When Isaac heard we were going on the Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour it's all he could talk about-he was determined to find some nuggets. We drove a little up into the mountains to get to the mine and the scenery was incredible, in fact the road followed a real "babbling brook" that flowed down to the river below. After checking in we Got dressed up in our gear-which consisted of a hard hat and a yellow "lab coat" type garment made of waterproof fabric. We met our guide-a large heavyset guy wearing overalls and a thick white beard who told us he was a "real" miner and then headed out to the little "train" that took us into the mine shaft. It was cold and wet inside. When our ride finally stopped, we learned about dynamite and the roll it played in the mining industry. Lilia was pulled from the crowd to push the handle down on the fusebox after our guide yelled "Fire in the Hole". After learning more about the tools and the history of the Old Hundred Gold Mine (which by the way never saw an ounce of gold, only some silver-hmmm hence the name "Silverton"?) we rode back out and right into the gift shop. There the kids cornered me into buying a sack of "paydirt" for them to pan. They were so excited they could hardly contain themselves-especially Isaac who was so eager he was jumping up and down. They panned away and did find a few small flecks which were then bottled in a little souvenir keepsake. DO NOT MISS!
