Stacy: Day 6 (July 25, 2015) - GOLD!!!
Well, there's actually not a lot to write about today! We had a lovely breakfast (buffet, but all fresh!) in our hotel, and then we went to the Durango-Silverton Narrow-Guage Railway depot.
We caught the bus for a 1.5 hour ride to Silverton, Colorado, and drove through back mountain passes like you woldn't believe. Glad I wasn't driving! Silverton is an old (1800s) mining town. They more than made their money back from their initial investment.
The most remarkable thing of this entire round-trip journey was the scenery: Absolutely stunning views. Towering mountains (yet another "Fourteener," or one just shy of it [so, only 13K feet]). Waterfalls. Evidence of rock slides.
It was actually very warm outsidde, most especially for so deep/high in the mountains like that. We needed our jackets in the morning and in the mine but promptly removed thm after the mine tour.
The mine tour was really neat! I'd been on a salt mine tour when I was 5 or 6, and a coal mine tour when I was about 13, but this was the first mine as a adult. I'll most likely remember details of this mine for a long time.
They made us put on lightly lined rain jackets, piled us in mine carts (similar to small train cars with out a roof), and then drove us 1600 feet into the mountain (at a slight incline).
The incline is because they need the natural springs within the mountain to actuallyl flow out of the mountain. When I touched the water [inside the mine], I was surprised at the temperature. The guide said it was about 43 degrees, but I expected it to be frigid! My skin felt colder than the water! It was about 47 degrees in the mine, but I guess the humidity (let alone the water dripping down, directly onus at times) tricked my brain.
He showed us the different pnumatic drills they used in the 1940s, and thn the different lighting instruments used since the 1800s and up. Lastly, he showed us how they placed dynamite--the "diamond" (more like boxes within boxes) pattern they used. After we all piled back into the carts, he let us pan for gold!
And, I found some gold flakes!!! They're not very big (like, at all), and I mostly have pyrite, but I found them! A lady next to me foud some small lumps of copper, and another found a small lumpof silver.
After all that excitement, we walked around Silverton in the remaining time before we had to catch our trian back to Durango. We did some Geo Caching and shopping.
The train ride was three hours long, and we were in an open-air car. First, let me explain that these rains are coal-powered steam engines. They consume 4 to 6 TONS of coal per one-way trip, depending on the engineer, coal shoveler, and, of course, the weather conditions. Now that you know what powered the train, you realize what comes ouf of its smoke stack... fine soot.
Soot + no windows (but we had a roof!) = a fine layer over every inch of our bodies. I made sure to wear large sun glasses to protect my eyes/contacts. We chose the open-aired car because it was cheaper, provided better photographs (no glass), and wasn't as stuffy as any of the other options.
But, oh! The views! Magnificient! No words can describe. Just view my photos within Kim's blog post. I had the camera, again. :oD
After returning to Durango, we ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. Since the hotel looks much like it did in the 1800s, the restaurant follows suit. The wiatresseswear the... um... somewhat revealing outfits of the Ladies of the Night from the 1800s. They even had a pianist playing on the upright piano.
Still not quite ready to stop sightseeing, we walked around downtown Durango.
Oh, it should be noted that my old soccer injury (stressed ligament on my inner, right knee) occurred again. I'm not exactly sure how, either. It was fine for 5 days, and then BAM! I woke up in pain the next morning. I can walk uphill/stairs, but must be very careul when walking downhill/stairs.
~FIN
