Empire Mine State Park
Grass Valley
after noon
warm - 70's, clear and sunny
Hiking along "Hardrock Trail" with Lisa and her kids and my kids - everyone has at least one camera...
Orlean's Stamp Mill Foundation with golden tree
from self-guided tour map: " This foundation supported a stamp mill that was powered by a water-driven Pelton wheel. The mill crushed ore from the Orleans Mine until about the turn of the century when it became unprofitable." guess that says it all...
Crossing Little Wolf Creek Bridge
Stopping to check out the creek, lots of picture taking all around. Phil & Dee "point" out a hawk's call. Dee reads to me from her journaling:
"Gentle winds, trees, broken twigs, cries of a hawk, the gentle gurgling of the creek, a loud 'huk! huk! huk!' of a strange bird flying overhead. Wasps are drinking. Flies and gnats fly everywhere. Still, it's a very peaceful place, full of nature. Ferns cover the ground. The deepest part of the creek is about a foot deep."
Little Wolf Creek Bridge
Low light forces the camera into a long exposure, slow shutter speed, so motion soft image is my only choice. Too much going on - kids, etc. - makes it hard for me to concentrate.
Rock tossing has become the favored sport, the mom in me is trying hard not to worry about someone getting hit. They really are having a good time and discovering how icy the water is.
From the guide: "The streamside environment of this creek is being restored to a more natural condition. Non-native blackberries, Scotch broom and other shrubs are being replaced with plants that belong in a stream environment."
Little Wolf Creek Road
"This road was built for trucks that carried waste rock from the Empire Mine to road construction sites to the Southwest."
Lots of walking through warm dusty trails, through sand tailings and over waste piles - huge piles of gravel - then back along the road, which makes mothers very nervous, back along the outside stone wall and into gardens surrounding the cottage.
garden path
Inside the stone walls, plenty of lawns keep it feeling cooler. Children, tired but rowdy, are ready to call it a day.
