Essentially, this "road trip" was a day trip to test my old minivan on the highways!  I didn't want to drive too far so I chose a circular (what else?) drive through the Rocky Mountains to see the fall leaves and to have lunch in Victor.

A friend and I left around 8.30 a.m. and headed south on Interstate 25 from Colorado Springs to Cañon City where we stopped at The Winery at the Holy Cross Abbey for a quick wine taste.  However, at 10 a.m. the thought of swilling wine didn't appeal to me, plus they wanted a $5 tasting fee.  Too bad because they had quite a nice selection of wines to taste.

We hopped back in the car and headed through Cañon City on Hwy 50.  Just outside the city limits is the Skyline Drive, which is fascinating.  Not to mention hair-raising as it's a narrow, one-way road atop a mountain!  The views are spectacular if you don't look down, and we found ourselves back in the city and having to double back to get onto Hwy 50 and continue our journey.  It was totally worth it! 

After a short drive outside Cañon City along Hwy 50 we turned right onto Hwy 9 which was beautifully quiet and almost devoid of traffic.  There weren't many yellowing trees but the scenery was pretty and the drive a very pleasant one.  I didn't stop to take photos and we continued along until we reached High Park Road (Hwy 11) where we turned right.  Another very quiet road although this was the road to Cripple Creek so we did encounter more traffic, but nothing serious.  The drive was pleasant and there were actually some yellowing trees to snap.  When we came to Teller County Road 1 at the Community Baptist Church, we turned right and headed towards Cripple Creek.

We drove through Cripple Creek and found the almost-non-existent sign pointing to Victor, and we were off for the four-mile drive along Hwy 67.  We saw hideous reminders of gold mining going on in the hills.  Although the rows of access roads along the hillsides were rather pretty, the obvious mining activity is alarming.  I loved the old ramshackle homes and metal towers.  The weather was absolutely superb and the gorgeous blue sky was perfect for photos.

Now, one of the reasons I wanted to go to Victor, was because I found a German bakery/deli there that sounded as though the food was okay!  We found the place but to my horror, there was a sign on the door saying they'd closed the day before and would be closed for the next 10 days!  (No note of this closure on their website!)  We weren't the only ones disappointed, I saw three other parties peeping in the window and then walking away.  We decided to stretch our legs and walk around the little town.  It's very old and quaint but very rundown.  There was one other place open for lunch but we didn't fancy regular American food.

After taking some photos and thinking we could find a reasonably-priced restaurant back in Cripple Creek, we left town.  We checked out a couple of casinos in the hopes that we'd find somewhere to eat, but there was just the usual you-can-get-anywhere food, so we got back onto Hwy 67 and headed for home.  There were some trees yellowing but nothing that made me stop and take photos, so it was a quick trip back into Colorado Springs via Divide and Woodland Park.
My car handled the trip well even though some of the hills were a bit challenging.  I think I feel pretty confident taking it out on another road trip, probably in the spring or sooner, if it doesn't snow!

Photos from this trip.   Route