It was Ray's thought to take the "scenic" road from the place we were staying in Canon City up to Cripple Creek. From there, we were heading to Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs.
Red Canyon Rd starts out pleasantly enough as a paved route that winds past ranches. Then it turns into Shelf Road, the old Stagecoach trail from Canon City to Cripple Creek back in the mining days. You half expect Indians to come charging over the hill, or stagecoach robbers to be around the next bend. The road is very narrow, and the road has a significant drop off on one side and step uphill on the other. This image (not mine) captures the flavor of it: https://maps.app.goo.gl/MfVr1ymzBmvhGec88. I don't imagine that Hertz thought that their 2025 Nissan Altima was going to be driving on Shelf Road.
The fastest you can go in a normal car is about 10-12 mph. The rocks and ruts and the narrowness of the road are the gating factors, along with rocks sticking out into the road. BUT- OMG what a ride. The scenery is ____ (fill in the blank with a superlative). After driving on the road for maybe a half hour (we weren't really watching the time), and dealing with the lumps and bumps, we came to a sign:
 |
| Rough road ahead/ 4WD or High clearance vehicle recommended/ limited maintenance |
No kidding. This might have been helpful a few miles back. Not that we would have turned back...
But this drive was definitely a highlight of our trip.
From Cripple Creek, site of a large casino, we headed to Glen Eyrie, our accommodations for tonight, and a new place to explore.
Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/iFHABw54aJNpR6vo6
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