Monday, Sept 7th, SUNNYSIDE MINE

Lots going on around here.  A small plane crashed just south of us yesterday (all 5 aboard were killed).  Several rescue vehicles & firetruck headed north of here last evening & we still haven't found out what that was about, but there was a helicopter still on the ground at the entrance to Black Bear Pass late yesterday.  Our resident paramedic that kept us informed of all the news is not working this year so news details are slower coming to us.

This morning, we arose early to go to Eureka to watch the loading of the sheep that have been grazing the mountains all summer.  Unfortunately, we were too late.  They had started loading at six this morning and all were loaded into the eight or so livestock semis when we arrived.

Since we were already almost there, Ronny & Bonnie and we decided to drive on to Sunnyside Mine, reaching an elevation of over 12,000 feet.  This mine operated until the 1990s!    This was the site of the Lake Emma disaster on June 4, 1978.  Many of the mine buildings were on the shore of Lake Emma where a tunnel was being excavated about 70 feet under the lake.  The lake collapsed, draining the lake and sending millions of tons of mud & rock thru the tunnel and exiting near where the current mine disaster cleanup is on-going in the Gladstone area - two miles away and 1500 feet lower in elevation.  The Sunnyside cleanup took more than two years.  Fortunately, that disaster occurred on a Sunday, so no miners were in the tunnel and no one was killed.

 Some tenacious yellow wildflowers hanging onto summer on the left:

 I believe this to be the Ben Franklin Mine from the early 1800s:

Eureka Creek below the ledge road:

 The old Sunnyside Mill:

Our trip was cut short today as we kept hearing a weird noise coming from the Jeep.  At first we thought it might be the transmission, but narrowed it down to the brakes.  Using 4-wheel low to avoid using the brakes as much, we headed home.  The Jeep self-corrected by the time we arrived back to camp.  It was most likely as rock had gotten into the wheel which is not uncommon out here.

It is a very cold & windy day.  Starting to see people wearing ski parkas as they are out and about.  Waiting on that first snowfall!!