ADVENTUREMOTO "LIFE SHOULD BE AN ADVENTURE" PHANTOM CANYON TO VICTOR COLORADO 2006 |
LIVING IN COLORADO PRESENTS A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR US DUALSPORT RIDERS. THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES TO SEE AND NOT NEAR ENOUGH TIME IN THE WARM MONTHS. AS IT TURNS OUT, MY RIDING BUDDY MIKE HOUSTON LIVES IN LAKE GEORGE, JUST A SHORT RIDE FROM CRIPPLE CREEK, WHICH IS THE STARTING POINT FOR THE PHANTOM CANYON ADVENTURE. |
WHILE MOST OF CRIPPLE CREEK HAS BEEN TURNED INTO BORING GAMBLING CASINOS, THERE ARE STILL A FEW EXAMPLES OF TURN OF THE CENTURY ARCHITECTURE LIKE THIS OLD JAIL HOUSE, WHICH IS THE CURRENT TELLER COUNTY SHERIFF'S SUB-STATION. |
ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF MY RIDES IS PHOTOGRAPHING AND PRESERVING SIGHTS LIKE THIS 50'S WESTWARD HO MOTEL. THE MOTEL WAS SHUT DOWN AND UNFORTUNATELY WITH LAND PRICES LIKE THEY ARE, WILL PROBABLY BE LEVELED TO MAKE ROOM FOR MORE CASINOS. CRIPPLE CREEK, LIKE BLACKHAWK AND CENTRAL CITY, HAVE BEEN RUINED BY LIMITED STAKES GAMBLING. |
WHILE IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF KING KONG, THIS INTERLOCKING LOG WALL WAS BUILT TO HOLD BACK THOUSANDS OF TONS OF ROCK THAT HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE MOUNTAIN WHEN THE ORIGINAL MINES WERE DUG. WHEN AND IF THE WALL LET'S GO, THE ROCK WILL BURY THE ROAD AND SPILL INTO THE NEARBY RIVER, BLOCKING BOTH. TIME TO RIDE ON! |
THE BEGINNING OF THE RIDE TAKES US PAST WINDOW ROCK . I HAD JUST PICKED UP MY KLR FROM A TIP OVER WHICH OCCURED WHEN I TRIED A SLOW SPEED DOWNHILL TURN. THE LAY OF THE LAND IN COLORADO IS NEVER WHAT IT SEEMS AND YOU HAVE TO CAREFULLY SELECT YOUR STOPS AND TURNS IN THE SOFT SANDY SOIL. |
AFTER A FEW MILES WE START UP THE "SHELF ROAD" AREA. LIKE MANY OF THE BACKROADS OF COLORADO, THIS WAS ORIGINALLY AN OLD ORE TRAIL, AND IS NOT MAINTAINED BY ANYONE. WHILE WE DID SEE A FEW TRUCKS, THE ROAD WAS COVERED WITH LARGE ROCKS, RUTS AND WASHOUTS. OUR KIND OF RIDE! |
STOPPING FOR THE OCASSIONAL TRIP PHOTO PROVED TO BE HAZARDOUS AT TIMES, AS WHAT FEW VEHICLES WERE ON THIS ROAD WERE ALWAYS DRIVING FAST. ON MORE THAN ONE OCASSION, WE WERE NEARLY SIDE-SWIPED AS WE ROUNDED A FEW OF THE BENDS. IF WE HAD BEEN IN A CAR, SOMEONE WOULD HAVE GONE OFF THE LEDGE OR INTO THE ROCK WALL. |
AS WE RODE SOUTH TOWARDS CANON CITY, WE CAME ACROSS A FEW ROAD SIGNS, ALL WITH THE USUAL BULLET HOLES. SO LET'S SEE...OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH RECKLESS DRIVERS THAT ARE ARMED WITH GUNS. NOW YOU KNOW WHY WE CALL IT ADVENTURE RIDING! |
WE CAME ACROSS THIS OLD HOMESTEAD ON OUR WAY INTO CANON CITY. ONCE WE GOT INTO TOWN, WE HEADED EAST ON THE MAIN HIGHWAY FOR ABOUT 5 MILES AND THEN TURNED BACK NORTH ONTO PHANTOM CANYON ROAD. |
AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS IN THE HOT COLORADO SUNSHINE, IT WAS TIME FOR A BREAK. NOTHING LIKE GETTING YOUR FEET INTO A COLD MOUNTAIN STREAM. |
UNLIKE THE SHELF ROAD GOING DOWN, PHANTOM CANYON HAD SEVERAL OLD TUNNELS THAT HAD BEEN BLASTED THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN. |
