[Umbral_Seraph]

I finally managed to get out to the south mine today. This time my friend wasn't sick, so we were three this time. We started out at the same time as last time, but I noticed we were able to go faster. Down from the south mine there were the foundations of where they did the smelting; one of the foundations had posts that were taller than any of us. We found an old Dodge van at the bottom of the ravine; I tried reading the number on the back, but it was so damaged it looked like it said "satan". After exploring the ruins we went up the mountain to look for mine entrance. There was this big javelina up there and a bunch of grates but we couldn't find the entrance, so we went down to the trail and wound up going in a big loop. We went back up the mountain to where the grates were, and I decided to keep going. I managed to find the entrance; it was tucked away in the back of the valley where you couldn't see it from the trail. This one wasn't as big as the north one but definantly sees fewer people. What was paricularly interesting was that towards the back of the mine the walls had alot of rust on them. While I was messing with the rust way in the back I found a big vein of pyrite mixed in with rust. All the way in the back we found a nest of cave crickets; one of them really scared me because I picked up a rock and saw something on it move. By the time we get back to the car it was after 5:30 again, out for more than five hours. Boy, am I tired again!

[lonegael]

Fun! Reading it is almost like being there with you!

[Nola22]

Thanks for sharing the details of another great excursion, Umbral_Seraph.

I enjoyed reading the whole adventure, but I was particularly intrigued by the van in the ravine with the pseudo-satanic license plate (awesome), the vein of pyrite you discovered, and the nest of cave crickets.

Reading this made me think of how simultaneously sad and striking many of these sites are, where long-term human intervention meets wildlife and natural beauty. For a while, I photographed them wherever and whenever I could, and ended up with a series of pictures that seemed to be an attempt to put the sites in one category or another, always extremes--ugly vs. beautiful, etc. No particular category ever won out, as elements of its opposite were always present. I think that's why I liked them.

Thank you again, Umbral_Seraph. I am glad you and your friends had a good time. And thanks for reminding me of those pictures.

[KathyM]

Originally Posted by Umbral_Seraph

We found an old Dodge van at the bottom of the ravine; I tried reading the number on the back, but it was so damaged it looked like it said "satan".

Maybe that's the van Matt Foley kept referring to How'd it get THERE?