Yesterday we loaded up the Polaris and headed out of town about 20 miles. We hit the Trail Head named, Rawlings Mines. On this trail there are at least 15 different mines. We cannot find any literature on them except the names of each.
It must have been an extremely lucrative area. There were so many people who have fought for the mining rights. When you discover silver, gold, etc. it does not have to be 'your' land. You put in a claim and it is decided by the town, county, government, etc. if you have the 'right' to mine it. If you are granted the right, and most people were because they had lawyers, then what ever you reap from the earth was yours and only your profit. You would pay workers to mine it, and sit back and collect. It is a hard, hard work, long hours - 12 hr days in the dark. The conditions were almost primitive and it did not matter what time of year it was. There could be 15 feet of snow on the ground or it could be the middle of summer. They worked around the clock in shifts until every piece that came out held some sort of profit.
They seem to be almost on top of each other, and every mine has at least 3 shoots. Shoots are used to separate the rock and minerals and is a major part of the process that every piece of dirt that has been dug from the earth has to go through. There are tailings everywhere you look on the mountains. The tailings are the remnants of what went through the shoots. There are several steps to finding, collecting, separating, assaying, and finally cashing in on the silver or gold, or platinum, but the shoot is probably the most important. Some mines had double shoots. They must have been really busy.
Every time we found the opening to explore the mine, we were disappointed. They all either have caved in, or were blocked off by BLM, (Bureau of Land Management). In hindsight, entering the mines was not a smart idea but the ones we did go into in Utah were spectacular. We would have ventured into at least one or two yesterday, but could not. We tried!
We found some pieces of old equipment and gloves lying around that were eaten by squirrels. And some of the buildings are still in relatively good shape. Which was good because storms just seam to appear here, out of nowhere, and there was one coming our way and we needed shelter. The temperature dropped in what seamed like 30 seconds and the rain began. It was a cold rain and I hated it. Tommy forged on and after about 3 miles of racing down the mountain we finally made it back to the truck. Tommy was drenched. (I sat in the truck with the heat on while he loaded the Polaris.)
When we got home, we napped, it was great! We showered and headed out to Quincy's Steakhouse. We found this steakhouse in Leadville, CO. It is amazing. They only serve 2 types of steak - filet mignon and prime rib. Monday - Thursday its filet mignon for $7.95. No kidding! Their alcoholic beverages - which are top shelf - are $1.75. That is cheaper than a coke or Pepsi in most restaurants. Dinner is served with a baked potato, salad, french bread and your steak, cooked to order. There are no exceptions. Our total bill was $26.34.
We found out that there are two other Qunincy's. One in Buena Vista and one in Salida. We hit them both. Buena Vistas bill was $2.00 more and last night at the one in Salida it was the same as Buena Vista. Last night, we had Prime Rib. Friday - Sunday is Prime Rib only. It is the best deal, ever!!! We made friends with 2 guys sitting next to us - what a surprise - and we ended up closing the place.
I asked the check out girl how can they possible make money on these meals and alcohol sales. She explained to me that Quincy owns everything from start to finish with these restaurants. He owns the lands the cows are on, the feed that they eat, the slaughter house, the trucks for transport, the buildings in which they serve dinners. Everything. Amazing.
I know it not so good to eat so much red meat but I got to tell you.....it is soooo good!!! and soooo cheap!!!
Today the sun is playing hide and seek and we are staying in our temporary housing unit, in which I am excited. We stopped at Sears yesterday and purchased a new vacuum. This makes 9 vacuums since I have married Tommy. At least I'm not that bad with the video cameras, we are on # 4 of those. (Still cant find the one we just bought). Anyway, I'm excited to stay home, do laundry, clean and cook a good meal.
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