a flight to Salt Lake City and drove to Idaho Falls for the night....3 hours and 17 minutes.

Check on going to Omaha and driving the 8 hours from there to Rapid City all on Interstate highways (I-29 to I-90). Do you really want to be at Midway at 4AM Central time?
Fly or take the train to Omaha. If you can leave Chicago the afternoon before, you arrive at about 10PM on the Amtrak California Zephyr.

If you've done a 3 hour and 17 minute drive, you should be fine to go 6 hours. It's all in daylight, just stop a couple times to get some fresh air and stretch your legs if you start feeling tired. If you can nap on the plane, even better.

I cannot imagine flying or taking the train to Omaha and then driving 8 hours would make this trip any better.

Oh geeze, I didn't realize who the poster was. Do whatever you decide to do as you already have.

Thanks for the feedback Gresh! You sound like you may want to come with me? No hanky-panky....seperate rooms only. Flying into Denver.....your flight is coming from?

Is there a reason other than it is what you do, that you have started another thread with the exact same question.

Two threads. Exact same question? Again?

The reason is that as time goes by we get 100's of new people everyday with 100's of new ideas. I in fact will have this topic posted again at least one more time before June 7th. Lots of people being born every day/lots of people coming from different countries every day and lots of people discovering this site everyday for the first time. I'm a Vet (06/68-06/70)....Donnie said I would be treated better under his watch it seems Gret that you did not hear that speech. Now that you know I'm a Vet....cut me some slack. With the WORLD as such a crazy place 24/7....me posting a topic more than once is less than a drop in the bucket.

Back to Donald. Believe me, I KNOW you're a vet apparently hoping to get cheaper hotel rates because Donald promised you "better treatment".
You can just bump ONE post up without posting yet another to get more attention to it.

I booked my hotel in November. Fairfield Inn and Suites in Rapid City. I got $44 a night for booking so early. Now the same dates are at least $144 per night. I only have ONE big vacation a year....so I only have this years vaca to talk about, Next years will be California. Last years was Colorado....he year before that was Las Vegas/Grand Canyon/Horseshoe Canyon/Monument Valley and the 5 National Parks in Utah. The year before that was Yellowstone/Grand Tetons. Year before that Nashville/Chattanoogo/Stone Mountain Ga. and Atlanta. Year before that was Cleveland (R&R HOF)/Niagra Falls and Toronto. Two years before that was Smokie Mountains (May/October.)

Year after next will be Canada Rockies. Gresh....Donnie does not help me at all. And I never wear anything Army...I was drafted....I didn't want to go.

What can we say. The Illinois Nut is back. Just a troll. Best ignored.

I'll be back 1-2 times on this same topic....getting new ideas from new people. Next year you'll be crying about all my California posts. Look for it about 12/18.

Gretchen - just a troll. Real doubt if he takes any of the trips. Best is to ignore him.

>>The reason is that as time goes by we get 100's of new people everyday with 100's of new ideas.<<

The solution is to post to your own thread to top it . . . NOT to keep starting new threads.

In fact - if the moderators see the two identical questions (or even very similar ones) they will combine the two threads and take it out of your hands entirely . . .

It's not the end of the world. I would not take advice from a stranger anyway. Just seeing how many responses I can get.

That is unfortunate because several members have tried to help you.

In any case, your two threads have been merged.

....Just seeing how many responses I can get. ..... Classic definition of a troll. At least he admits it.