JUST AS WE TRIED TO RIDE THROUGH, A CAR CAME SUDDELY OUT OF NOWHERE. WE PULLED OVER AND WAVED. YOU NEVER KNOW WHICH OF THE DRIVERS YOU ENCOUNTER ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN SHOOTING THE SIGNS? |
THERE HAD BEEN SOME MAJOR THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS AREA A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO OUR RIDE, AND THERE WERE SOME BIG WASHOUTS. WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME PICKING OUR WAY AROUND LARGE FALLEN ROCKS AND AVOIDING FOOT DEEP RUTS THAT RAN ACROSS THE ROAD. |
THIS WOODEN BRIDGE USED TO BE AN OLD ELEVATED RAILROAD TRESTLE. IT WAS VERY SOLID AND ADDED A NEAT TOUCH TO THE RIDE. IT'S AMAZING THAT THE STATE PUT THIS MUCH EFFORT INTO A BRIDGE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE? BUT THEN AGAIN, IT DOES CONNECT THE DIEHARD GAMBLERS IN CANON CITY TO THE SLOT MACHINES IN CRIPPLE CREEK. MONEY TALKS! |
FROM HERE, BACK NORTH TO THE TOWN OF VICTOR, IT WAS "CHASING MALCOLM". IT'S A TERM I USE TO TO EXPLAIN THE WAY MIKE RIDES WHEN HE GET'S IN A HURRY. MALCOLM SMITH IS ONE OF THE GREATEST DIRT RIDER'S THAT EVER LIVED, AND WHEN THE MOOD STRIKES, MIKE RIDES LIKE HE HAS REAL TALENT, AND I'M FORCED TO KEEP UP OR LOOSE FACE. IT'S NOT THAT HE'S RECKLESS, JUST DAMN FAST! REMEMBER THOSE RECKLESS DRIVER'S ? WELL WE ENCOUNTERED A FEW ON THE WAY INTO VICTOR, AND ALL THEY SAW WAS A BLUR! |
VICTOR COLORADO IS NOT A VERY BIG TOWN, AND IN OUR RUSH TO GET THERE, WE OVERSHOT OUR TURN BY, OH...ABOUT 20 MILES! FORTUNATELY FOR US, THE STATE OF COLORADO POSTS SIGNS FOR FOOLS THAT CARRY NO MAPS. NOW IF WE JUST KNEW WHICH WAY WAS NORTH. |
WHEN WE MADE IT BACK TO VICTOR, WE STOPPED AND ASKED THIS GUY WHERE THE BEST PLACE TO EAT IN TOWN WAS. HE OFFERED UP THE ONLY TWO RESTAURANTS IN TOWN AND SUGGESTED SALLY'S, A LOCAL BIKER BAR OF SORTS. HEY, WE WERE ON BIKES, SO WHY NOT? THE OLD MOTORCYLE TURNED FLOWER BOX IS A 70'S SOMETHING ZUNDAP. I WANT ONE FOR MY FRONT YARD! |
THE OWNER OF SALLY'S TOLD US THAT HE MADE THE BEST PIZZA IN COLORADO. AND HE WAS RIGHT! THERE WERE 8-10 PEOPLE INSIDE TALKING AND PLAYING POOL. WE WERE THE ONLY "BIKERS" AND THE GROUP SEEMED VERY INTERESTED IN OUR 'STRANGE" BIG DIRT BIKES. THEY SEEMED TO RELAX WHEN THEY FOUND OUT WE WERE FROM COLORADO. |
THIS GREAT LITTLE BLUE HEALER IS THE BAR DOG, AND THE TOWN OUTLAW. THE CITY OF VICTOR HAS A STRICT LEASH LAW AND THIS GUY WAS CAUGHT ON THE FRONT SIDEWALK WITHOUT HIS LEASH, SO HE GOT A TICKET. I THINK HE IS GOING TO APPEAL! HIS REAL JOB IS WAITNG FOR YOU TO LEAVE SALLY'S AND THEN BLOCK YOUR PATH UNTIL YOU GO BACK IN AND GET HIM A PIECE OF YOUR LEFTOVER PIZZA. GOOD DOG! |
VICTOR IS ONE OF THOSE TURN OF THE CENTURY COLORADO TOWNS THAT ARE STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE. I PERSONALLY ADMIRE THE TOWNSPEOPLE FOR KEEPING THEIR GREAT LITTLE TOWN MUCH THE WAY IT HAS BEEN FOR YEARS. NO CASINOS HERE, JUST GOOD PEOPLE ENJOYING LIFE IN COLORADO THE WAY IT'S MEANT TO BE. I HOPE TO GO BACK SOON. |
ALL TEXT AND PHOTOS ARE COPYRIGHTED BY RON PETITT AND CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT HIS EXPRESS CONSENT |
This page was last updated on: January 26, 2007
