Guns..

and Ghosts continued.

So as you may recall we had just finished shooting our way through the first portion of our Spring break excursion Kurani style.  Those of you that are familiar with the I15 north of Barstow probably already guessed where we went next - Calico Ghost Town.

Entering Calico

I haven't been to Calico since the 70's, I didn't remember much except for the Mystery Shack and that it was as hot as hell.  Now that I'm thinking about it, I believe I camped there with my Girl Scout Troop.

Anyway, I thought the kids might be interested because Calico is an old mining area.  The town itself was restored (rebuilt, actually) by Walter Knott - yes of Knott's Berry Farm - back in the 1950's and then donated to San Bernardino County.

Side street in Calico

If you can't tell by looking at the pictures the place is not at all suitable for strollers or anyone who may have problems walking.  The kids loved the rugged nature of it and the first thing we did was check out "Maggie Mine" - basically a chance to walk in one of the old mine tunnels.

Maggie Mine - walking and train tour start here

The obsession with playing "Minecraft" helped turn a tunnel into a fascinating journey, luckily no one suffers from claustrophobia. The tunnel still had it's chutes where material was dropped into waiting mine cars and some interesting signs.  There were a couple of cheesy dioramas set up, but the kids still enjoyed it.  I liked the big fan that was circulating the air. :)

Inside the Maggie Mine

 Once we were out of the mine we continued up the hill to the look out point.  The view was spectacular - the safety railings left a bit to be desired.  On the opposite side of the hill from the view, was a giant hole that used to be a silver mine.

View over the valley

Looking into the giant mining hole

View over Calico out to the valley

View of the mining tailings and railroad

The Mystery Shack was the kids temporary favorite.  I don't think it has changed much since the last time I was there.  There are some visual puzzles in the waiting area, water flowing uphill, a chair that is impossible to get out of and my favorite - the walk up ladder.  About half way through the tour I started getting a migraine.  Nadim also got a headache but the kids were fine.  It sucks getting old.  The geometry of the place is pretty impressive though, I'm still trying to figure out the angle of the floor.  Check out the pic with the Sheriff in it below and let me know if you have any guesses.

Sheriff and the Mystery Shack

Once we started panning for gold the kids forgot all about the Mystery Shack - easy come, easy go.  The line to pan for gold was pretty long and slow.  The kids got a big scoop of sand in a traditional gold pan and started moving it in big circles under the water and knocking the pan against the side of the trough to get the gold to sink to the bottom of the pan.  It is worth noting that the "gold" is pyrite, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

Panning for gold

All in all we had a fun time at Calico, but it is borderline expensive for what you actually get.  As a disclaimer, we didn't actually see any ghosts.  We did see lots of tourists.  If you want to go see a real ghost town check out Bodie State Park.