Around the bend, nothing but oohs, ahs

THE first look did not inspire.

Online, Indian Springs Resort had touted itself as a “romantic getaway” with charming cabins overlooking Soda Creek. With my husband battling the flu and our three young kids in tow, I wasn’t counting on romance. But I hadn’t quite steeled myself for this.

Cabin No. 1 did overlook Soda Creek. But the creek was just a trickle of water right next to a noisy road. The view out back wasn’t much better: A broken-down refrigerator rusting in a gravel parking lot next to a smoking, industrial-size barbecue. The bar a few yards beyond looked very neon and very loud.

Too weak to ask me what I had been thinking, John wrenched open the buckling screen door, and the five of us pushed inside the cabin. At which point our little one, Katie, promptly threw up. All over the floor.

So began what turned out to be one of our best family vacations ever.

Idaho Springs, a historic gold-mining town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, is just 32 miles west of downtown Denver but seems a world apart. Clear Creek tumbles through town -- the stream is ideal for white-water rafting -- and the mountains loom crisp and cool. The main street is lined with Victorian buildings, but there’s just enough grit to keep it from feeling too quaint.

There are several no-frills motels in town, but lured by those cabins, I had chosen Indian Springs, which is built around an underground hot springs said to have curative powers. Famous folks of all description have taken the waters here: bandit Jesse James, poet Walt Whitman and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Today, the resort is an unpretentious spa (or a vaguely seedy one, depending on your standards), offering massages and facials, mud baths and mineral-water soaks. A highlight for many guests is the “geothermal cave bath,” where visitors can dunk into hollowed-out pools of 112-degree water. In this part of the resort, bathing suits are not optional; they’re forbidden.

The dank underground caves are off-limits to kids, so we stuck with the mineral-water swimming pool. While John and 2-year-old Katie napped off their nausea, I splashed in the greenish waters with Hannah, 8, and Avery, 6. The pool, kept at a lulling 90 degrees, is fringed by a lush garden of tropical plants. I had to admit it was blissful.

By the time we toweled off, our muscles utterly relaxed, I had upgraded my opinion of the resort. Even Cabin No. 1 was looking close to charming. It was small but clean and ingeniously designed. The bedroom was just big enough for a decent queen-size mattress. Bunks were built snugly into the hall, giving the beds a secret-nook quality the kids adored. Hannah wrote a rave review in the cabin’s guest journal.

Before going to the hotel, we had stopped for a hike around Echo Lake, which is partway up Mt. Evans, near Idaho Springs. You can drive all the way to the 14,264-foot summit -- it’s touted as the highest paved road in North America -- but we chose to stop at the lake, where the air was already thinner and colder. It turned out to be a super place to ramble. We took the stroller-friendly path while the kids scrambled through the woods, climbing boulders and scouring for pinecone souvenirs.

Ravenous from the morning hike and the afternoon swim, we drove the two minutes into town in search of dinner.

The touristy part of Idaho Springs is just a few blocks long. It’s lined with galleries selling carved wooden bears, ice-cream parlors, a fossil store, gift shops and half a dozen restaurants, all casual and inexpensive. We picked Beau Jo’s Colorado Style Pizza, which has crayons on the table and a kid-approved menu that includes pasta served in an edible bowl: a braided basket of garlic bread.

After a brief encounter with local law enforcement (watch out for that one-way street behind the police station), it was back to Cabin No. 1. We cast a wary eye on the nearby bar, but it was quiet. So, with the rusted fridge standing guard, we drifted off.

On Sunday morning, after a breakfast of leftover pizza, we checked out of the resort, the kids nearly in tears at having to leave behind their bunk beds. They cheered up only when we told them we were heading to the hills to strike it rich.

The Phoenix Gold Mine, carved into a mountainside about 15 minutes from town, offers hour-long tours that other visitors described as fascinating. But we feared the tunnels might be a bit claustrophobic. So we chose a five-minute, $5-apiece lesson in panning for gold. The kids were certain they’d soon be rich enough to buy out the toy aisle at Target, so we tore up the hill to try our luck in a cold, inviting little creek.

Splashing, laughing and dreaming aloud, we spent an hour sifting through rocks and sand. We collected plenty of sparkles in our plastic baggies. The prospector at the entrance solemnly inspected them and said we had done well -- for rookies. Delighted, the kids piled back into the van, leaving soggy footprints on the floor mats.

After a unanimous vote to extend our vacation, we headed about 15 miles west to the village of Georgetown. Like Idaho Springs, Georgetown is an old-time mining town with a few blocks of shopping and beautiful views at every turn. But we didn’t linger. We had a train to catch.

