a walk through time - View this location on map 'step into the past, literally, at the crested butte mountain heritage museum ( 970-349-1880), in a building from 1883 that housed a blacksmith shop, then a hardware store and a gas station. portraits of early butte residents many of croatian and slovenian descent line the back wall, revealing the often hardscrabble character of those who kept the town going before the fading mining industry was eclipsed by tourism and skiing. the backroom ($3 admission) includes exhibits on daily life in the mining era and the evolution of skiing, as well as the mountain biking hall of fame. later, as you amble past the town's vibrant victorian houses and false-facaded storefronts, stop in at milky way (310 elk avenue, 970-349-2107) for offbeat gifts and eclectic clothing for women and infants; natural butte (309 sixth street, 970-349-7775) for custom skin potions that counter the drying effects of the high altitude; and the alpineer (419 sixth street, 970-349-5210), which is chock-a-block with ski wear and gear from hardcore brands like marmot, mountain hardwear and cloudveil. at the rijks family gallery (310 second street, 970-349-5289), you can view largescale tableaux (starting at $1,600) by the local plein-air painter shaun horne, whom you might even spot at his easel somewhere in town; his smaller paintings run $250 to $450.'' New York Times 331 elk avenue, Crested Butte, CO Cultural,

---