Coal Mine Tour

Ach I'm so behind!  So much is going on that I feel like I need to blog about but had no time!  But Ill start back where I left off.  Hopefully can catch up soon!

***If you click on the pictures you can actually read the signs ***

Another walk I went on in Drumheller, just a couple days later.  I had walked on one of the many trails they have in Drum and had planned to go to the same one again cause it was pretty.  Well I parked at the same spot and then got lost haha.  Started walking on the railroad track cause I thought it was on the other side of it.  But couldn't find it, then I got across the highway and saw the Midland coal mine, well I had always wanted to tour that so went over there and did that instead.

(where I parked and the train bridge)

It was a cool place, there was a lot of coal mines in Drum, that's how the town started.  All are closed up now but there is a bunch that they have made into tourist sites cause its always interesting to see where a town came from.

(The tourist building, must have been used for something but it doesn't say)

(the main sign of the Mercury Mine)

(telling how it all ended)

(ponies :) )

(This shows the hill to the left where the water tower stood)

(they even put in a mini gazebo so you can rest)

(old rail lines still there)

(not sure what these were for, 

but there are pillars on both sides of the mowed area, 

must have been footing for a building)

There is a lot of signs showing what they did while mining.  Its interesting and really amazing how much is still there.  Hard to get pics cause the day was pretty cloudy and I only had a phone to take pics, gonna have to go back there on a sunny day and look again.

(Showing how the men and mine cars got down in

 and back out of the mine in the elevators)

(and how the mine was laid out)

(Another mine right close by, the area both these mines are in is called Midland)

(Explaining where the mines went)

(And an old coal cutter, pretty impressive machine really)

There was a lot of mines in Drumheller, but only a few did the historic stuff, I'm glad a few did, the only cooler one is just outside East Coulee, the Atlas Coal Mine, and they still have a tipple you can go in, I only been there once on Halloween, should go again in the daytime, hopefully less chainsaw killers around then.

Lake Stafford Walk

 I am in a race this weekend, won't be very fast, probably will walk the whole thing but that's OK.  But because of this I made up a workout plan and been sticking to it fairly well.  Monday and Fridays I walk short distances (getting longer as race day gets closer) and Tuesday and Wednesday I been biking (going about 7 miles each day) and since the race is on a Saturday I been making that my long day, starting at 1 mile and increasing half mile every week till this week will be 5 miles perfect for race day.

Anyways I been bored at home walking so every time I go to town I been walking on the trails there.  A couple weeks ago we walked in Brooks around Stafford Lake, its not that big but it was nice and Neil walked it with me.

(Neil walking, good thing hes not speeding......

really that's the Number 1 highway up there,

 doesn't seem that close when walking as it looks)

(Lighthouse from across the lake)

(Weird seed pods on this tree, I think its a Willow)

(Geese and ducks on the rock islands)

(Closer view of the lighthouse)

(And we had to get our pic by it, Neil)

(And Neil got me, but he zoomed in and missed the whole lighthouse)

It even has a lighthouse!  Not a very big one but its there.  I think it housed the pump cause they used to have a fountain there is the summer, not sure what happened cause I haven't seen it for a couple years.  And there was still geese and ducks on the lake.  Pretty cool place overall.  I think it was only 2.3 miles around but still a change of view.