Elena en Colorado: Underground Colorado!

I think we are finally getting to Elena....she is definitely worn out (proof later)! Today's adventure took us underground twice. Our first stop was to Cripple Creek in central Colorado to visit the Molly Kathleen gold mine. Mining is a huge part of our state's history. With our mountains come gem and minerals riches. The Molly Kathleen mine dates from the late 1800's and was a very successful gold mine. To get into the mine, you first must descend 1000ft. (300m) straight down via an open cage elevator! The ride down takes 2 minutes and is in almost total darkness. Inside the mine we were shown how miners blasted the rock and transported the ore to and from the mine. We learned quite a bit, and appreciated the cool (54 F or 11 C) temperature on a hot day. After our mine tour we headed to Manitou Springs (west of Colorado Springs and where the devastating fires were this summer) to visit Cave of the Winds. These caves are a large complex of underground caverns discovered in the late 1800's and opened shortly thereafter to visitors. The original tours lasted 9 hours, but now can be accomplished in only one. We saw stalagmites, stalactites and many other rock formations inside. While not as deep as the mine, we were still far underground and very cool. The girls also enjoyed a thrill ride here similar to a zip-line, except that they were 500 ft (150m) above the ground! Our day ended with an all-American dinner at home. We enlisted Elena to help shuck corn and make the hamburger patties. After dinner we all enjoyed apple pie a la mode.