Idaho, Idaho

Staying in Wallace, ID for two nights.  We had lunch at the historic Red Light Garage then we set off for the Silver Valley Mine tour.  A local specialty is the huckleberry shake.  The mine tour was realistic and authentic.  The kids were very excited to ride in a trolley.  The trolley had smooth wooden seats—no seat belts or guard rails and drove us at a short distance at 40 mph up the highway to the mine.  The maybe should have been a hint—basic tour/safety items are not in place on this tour.

The tour was held in the actual mine by an actual miner.  He was a VERY enthusiastic guide who loved demonstrating the equipment used in the mine at full throttle.  He just would start up the equipment and as the tour did not provide ear plugs we got the full immersion experience of being a miner—in regards to ringing ears.  Claire liked it.  Nolan learned he never wants to be miner.

We cruised back at highway speeds to Wallace on the trolley and learned that the entire town was to have been eliminated by the interstate and the the town worked to get the town declared a national historic site—thus the interstate goes over the town. 

Under the interstate in Wallace, ID

We are camping at a place that was started by an Alaskan who has moved back to ID and also has a brewery onsite. Paul and Nolan got a tour.

It is awakening that a town known for all of the silver mined from it has so little to show for all of the resources that were taken.