Shelf Road - A kidless weekend in a Colorado's Penitentary Row

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NYC with Uncle Joe and Aunt Yoli for the kids, pinion and juniper heaven in Colorado for Rach and I. We dropped the girls off at DIA (we did walk them to the gate, despite our pent up energy to get on the road) and were heading south on E-470 by 5PM on Friday eve. 3 hours later we pulled into the Sand Gulch Campground on BLM land, 12miles north of Canon City on Shelf Road. A snuggly night in the van topped off by a blue sky morning got us psyched for the day's activity: a ride up Shelf Road to Cripple Creek.



From 2008 Nov Shelf Road Trip


It's a dirt road, 14 miles one way, well guarded by a sign that clearly warns all comers: "High clearance or 4-wheel drive recommended". Most definitely an excellent deterrent because we only saw 5 cars the entire ride up the canyon. And we could have taken any old car up there - no 4x4 or high clearance needed. No complaints on our end though as it was way nice to have no traffic. The landscape is rugged, first with a canyon rim lined with limestone cliffs then giving way to very steep and broken up granite outcroppings and peaks all the way up to Cripple Creek. We gained around 3000 feet on the ride up, from an elevation of 6300 to 9300 feet.



Along the way, Rachel had her first intimate encounter with the gravel and resulting road rash. 3 times (3 times!) her chain came off while pedalling up a steep grade. Each time, those nifty shoe clips failed to come unclipped in time. I haven't heard such dark words from Rachel in many a year.



From 2008 Nov Shelf Road Trip


We had a more enjoyable encounter with some local wildlife: bighorn sheep. About half way up the canyon, a herd of around 30, with a nice half and half male/female mix, was hanging out on the road and nearby cliffs. A bit of kootchy kootchy going with lots of rump sniffing and rearing heads.



From 2008 Nov Shelf Road Trip


Cripple Creek is about what we expected: a yucky place set up for pot bellied, tobacco toking, money loosing optimists. We rode down the main drag, found a coffee shop (a Starbucks, no less) and warmed up to a grande latte. I can't remember the last time I sat for so long in one place with Rachel on a weekend; we must have relaxed for all of 35 minutes or so before getting dressed up for the cold descent.



Back at the camp, we (Rachel) decided that a soak in the nearby hotsprings would be the best way to rewarm our sapped cores from the long downhill ride. So we hit up the clothing-optional (that thought is almost enough to warm you up on its own!) Dakoto Hot Springs in Penrose. Funny place. The water comes from a failed oil well. They wanted thick and black, they got warm and clear. Nice though. The facility is a "members" club set up. Most of the attendees were locals, in there 40's and 50's, and seemed happy to be socializing with their peers in the buff, wading around in the 50 foot diameter oval pool. The center of the pool featured the "lobster pot", 108F hot tub and shower. Very nice.



Sunday morning was spent with gear, harness and rope up on Cactus Cliff. Rachel led a beautiful 5.7+ corner, Chrinoid Corner to start the day. 8 or 9 bolts up an 80 foot V-shaped corner with nicely textured limestone walls. Very cool.


From 2008 Nov Shelf Road Trip


We spent the rest of the morning in the Green Pillar area, leading and toproping a 5.7. 5.10c, and a 5.9. Rachel racked up her 50+ points for the day while I humbly bailed on the 5.9 (after having a great time toproping the 5.10c!). Go figure - I hate my head.



From there, we turned this into a true Lightly endeavor to cap off the 48 hours. We explored some of the nearby cliffs, scoping them out for future trips, before heading out on an 8 mile hike up Forest Road/Trail 5820, 5820A, and 5825A (or something like that). Excellent terrain with untouched trails, ripe for some serious single track riding. Can't wait to come back!!!


From 2008 Nov Shelf Road Trip

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