The mine is hard to miss as you come into the little town. The white building covers nearly the entire face of the hill it sits upon. The town is quaint and we were quite sure what to expect. As we entered the visitors’ area we watched a short video about the mine and learned that it was isolated from the time it began in the early 1900s until 1954 when the road was built. The town was a company town and the only people who lived there were miners and their families. The mine closed down in 1974 and a few years later was opened to tourists. After the video we went to the supply room and picked up our hard hats and made our way up the stairs to the train that would take us into the mine.
Our tour guide as it turned out actually worked at the mine from 1964 until it closed in 1974. He took us inside and explained where the explosives were stored. As we rode further inside the walls began to change from orange to blue. This is where the copper was changing colors. A little further along the track we stopped to get out and walk down one of the tunnels. The guide demonstrated the drills that were used and showed us the “honey truck”. One little girl asked a great question… “Do you just sit there and go in front of everyone?” What we all forgot was that the nice bright electric bulbs hanging over our head were not there when the mine was in operation. The guide went and turned out the lights and showed us just how dark it was inside the mine. He brought out a few examples of what was used for light from candles, to chemical fires, to battery operated lights. So the answer was yes. You just sat there and went in front of everyone, but really in the dark you can’t even see your hand in front of your face, let alone some one doing their business.
When we came out of the mine he showed us where all the core samples are stored. There is a still lot of copper in the mine; it just isn’t economical to get it out. Then we went inside the mill and marveled at the eight stories above us. Right inside the door were the “stairs” you climbed to get to the top floors. Basically they are wood slats that go up eight stories at a 45° angle with no hand rail. Obviously, I could never have worked in this mill. The guide also explained to us how they got the minerals out of the muck that was brought out of the mine. The primary mineral at the mine is copper, but silver and gold are byproducts produced there as well. The last stop of the tour was at the gold panning building where we learned how to pan for gold and got to keep anything we found.
I found a little gold fleck in my first pan! And then I found another one! ….and then I found out that they “stock” the water with gold flecks. But you know what? I don’t care, it is still real gold and with the price at $1,500 an ounce my flecks have got to be worth at least 1¢. SLK also found a fleck of gold, but Chatty didn’t have much luck. Or maybe it was just that she didn’t have enough patience.
We walked around and looked in all the buildings at the various displays and then took our picture with the huge dump truck onsite. By this time my stomach was growling so we headed across the street to the burger shack which was really a kitchen in a bus with a deck built on. It was just what we needed before we headed back south to Grouse Mountain.
On our way back down the highway we stopped at a little park to take some pictures and noticed that is was actually a little marina and there were several people scuba diving. The water was pretty clear, but I can’t imagine scuba diving in water that cold. Apparently, they have built several artificial reefs near the shore for the divers to look at, but I think I will stick to the warm Caribbean waters.
Grouse Mountain was pretty busy by the time we arrived, but we were lucky to find a parking spot right near the lift entrance. We stopped at guest services to register for our zip line tour and found out that the next tour didn’t start for two hours. However, we were told that there were plenty of things to do up on the mountain in the mean time. So we bought our tickets and then got in line. After standing in line for a few minutes we realized we were in the ticket line. Since we already had our tickets we didn’t need to be in line at all. Duh! When we got over to the loading area for the lift it was just leaving so we had to stand and watch it go all the way up. That was probably the worst part for me. It gives me time to think about it! When the lift finally came back down we loaded in with about fifty other people and started our ride up. My plan was to close my eyes/look down at the floor and hold on tight. It was a pretty smooth ride except for the two towers that we went over, which both rocked the car pretty good. At the top we stepped out and then made our way over to the chalet. We watched two short films, browsed the gift shop, and then headed across the snow to the zip line desk. It was pretty awkward to walk on the snow in our tennis shoes especially with all of the people skiing around us, but we finally made it.
The first thing we had to do was sign a release waiver and then we got to put on our harness. Right about that time is when I started to get nervous. The two girls that were going to be our guides were about seventeen and were cranked up on energy drinks. After the brief safety talk, a little too short for me, we headed out with our trolley. The first zip line was just outside the building. I tried to let the other people in our group in front of us so that I wouldn’t have to go first, but I didn’t have much luck. As the girl was hooking me up to the line, I had some serious second thoughts, but then she unclipped the safety and I was gone. Before I really knew it, I was already at the other end. My legs were pretty shaky, but after I relaxed a minute I thought that wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be.
The next line was down a set of stairs carved in the snow. SLK was in front of me and as she stepped off the second step her leg fell through the snow all the way to her hip. It took a little while for her to get back out and I wasn’t much help! Somehow she always manages to get wet during our adventures (White water rafting in Alaska). This line was much longer than the first line, was higher, steeper, and went through the trees. After seeing the other people go I knew this one was going to be faster too. I stepped up on the platform to get hooked on and then woosh! Away I went. The cold air stung my eyes even behind my sunglasses. The trees rushed past me on my right side and I stole a quick glance and the snow far below me. They warned us that at the end of the lines was a bag with springs behind that would cushion our stop. They said it would be a pretty good hit, but seriously, it was like getting hit by a truck. Whack! Basically you go from 80 to 0 in about half a second.
After I shook the stars away, we walked down another set of snow stairs and made it to the third line. This one was lower to the ground and took you right over the lake. Again not so intimidating. When I hit the springs this time it was much softer and I even sprang back out over the lake before gliding back in to the platform. So overall, the zip line wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be, but I found out the snow was 400 feet deep. So it might be a little more intimidating if it was all melted.
What they didn’t tell us was that we now had to hike back up the mountain carrying our trolley and without good shoes. It was a pretty tough climb and again SLK fell in the snow. This time it was only about knee deep, but as soon as she stood up she lost her balance and fell flat on her face. But I knew she was alright when I heard her laugh. Once we finally made it back to the desk I was pretty exhausted and ready for dinner.
Food was just about the only thing I could think of at this point so we ate at one of the restaurants at the Chalet. A nice apple cider was just what I needed. Dinner was delicious. But the sun was starting to set and it was time for us to head back to our hotel.
Sunday morning we woke up and headed back to Seattle. Again crossing the border was quick and painless. No forms, no lines, just a few simple questions and we were on our way. It started raining as we made our way south, but our only plans for today were to stop at an outlet mall just north of Seattle so it didn’t bother us at all. After several hours of shopping we got back on the road to Seattle and had just enough time to do a little sightseeing before Chatty had to go back to Alaska.
The weather was good, the food was good, and of course the company was great! I love that my friends like to travel and that they will go with me to new and exciting places. I even like that they make me do things that scare me.
