12 Apr 07 Thar’s Gold In Them There Hills

Today we visited Big Trees national park and had intended to take a hike through the big trees.  With snow on the ground and us wearing shorts and tennis shoes we decided to not be one of those tourist families you read about on CNN.

We made our way back to another destination and stopped along the way to visit a cavern.  We climbed down 200 plus feet beneath the ground into the moaning cavern.  Seems the cavern doesn’t moan anymore.  They built the gift shop above the opening and it sealed the air flow so the cavern doesn’t make any noise from the wind.  Perhaps a new sign?  The cavern formerly known as?

We panned for gold and saw a few flecks.  The pan rental was $4!  Reminded me of who really made the big bucks during the gold rush.  The folks that sold picks, shovels, and pans.

We toured the historic town of Columbia.  A quaint old town somewhat restored to life in the 1800’s.  After it raining all day yesterday it was good to get out.