Tuesday July 26, 2011

Yosemite 2011

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Monday July 25, 2011
Lembert Dome

Tuesday July 26, 2011
East Side

Next
Wednesday July 27, 2011
North Rim Hike

Tuesday was 'East Side' day. We hit the Tioga Gas Mart for gas and snacks (pricier gas than Tuolumne Meadows itself) then headed to Bodie. I wanted to see the Mill tour. We arrived at 11:40am, and I assumed they might have a noon tour, so I ran ahead to check. The rest of the family had no interest in the Mill tour. I was the last one to sign up for the noon tour - I had to ask to get on the tour, they had already closed it. They take up to 20 people through the mill at a time.

The tour was lead by a docent who lived in a camper nearby - he was a gold bug and history bug who clearly knew more about the history of this place than the rangers did. The mill crushed ore using steam power at first, but trees had to be brought in from miles away, and they used huge amounts of wood for power and heat. In 1893 they installed the longest power lines in the country to see bring electricity in from a dam on Green Creek.

Click here for a 360 degree panorama of Standard Mill. This panorama has an interesting artifact dead center - not sure why.

The stamp mill crushed the ore, which was then mixed with mercury because mercury would cling to the gold and silver.

bodie stamp mill

Stamp mills. The stamps are still in place on the unit on the left. The ore was washed down the table and combined with mercury

Kathy and the kids wandered around Bodie while I was on the mill tour, then waited back in the van. After Bodie we headed to the Mono Lake South Tufa

Dinner was back at the Tioga Gas Mart

Previous
Monday July 25, 2011
Lembert Dome

Tuesday July 26, 2011
East Side

Next
Wednesday July 27, 2011
North Rim Hike