Unfortunately I had forgotten my camera, so these pictures are from the phone. I didn't even think about using the phone until I noticed a girl using hers after I had hiked a bit. So back to the car to retrieve it and rehike a very pleasant trail off the first picnic area.
The next stop was at a very pleasant national forest lake just before driving the road becomes white knuckle time. Aspen in this area were a mix of gold and orange.
Then straight to the top to wander around in a circle enjoying the 360 degree view from 14,000+ feet. Of course a gift shop and snack bar are available. Actually having a building open to the public is probably a necessity, which will be discussed later.
Above timber line (over 12,000') Pikes Peak is a coppery color, and vegetation is much sparser than on Mt. Evans. On the way down I stopped at a particularly good view of this different rock.
Since I was walking on loose stuff, I had my hiking hat on and walking stick with me. Two women hikers came over to ask if I knew where the trail to the top was. I had seen hikers almost to the top earlier and assumed the trail was just over a rise and close to the road. I discussed with them the increasing clouds and thunder in the distance, but they started on up. As I was getting in the car, they were hurrying back to ask for a ride to the top, which I was happy to do. Turns out they were a group of women from all over hiking this peak in preparation for a trip up Kilimanjaro in January. On my second trip down I saw part of their group and stopped to tell them of the two now at the top. By this time it was spitting snow and lightning was much closer. After much discussion, it was decided to beg rides to the top. So I took two, and the rest successfully hitched a ride in a larger SUV. On the way a patrol car with flashing lights stopped traffic to announce on a loud speaker for everyone to stay in cars or get in the building at the top. Once there we saw even more of the group headed to the building. I had reassured my passengers that the bad weather would most likely blow over, and they could hike down as planned. Once I was back in the timber, it was a pleasant day again and hiking a couple more times on service roads was it for me.
So it was on the the motel, a good night's rest, an early breakfast, and a drive on to east of Canon City to get into Phantom Canyon. This is a celebrated road on an previous railroad bed, but it is not paved and often less than two lanes. I was early enough to have no traffic until about 2/3 done. There is no way for an amateur to capture the beauty of the canyon walls and the riparian creek area. Since the road is narrow, the vegetation has more area to make this canyon even more unusual. As the sun came over to top of the canyon walls, the light effect against golden aspen was even more outstanding. Unfortunately this is difficult light to work in. Also it is so blinding on the road where light meets shadow. All the more reason to get out there early and have a low probability of on-coming traffic.
This is the last of the original railroad bridges. Many of them were wiped out in floods. Evidently the rail hauling of gold from Cripple Creek and Victor was profitable enough to rebuild and keep it going in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Once through the canyon, the area of high plains ranches leads into Victor, still a major gold mining town. The denuded and terraced mountains next to the dwarfed town show mountain top mining as the evil it is. Almost as distressing was the clear cut hills immediately opposite the entrance to Muellar SP. These huge hills of nothing but mud had no vegetation, and a good rain will have them over the highway. Whatever is going on there?
The rest of the trip was a break and lunch at Muellar SP. I had an interesting talk with a volunteer geologist who had a great rock collection and explanation of the formation of the local types. Then continuing on CO 67, which is a real puzzle in addition to being mostly unpaved after Deckers. But I did learn where some lovely ground along the south branch of the South Platte is and how to get to it, maybe.
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