Leadville Colorado

We visited Leadville, Colorado with my sister and brother-in-law and enjoyed lunch at a 1880's Silver Dollar Saloon and learned all about mining at the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum.

John and Carol with the menu

The back bar is pretty spectacular 

Julie points out the picture of Maggie 'Molly" Brown and her husband J J Brown. The Browns made their fortune with the discovery of gold after the silver crash of 1893. She became known as the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" after her survival of the sinking of the Titanic.

Fabulous displays of minerals were found throughout the museum

One of my favorite displays at the museum is of the model railroad that recreates the connections between the various mines in the area.

This cutaway shows the workings of a typical stamp mill of the time period.

There is a model of the ice palace that was made one winter in Leadville. It was quite the extravaganza whose time was cut short by an early spring thaw.

Another favorite display is of the various vignettes which show the history of mining technology as it matured. 

There are full size replicas of actual mines that show techniques used.

You can find plans to make a rocker box to allow you to search for gold in Colorado streams

One display includes rubber gloves that allow you to pan for gold while staying dry

View from the mining museum balcony

This is my favorite display which shows the above and below ground workings of a mine

Night Walks

The Curacanti Colorado State Park is located around Blue Mesa Reservoir, more or less west of Gunnison, Colorado.

One of the many things they offer visitors is the chance to explore the night sky in an area pretty much devoid of any light pollution caused by population centers. They do this with a ranger guided hike into a remote area of the park starting at twilight.

These night hikes happen every two weeks on Saturday nights in the season and correspond to dark nights with no moon and nights with the moon out.

You meet at 7:30 PM at the Dillon Pinnacles near mile marker 138 on Colorado Highway 50. You are provided with a flashlight with a red lens to preserve your night vision and then begin a 2.5 mile round trip hike starting at twilight. The Dillon Pinnacles are a geological highlight and are most unusual.

The intent is to experience the park at night and enjoy an explanation of the stars and constellations. It was a wonderful experience.

A very knowledgeable Ranger Derek pointed out various stars and constellations using a green laser which is a very effective tool for 'show and tell'

I've put in a link to a web site from which you can obtain star charts for a given month.

Monthly Star Chart Link

Watkins Corporate Headquarters

Winona, Minnesota is the home to Watkins products. Watkins is a company known for their spices, soaps and flavorings. We had read that the corporate offices were architecturally striking so we stopped for a visit.

They have a museum and store  adjacent to the corporate offices

Early in the history of Watkins the products were sold by peddlers door to door

The interior of the corporate offices are quite striking

The marble wall covering accents the stained glass

Great door pulls

Winona, Minnesota is home to many attractive brick buildings

One of these brick buildings has Betty Jo's pub.

Interesting column support