We take the easy all-paved route up to Cripple Creek.  It is a lovely mountain drive and we spot a number of mule deer along the way.  Once in town we head for the Cripple Creek and Victor narrow gage steam train.  We are in mining country (gold mining up here) and this railroad runs all small engines as were used to transport ore at mines across North America.  Our little engine #3 is a 0-4-0 meaning just 4 small drive wheels and no lead or trailing trolley wheels.  Small but mighty it carries us out of town for a dirty, smelly trek through Cripple Creek mining history.   Smoke swirls around the engine and back to the open cars carrying cinders with it.  We can smell and even taste the distinct odor.  I should not have worn khaki pants!   It’s all over in just 45 minutes still well worth the hour+ drive up here.

Thunderstorms are brewing around us.  We plan to take the scenic route back down to the valley.  It is graded dirt and we’re thinking it might be better not to do that in the rain!  We keep an eye to the sky but take a little time to explore town.  Town center is Bennett Street.  It looks like an old mining town with great old west store fronts but don’t look too closely.  It’s more false-front than even the old west days.  The buildings have been entirely gutted and behind every window is row after row of gaming machines.  Squeezed in among the behemoth casinos, a handful of small establishments still operate.  We lunch at one of them, The Creek Restaurant and Bar.  It has an old-time western feel with a hammered tin ceiling and a huge polished wood bar.  My elk burger is fantastic.  Tasty and perfectly prepared, med-rare.  Yum.  The sky is still threatening as we finish up lunch.  There is a large well-reviewed museum of local mining history but we need to head out if we are going the back-country route home.  A perfect excuse to come back some time.  We move on.

We swing through Victor but it’s pretty buttoned up.  Looks like most everything is weekend only here.  Kent points us south on Phantom Canyon Road, aka Gold Belt Scenic and Historic Byway.   It follows the route of the 1884 Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad built to move Cripple Creek ore to the Florence smelters.  It is graded dirt, narrow, winding, a bit pot-holed and wash boarded, and as we later find out includes some cool tunnels.  We pass though miles of otherwise undisturbed mountain wilderness descending from 9000 feet to around 5500.  At the bottom we share the narrow valley floor with a beautiful creek.  Gray and green modeled granite formations with splashes of rusty red rise on either side.  Some places steep and smooth other times at odd angels or sort of bulbous in shape looking like long fingers reaching into the sky or giants towering above us.  Muted green of pines and juniper cover all but the steepest outcroppings with brighter green aspen intermixed.  Brilliantly colored wildflowers accent exposed sunny slopes and dot recesses on the cliffs where ever they find purchase.  The creek gurgles through its rock-strewn pathway with areas of the bank blanketed with brilliant green grasses.  It is a wonderful drive.  We see only light sprinkles of rain.  There is dispersed camping along much of the valley.  Looks like it might be great for a few quiet days – tent or car camping of course.