Day 17 – A Quiet Sunday

If you’ve been reading along, you know we take Sundays off each week, find a local ward/church service, and relax for the day. We found a nice ward in Pinehurst, Idaho, and enjoyed the meeting. Sometimes, you just need to relax, rest, and replenish your spirit. This is especially true for Art. I neglected to note how far he rode on Saturday. How could I? Poor man. He deserves his accolades. So here it is:

Fifty-two miles!

Yep, that many miles. It’s hard to believe a 65-year-old guy could manage it. Our hero has been consistently cranking those miles out almost daily.

We had arrived at a new location on Saturday. Crystal Gold Mine RV Park in Kellogg, Idaho. I wish we had time to tour the mine, as it would have been fascinating and fun, especially if any kids took the tour at the same time. I love seeing kids learn new things. I took some photos of this interesting park, which was clean and well-cared for, run by some people who did a great job keeping it nice. It is beautiful there!

There is a lot of antique mining equipment decorating the area, and they allow both tents and RVs in the park:

The above would have been loaded with whatever ore, in this case, gold, was being mined and then taken down rails to the outside for processing. The interesting part about this mine is that it only operated in the 1880s. It was then shuttered and forgotten about until it was rediscovered in 1991. The mine goes 900 feet underground! If you have a chance, don’t miss it!

This is an actual old train that hauled items in and out of the mine:

This contained wooden seats for miners to catch a ride down into the depths:

There was a small museum, a cabin built to contain some donations and finds from within the mine. It also had authentic photos of miners:

And cabinets filled with interesting items used in mining:

You need to visit to see everything! I do want to share a funny story, though. Cindy went out to walk their dogs after dark. We use a flashlight that hangs around your neck so you can see, but we’re in forests and it’s pretty dark. There is a pickup that the man who takes care of the outside grounds created for the park. After dark, they turn a light on in the pickup, and this is what is inside:

It’s Hank and Charlie! It freaked her out! LOL. I couldn’t get a great picture, but I edited the two as best I could for you to see them.

Thankfully, there was no rendition of the banjo playing from Deliverance. OH!

When you visit, though, beware. These two guys pop up all over the place, I hear!

Next Up: Day 18 – A long, long ride.