Kellogg, Idaho to Crystal Gold Mine

August 6, 2017

The view from our hotel window - the water park is a big part of this resort

This was a BIG day for the Grampies but it was because of Avi and Violet. Today they jumped on their bikes and blasted down the trail like old pros. We were pleased and amazed. It's not as if we had not been told. In the Guestbook their Mom, Laurie, reminded us that they have already been trail riding. We had to see it to believe it, I guess. And they were Great. After 8 km, we are already telling then about a possible 800 km romp from Donaueschingen, Germany to Vienna, Austria. But hold on, let's see them make to Wallace, Idaho (and back) first.

The day did not start out with these trail triumphs, though. It started as I put the front wheel back on Dodie's bike. (It had been off to help things fit in the van). A twist of the allen key in the front skewer and snap! . In a totally rare event the thread in the bolt at the other end of the skewer just detached from the bolt body and fell out. Say what? Well, whatever, there would be no holding the wheel on with this thing ever again.

A quick trip to "bike shop" here at the resort was a disappointment. Despite having what looked like a repair room, they had no parts. Their business is 100% rentals, and it seems like they never repair them (at least not here). Fortunately there is another shop down the trail, a km away. I hopped on my bike and zoomed over there. Inside I found they had the expected tray filled with assorted old skewer bolts. One of them fit. Having the trail here is great, and having a bike shop right on it - swell!

Ready to go on our first unhinged trail ride together

With the skewer fixed we were able to head off east, on the short jaunt to the gold mine. Avi and Violet in their yellow safety vests were like little bees, and they buzzed off ahead at high speed. We had to rein them in, and organize our little expedition with Dodie(the slowest)in the lead, then Violet, Avi, and me in the cleanup position. Avi and I tried to stay well back, so as not to bug or crash in to the two ladies up front.

Little bees heading down the trail (next few shots)

Encountering oncoming cyclists. See how Avi is cycling a straight line and keeping right!

Of course we arrived at the mine very quickly. As a gold mine, this one was rather rare here in the Silver Valley. It operated only from 1879 to 1881, and then became not only disused, but forgotten. The Coeur d'Alene river which ran directly in front of it was re-routed when the Interstate highway was pushed through, and the road construction piled dirt by the mine entrance.

Only when a new owner who was putting in an RV park started digging with a backhoe, following a trickle of water, was the entrance exposed. It resulted in a flood of water and mud, since the former mine had filled with water seeping down through the mountain over the years.

Finally exposed and dug out, the mine became a tourist attraction. For the mine tour, a homespun old timer takes you deep inside and explains how the ore was taken out, what the gold bearing seams look like, and what are the minerals that leech and deposit on the rock walls. It was fascinating Geology and economic history, and the old miner had Avi and Violet (and us) totally entranced.

Most fun was a group of tanks containing sand and gravel that had been seeded with gold flakes and also polished semi precious stones. The miner explained how to pan for the gold (and coincidentally find the stones). As we well know, for kids and even adults, mucking about in mud and water is great fun. Most people spend at least an hour at this, and we were no exception. We ended with two bags of stones for Avi and Violet, and some gifts for the folks back home. It was a great success.

It turned into a double success, since once back in town Dodie realized she had left her walking stick at the mine. So I got to cycle out there one more time and retrieve it. In turn, I managed to leave my sunglasses on the counter. That means there is even a third trip to the mine somewhere in the future!

In the gold mine rainbow trout thrive in the cold water

Lots of fun in a tub of gravel and water

Even "adults" enjoy getting into the act.

Our next step was to hop on the gondola that leaves from the resort buildings. This is remarkable because it travels not only up, as expected, but quite a distance horizontally. The total length is 5 km, and over that span the cars descend into two valleys and climb two or three very steep mountains. From the cars one has a perfect overview of the town and the valley. It is easy to see how large the resort complex is in relation to other buildings in the town. It is part of an economic "miracle" in the form of a successful transition from mining and smelting to tourism.

At the top - the end of the gondola ride - a dozen or so mountain bike trails of varying difficulty descend the mountain. I am not quite sure what happens when they reach the bottom of the first slope, since things are far too steep to manually climb and carry on. No matter, there is no way we could go on any of it. It requires the specialized form of downhill bikes with lots of shock absorbers.

This view shows the major Silver Mountain resort development in the small town of Kellogg

The bouncy castle at the end of the gondola ride. Last time (two years ago) Avi and Violet survived in there for hours. This time their limit was 1/2 hour. Must be getting old!

The kids finished the day back in the water park, taking Dodie several times more on the wild tube ride. I was able to beg off, claiming a need to write this!

Tomorrow we will try some actual cycling, rising early and setting off west, for as far as we can get - maybe Cataldo. For extra fun, we happen to know that there is a Walmart in Smelterville!

At the water park, the surf rider is a very aggressive feature

Today's ride: 8 km (5 miles)
Total: 8 km (5 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0