Strange weather pattern. Leaving Columbia Falls to the east...clouds, still a pretty view though.
Yet, on the other side of the road, sun was shining off the mountains.
The view over Flathead was great. We drove along the lake for several miles before heading further west.
For someone that has an inkling for old barns, this would have been a great study. It was on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana.
The mountains along the way were a lot less forested until we got to the Lolo National Forest where it became more mountainous.
Wonderful countryside...and a river runs through it.
Alice was looking through the AAA travel book and as usual mentions what became another great find. Wallace is a city that is listed on the National Historic Register. What makes this nice is that fast food chains can't make their way into the city because of it. It was named the Silver City due to the fact that it was the leading US city in Silver mining.
There have been some important regulations implemented for the safety of the miners. Some so simple...
A diamond tipped drill used to take core samples giving them information on where to drill.
Safety Air packs used over the years. The yellow one in the middle has oxygen tanks which can be more hazardous in case of a fire. The little container just to the left of the coffee can converts Carbon Monoxide into Carbon Dioxide which can keep a miner alive for about an hour.
When they do some blasting, it is intricately done through precision blasting that will create a hole 8 feet by 8 feet by 8 feet dropping the material on the floor of the mine shaft.
The tunnels have to be pumped out on each day as water collects. This series of old water filled downshafts goes down 200 feet.
These are some different samples. Most contain Galena which is often found with Silver. The lower one on the right was said to be about 95 % Silver. It doesn't look it but remember, Silver tarnishes black.
In 2011, the area mines were responsible for 5.3 million ounces of Silver being mined. At today's prices, about $100 million.
Part of the tour ride to the mine included a quick tour of the city. Just a quick stop here.
We finally arrived in Coeur D'alene for 3 days. A little upscale, but we'll try to manage weather permitting.
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