Wednesday, July 2, 2008

A good day



So, I took a train ride today in the Rockies, this is a shot from high above the rapids and the road.












This train ride dropped me off at a silver mine, that were very prosperous in the late 1890s and early 1900s until silver lost it's value and the mines were abandoned. I had to wear a hard hat and it was about 41 degrees in the mine, so it felt refreshing compared to the 90 degrees outside.


This is a shot of an old train car, it's got the name of the railroad and with the mountains behind it, a kodak moment was made! (c: This railroad is just a part of the system that went through the Rockies, and it's been a little changed for the route. The route travels in a loop between Georgetown and another city I can't remember right now (c: Driving distance would be 1 mile, but the train is about 3 miles round trip and winds through the mountainside and crosses over Clear Creek 4 times.



This shot is of Clear Creek (hardly a creek!), they said it was running at about a level 5 rapid today (I think that means hard and you could tell the current was really wiping). You can see a brdige in the background, the train crosses there.




A look down the mine, we went pretty deep inside with a guide and saw a few of the "veins" where the miners worked hard to extract the silver. There's still a ton of silver in the Rockies but it's not worth enough to mine it, at least that's what the guide said. Like I said, it was about 40 degrees instantly when you walked into it, damp and cramped. I had to walk hunched over for the most part.




Well, you sort of know what I did today but let me give you some background. At work Monday night, I got online to find out about some day trips from Denver and my preceptor Barb told me a lot of good places too. Georgetown was high on her list, and so I investigated it today. It was about an hour drive west of Denver, I got to experience driving up and through the Rockies and I can tell you this, it was quite a trip! Up and down and ears popping and trucks going slow with their flashers on, and me glad I didn't have my Jeep anymore cuz I probably would have been behind the trucks rocking my self to propel myself forward! The way back down was sweet too, if you get a chance to drive through there I recommend it.
Georgetown used to be a huge mining town, with a population in the 10,000 but now is only about 1,000. (remember silver lost it's value and people left the city) It had a main street with lots of antique shops (mom, eat your heart out!) and some mom and pop stores. I browsed briefly then headed for the train, just outside the main street. It's a 1hr 30 min loop through the Rockies and a stop off at the mine. I was about 9,000 feet above sea level today!
I was a nice time, I got some great pictures (I can't post them all but if you want some just let me know and I'll email you some). I'm glad I trekked up there.
Minimal plans for tomorrow, I need to lay a bit low since I'm short a pay check and my checking account isn't totally pleased right now (c: I get paid tomorrow but for just a week...so the next one will be better. I have many plans for day trips in the next couple months so look forward to those.
I'm tired from my adventures, gonna relax and read tonight, hope this finds you all well!
Talk soon.

2 comments:

Colorado Railroads staff said...

Great post! The GLRR runs between Georgetown and Silver Plume, Colorado.

Oli and Kelly said...

i think i need to come visit