There are several coal mines in the area, as well as an old cemetery for the coal miners and their families (seen in the distance at the top of the bottom-left picture). Most of the mines are closed off, but they are lit up so you can look inside. The park does offer tours, but we didn't get there early enough for one today. We'll have to plan a special trip for a tour since neither of us has done it (tours weren't offered when I was a kid as they spent YEARS doing safety renovations).
Today was a perfect day to be out hiking. It was cool, but not too cold. And, it's early enough in the season that things are still green, so it was beautiful. There are several caves carved into the rocks (I think from sand mining in the 1920's). Those are always fun to explore. Some, like the one above, lead into a mine, others just go back 10 feet or so and stop.
Most of the mine shafts aren't labeled, so even as you follow the map, sometimes you just end up guessing what you're looking at. Ryan was trying to figure this one out while Walle stayed close and explored. ...And then we hiked on.
On the mine entrance above, you can see the pulley system used to pull carts in and out of the mine. The pile of dirt I'm standing on is actually dirt/coal that was dug out while creating the mines. There are HUGE piles like this all over. As a kid, I LOVED running to the top and sliding down :)
The Rose Hill Cemetery. It never changes, but it's part of the experience, so I always feel like I have to hike up there. Many of the occupants were buried in the late 1800's, and too many of them are children and babies. Today, several of the gravestones have been redone, others are original and standing strong...some have been knocked over and broken, and some are just broken off and missing. It's always interesting to wander through and read what's left of them.
We had a great time at the mines and are glad we brought Walle along for the fun. It was the perfect way to burn some of his energy...he snoring away at my feet right now. :)
4 comments:
Whoa whoa whoa! You guys went hiking?! That's impressive especially after Ryan told me how you guys don't like the outdoors. I'm glad you guys had fun and the pictures turned out great!
Also, I was reading NatGeo and came across this article about photography that I thought you would be interested in.
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/photo-research-richardson/
Looks like a fun hike! And Wall-E is SOOOOOOOO big!!! Holy crap!
Court - we aren't really into CAMPING, but we enjoy being outdoors and doing a little hiking once in a while...if the weather is right :)
Annica - Walle is 50lbs now and he hasn't grown in months, so we think/hope he's done growing. He looks big, but he's actually a lot smaller/thinner than most of the English Bulldogs we've met.
We keep him on a diet because he has hip displasia and as long as he stays thin, it shouldn't require surgery.
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