Keene Wonder Mine - A place to return to

Madeline and I went to Keene Wonder Mine for my birthday last February. We had a beer in the parking lot then took a gigantic hike up to the top, passing hanging ore carts, rusted safes and countless adits. Sadly we didn't have a flashlight. The weather was perfect.

Yesterday Dani and Allegra and I thought that returning to Death Valley, and to Keene Wonder Mine, might be a great idea. Wrong. It's 112 degrees. Instead we're going to the Yuba River near where my grandparents used to own several gold claims.

Here's Keene:

One of my most favorite photos ever. Below the end of the tracks is a pile of ore cars that look as if the ground fell out from under them.

This is when I cried because we had no flashlight.

No miner's booty left.

Looking down from the top.

We have a thing with machinery.

There were 11 of these towers all the way up the mountain.

Oooooh. It's dark in here.