BACHELOR'S LOOP

First of all let me say that yesterday we met up with a couple that we first met when we started this lifestyle.  Their names are David and Sharon Rassmussen.  We met them at the rally we attended back in 2014.  We had already begun this lifestyle of full-timing.  They were gathering information on this lifestyle and had a 5-year plan to work their way into it.  They owned a B&B right outside of Nashville and it sat on 83 acres.  After the rally, they went home and made their 5-year plan into a 1-year plan.  They sold the B&B and land and took off to see America. They are the sweetest couple ever and a lot of fun to be around. David and Mr. W have kept in touch through RVillage and they have touched base with each other several times through messages on RVillage. 

This time, Mr. W noticed that they were very close to us.  Evidently, David did too because he sent Mr. W a message asking if we wanted to meet up.  So, we did.  We met at the Pizzeria in Creede, Colorado.  We had heard it was good and it was.

We had already planned to drive Bachelor's Loop with our friends that are here.  So, we asked David and Sharon if they would like to go with us and they did!

The Bachelor Loop Historic tour is a 17-mile drive, on your own, through the historic mining district above Creede.  The tour takes you across mine locations from the 1890s and abandoned ghost towns that once rivaled Creede in size. The road weaves its way up through the canyon north of Creede climbing under the ragged cliff sides.

West Willow/East Willow Creek Junction is the first interpretive stop along the tour route.  It is the approximate location of the original town of Creede at the time the mining boom began. Railroad tracks and switching facilities filled this area. Wagon ore was transferred into waiting railroad cars and operation of the Humphreys Mill later added to the hustle and bustle of the junction.  This junction is also where Disney filmed scenes for "The Lone Ranger" with Johnny Depp in 2012.

The road beginning the tour

Remnants of Burro Bridge

Amethyst Mine

Amethyst Mine is one of the two richest silver producing mines of the Creede District during the 1890's.  Because of these fabulously rich ore finds, the town of Creede experienced a boom that rivaled anything in the earlier history of western mining camps. If miners found amethyst, they knew silver was there.  They picked out tons of amethyst and threw it away. They weren't interested in amethyst. They wanted the silver.

In 1998, a man named Jack, happened upon a lost mine. It was The Last Chance Mine.  This mine was one of Creede's top two silver producers in the 1890's. The mine was developed by a 1400-foot incline shaft with 13 levels.  The ore bed on level 6 was up to 100-feet wide. Jack has renovated the mine as a historical site and opened it to the public.  You can do an underground tour of the mine. We decided to do just that.

Entrance to the mine

holes and charges for blasting

 

Actual mining equipment found in the mine

Terri and Jim ready to go in the mine

After visiting the mine, we drove back down to the city of Creede.  We dropped off our friends David and Sharon.  We had a great time and hope to cross paths again.

Looking down at the city of Creede

There had been an afternoon rain.  So, on the way back to South Fork, we rolled down our windows and the smell of blue spruce trees was very pungent.  It smelled so good.  It was a comfort smell that smelled just like Christmas.  Awesome day.