We worried that this new campground would be too noisy for us, but things quieted down nicely and we slept soundly. Moving around like we do we never know what we will be sleeping next to; it could be the fire station, railroad tracks, interstate, or a pond full of croaking frogs. This spot just happens to be quieter than most.
Mining has always been a big industry for this region. In fact, some of the earliest settlements were based on mining and some of the mines are still producing. At first, gold was the big attraction but other minerals were found and mined as well. We wanted to learn a little more and headed for the mining museum located at the north end of Colorado Springs.
The museum had an impressive collection of equipment salvaged from mines around the area. As we arrived, a retired mining engineer was demonstrating how to use some of the restored equipment. It was quite impressive and we came away with an appreciation of how dangerous mining can be. Not only was ore removal dangerous, but other parts of the production process either used or produced dangerous chemical compounds. No doubt about it, this was a hard way to make a living.
After leaving the museum, we drove around the immediate area and were surprised to find new industrial parks, shopping centers and housing. The area is rapidly growing and it is not hard to see why. All the elements are here: land, workforce and a nice place to live.
After a quick lunch at a local sports bar, we stopped at Walmart from groceries before returning home. This was the same Walmart with weird employees and customers. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but you get the feeling these folks are living an edgy existence. I’ll leave it at that.
We returned to the coach and settled in for a quiet evening.