The Georgetown Loop Railroad was considered an engineering marvel when it was completed in 1884. Today, it’s a tourist attraction, with a steam locomotive making the 75-minute loop several times a day. We boarded the last train of the afternoon with anticipation.

The narrow-gauge tracks wound up and down a mountain studded with century-old lodgepole pines and lacy, light-green aspens. The train crossed a high trestle bridge, passed an abandoned silver mine and took big, wide curves with a satisfying chugga-chugga choo-choo sound. Every now and then the locomotive belched steam, and soot settled over the passengers, dotting faces like freckles.

We sat in an open-air car, cuddling close in mock fear as we peered down the steep cliffs. We were having a blast -- until, without warning, the train lurched to a stop halfway up a steep grade.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, an unsettling question from an engineer pacing beside the passenger cars: “Anyone seen a 6-inch bolt?”

Opinion in our party remains divided on whether this was a genuine locomotive emergency or a sneaky way to give passengers an extra thrill. All we know for sure is that 15 minutes into the breakdown, Katie, our toddler, had a brainstorm. A huge fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, she carries a toy train everywhere. Now, she wobbled her way through the cars, reached out over the front rail and made her little train kiss our ailing engine. “All better!” she said proudly.

Sure enough, a few moments later, the engineers announced they had fixed the problem. With an ear-splitting whistle, we were on our way, chugging homeward through sun-dappled trees.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Foothills of the Rockies

GETTING THERE:

Nonstop flights to Denver are available from LAX on Alaska, American, Frontier, US Airways and United. From Ontario and Burbank, nonstop flights are available on United, and from Orange County, on Frontier. Restricted round-trip fares start at $203.

Idaho Springs is 32 miles west of downtown Denver (57 miles from the airport), just off Interstate 70. Georgetown is 15 miles farther west, also off I-70. It’s an easy and scenic drive year-round.

WHERE TO STAY:

Indian Springs Resort, 302 Soda Creek Road; (303) 989-6666, www.indianspringsresort.com. Cabins, which can sleep four, start at $119. Rooms in the main lodge, built in 1905, $63 (half-bath only; no shower) to $78. Campground with water and electric hook-ups. Spa services include massages, manicures, body scrubs and mineral-rich mud baths.

Heritage Inn, 2622 Colorado Blvd.; (303) 567-4473, www.theheritageinn.com. Basic motel rooms start at $99. Also available: honeymoon suites with king bed, whirlpool tub and private deck overlooking the river, starting at $159.

Columbine Inn, 2501 Colorado Blvd.; (303) 567-0948. Basic motel rooms start at $54. More modern rooms with king beds from $69.

WHERE TO EAT:

Beau Jo’s Colorado Style Pizza, 1517 Miner St.; (303) 567-4376. Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, all-you-can-eat salad bar with a good selection of fresh vegetables. Entrees $5-$12.

Paco’s, 1600 Miner St.; (303) 567-0482. Burritos, fajitas and other Mexican dishes; burgers; vegetarian chili; and plenty of varieties of margaritas, including one flavored with prickly pear cactus. Entrees from $7.

Cafe Aimee, 1614 Miner St.; (303) 567-2333. Soups, sandwiches and lots of breakfast food, including Belgian waffles, French toast and omelets. Vegetarian dishes include marinated grilled tofu. Entrees from $7.

WHAT TO DO:

Phoenix Gold Mine, 830 Trail Creek; (303) 567-0422, www.phoenixgoldmine.com. Hour-long mine tour and chance to pan for gold, $10, $5 children; panning only, $5 a person. There are several hiking trails on the property as well -- but no bathrooms and no concession stand. Open year-round, but call ahead in winter because bad weather can shut it down.

Clear Creek Rafting Co., 350 Whitewater Road; (303) 567-1000, www.clearcreekrafting.com. Guided tours for all skill levels. Beginner trips last a few hours ($37 adult, $30 child); advanced trips feature a full day of Class III and IV rapids (prices vary, starting at $89 adults, $67 children, though age restrictions apply). Multi-day trips also available.

Georgetown Loop Railroad, Devil’s Gate Depot, 646 Loop Drive, Georgetown; (888) 456-6777, www.georgetownlooprr.com. Round-trip fares $17.50 for adults, $12 for children. Visitors can stop midway for an $8 tour of the Lebanon Silver Mine. Train runs daily from the end of May through the first week in October.

TO LEARN MORE:

Idaho Springs Visitors Center, 2060 Miner St., or P.O. Box 100, Idaho Springs, CO 80452; (303) 567-4382, www.clearcreekcounty.org. Also has information on towns of Georgetown, Empire and Silver Plume.

-- Stephanie Simon