Joanne

Joanne
My life and crafting times.

Monday 22 July 2013

Down south of the border

Good morning. 
I wish I can say I have been really busy but that is not the case. I took a couple of days to just do little things like laundry and babysitting kids while their parents went out for a much needed day on their motorcycle. A big highlight though was our nephew Jeremy came for a visit. We were very excited to see him. He will be 19 next month. He is so much like his father, Jim's brother Fred. 

Jeremy probably from last summer.


I few days ago I said I would post our little trip down to Kellogg/Wallace Idaho.
After a week of camping at Syringa we left for Kellogg Idaho. It is about a 5 hour drive or so but when you are towing a 30 foot trailer behind you ... lets just say it takes longer. Not to mention stopping for lunch in North Port, some Walmart shopping in Colville and a little shopping at Cabella's in Ceour D'Alene. (they have some delicious fudge there)

We called home for those 5 days at the Crystal Gold Mine RV park in Kellogg Idaho. This is adjacent to the mine tour. It is quite the operation. Got there on Thursday night. 
Friday morning we just had to walk to the mine tour. It was a good tour and I learned a lot about mining in the late 1800's

The group of us at the Crystal Gold Mine tour.
 At the end of the tour we got to pan for gold in some baths. It was fun, I was bound and determined to get some gold. I did find a few flakes too. 
I found some gold in them thar tubs.




Our friends the Craigs, which I am sure you are getting to know by now are celebrating their 13 year of marriage! Thirteen years ago they came to Wallace for part of their honeymoon. The doorway you see them standing in front of in the picture below is the where they went up some stairs to a small hotel. The Ryan Hotel. It is quite old and the furnishings are from the late 1800's or maybe the early 1900's. You wouldn't know it from looking at it from the outside door! After 13 years of marriage this is the family they have now.
Brian, Alex, Joanne, Elizabeth and Stephanie Craig


After a bit of touring in Wallace we decided it was time to eat lunch. Stephanie really wanted to go where there was a spaceship. Jim had done some net touring finding this restaurant "Red Light Garage" Both were in the place! How fortunate. The restaurant has a huckleberry shake (among other huckleberry delights actually the whole town has huckleberry stuff). The restaurant is full of antiques and other things of interest. I am sure there was at least a license plate from every year and every State!
Alex, Arianna, Elizabeth and Stephanie in the spaceship


 Just to show you a sampling of the interesting things in the Red Light Garage here are the kids making funny faces. They are seated in the tub sofa. There is a little painting at the back of the tub. What fun and such interesting things. Can you see the wall in the back ground. This place could keep you busy looking at all the walls and ceiling.
Arianna, Alex and Elizabeth in the tub/sofa

The following day we went on the Sierra Silver Mine tour. It is in Wallace but on the outskirts of town. We took a trolley to the mine.  Most of the section of the mine that we toured was a class room. They showed you how they worked a mine. The machinery works and Bob demonstrated it. One part showed you how the explosives work. But it was only red lights that would demonstrate the sequence. The last part of the tour actually went into real mine.
Our little group just shortly before entering the mine.
 While we waited for the tour to begin and Bob our guide did his introduction we got to watch many chipmunks hoard the seeds laid out for them. Not only were there adult chipmunks we saw many little ones too.
Can you see how full his cheeks are?


Another place we went to was in Kellogg. Silver Mountain are gondolas that go up to the skiing mountain. The gondola ride is about 20 minutes up the mountain. It is gorgeous at the top. We brought a picnic lunch. Sitting outside near the restaurant/cafeteria we ate our food and enjoyed the scenery. There was even a little playground for the kids to enjoy.
Silver Mountain


At the bottom near the end of the day (about 4 in the afternoon) we stopped to have our picture taken, Our aim was to get the picture with one of the gondolas over our heads as it came in. Not successful at all. But here we are ready to be on our way to the next stop.
At the entrance to the Silver Mountain gondolas

Between Wallace and Kellogg there is monument that was erected after a disaster in 1972. The Sunshine mine had a fire in it. Smoke and carbon monoxide killed 91 men. 
Monument of a miner
That was pretty much our trip south. We did get to do some shopping. 
On our way home we stopped in Ceour D'Alene at Costco. Loaded up the trailer and away home we went.
Three are  a few sites you can look up what is in Kellogg and Wallace. Look and you will find interesting things especially in Wallace.

Joanne

1 comment:

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

My dh & I went to Wallace for a night in August, rode our bicycles on the Hiawatha trail (and tunnels) and did the classroom mine tour -- but totally missed out on that cute restaurant! The town was full of touring bicyclists that week. Some of them were covering hundreds of miles for Ride Idaho.