We were back on the road after our expensive, very toasted pizza. Our next stop was Creede. We had a bad taste in our mouths about this town. Last year, when we rolled through, we just stopped at the visitors center. It was the most unfriendly visitor center ever. They didn’t say one word to us! We left and carried on our way after that.
We rolled straight through town again and went to the bachelors loop. It’s a loop that goes around the old mining camps. We were headed to Last Chance Mine to rockhound. Both the boys, especially the oldest, have an affinity for rocks. The dive up the loop was terrific. We gained much elevation as the road wound up and around the mountain with gorgeous views of the valley and town below. The mine was tucked up on a hillside of a large canyon. It was a mile off the main dirt loop, down a narrow road with a sharp drop-off.
Once we arrived, we squeezed into a tight parking spot on the side of a cliff, and it began to rain. We decided to stay in the car until it subsided. The youngest had to pee but didn’t want to get out in the rain. Dad suggested peeping in a cup but mom wasn’t having it unless dad held the cup. I’m unsure how the following events transpired, but he unexpectedly began to be in a cup in her hand! Let’s just say Mom and the back door got a little pee on them when the cup got too full. John and I couldn’t help but die laughing! Britt was not happy about being peed on, and Amanda was perturbed about it getting on her car door. We just so happened to be out of wipes, too, so I said it’s raining; just open the door to wash it off. As I write this, I’m laughing uncontrollably, but Amanda still doesn’t see it as funny as John and I do!
After the rain and pee died down, I ran into the office to see exactly how things worked. The office was in an old mining building hanging off the cliff. It looked like it could give way and plummet to the bottom of the ravine at any minute. There was a tour and museum, which we decided against, but we could go searching for rocks on the side of the mountain, so we opted for that.
Amanda wasn’t feeling great, so she rested in the car. One of the workers would show us what to look for. They usually give you a spray bottle with water to help find the gem’s rocks. Since it had rained, we didn’t need them, and he said it would be easier to find something suitable. The stones were spread out along a cliff. We were instructed to stay an arm’s length away from the rope along the edge and go no higher than a line of t-post. Just by nature, these were the areas we wanted to explore. John went high, and I couldn’t help but get close to the edge!
I’m not sure exactly what the fine print was in the waiver we signed. It must have been iron-clad because it seemed pretty dangerous sliding around all of the rock! None of us paid much attention when they described what we should look for. So we just got pretty rocks and put them in the bucket. I would hold up a rock and ask the boys if this was a keeper, and they would tell me yes or to “yeet” it off the cliff if they didn’t like it!
I found a few small pieces of amethyst, but John found a huge one larger than a football. I found one in particular that I liked was small and a pretty green color. When we were finished, they inspected our pile and separated the no-good or free stuff from the gems. He explained what we had: lots of amethyst, sowbelly, some lead, and others I can’t remember the names of. I had my small piece, and Brittany had one she found that were both turquoise, too. All in all, we kept a little over 10 pounds and cost $22. I’d say it was money well spent. The boys had a blast rockhounding.
We left there and headed around the rest of the loop. We came to a fork in the road that said 4×4 only. Well, we had a 4×4, so I thought it was no problem, but the girls weren’t enthused about going that way. Even though the boys had the vote, we returned the way we came. I knew I’d never hear the end of it if the trail got terrible. I was shamed by the boys, led by their dad, for turning around! The views back were astounding, though. Someone said it gave off Sound of Music vibes. We were so high above the little town below that you could see for miles to the next mountain.
At the bottom, we needed a bathroom break, so we ventured into downtown. I regret we didn’t go through there before. It was a cute little town with a good many shops. We parked and strolled to an ice cream shop across from a park with live music. The shop had some non-dairy Oreo ice cream, so Amanda and I shared a large cup.
The boys were sound asleep when we reached the scenic overlook we’d passed by on the way up. So we just passed that, and the waterfall trail up had made a quiet run for the house. The naps must have done them good because they were wound up the rest of the night.
Once back at the cabin, I got to work on dinner, and John made a trout appetizer. We all agreed the brook trout was better and had more depth of flavor. He made fun of me when I told him fish didn’t go with dinner and we should eat it first, saying he didn’t think like that! The mole was done, but I needed to cook some chicken for the meat eaters, and I also made some grits and a corn salad. While the whole chicken baked, I prepped the Mexican street corn-type salad and added farro, a thick brown rice-type grain. I also made green chile grits with freshly roasted chiles we’d got at the farmers market on the way up.
John and I sat on the porch and caught up; we’d not had some alone time to talk in quite some time. We were out there for a long time, and I was surprised the boys hadn’t pestered us yet. The girls kept them at bay for a while, but after they made s’mores, the sugar kicked in. We could hear noises and see heads poking around the corner of the porch. Then we saw faces pressed against the glass behind us and knew our private talk was over!
We said our goodbyes along with our good nights. They were leaving around 3 in the morning, and neither Amanda nor I intended to send them off! The youngest had his first day of school, and they wanted to be home at a decent time. We were staying one night longer than them. We had such a good time with the family and really enjoyed the craziness of boys that age. Everyone was already planning for next year!