Once again we awoke to sub-freezing temperatures. But between the fireplace, the heat pump, and the furnace we were able to keep warm and keep the pipes from freezing…
We began the day with a tour of the Queen Mine…
We were outfitted with hard hats, miner’s lights, and safety vests… We mounted the mine tourist train and headed into the mine…
About 700 feet into the mine we dismounted and walked up some wooden stairs to a large cavern…
We were told about the various jobs going on in the mines at any one time. Our tour guide worked in the mines for about 15 years, starting two days after he graduated from Bisbee High School…
We were told about the various ways to make the holes for the dynamite and how these methods changed over the years, from hammering a steel spike in 1915 to pneumatic drills in the 1960s… Every few years improvements were made to efficiency and safety…
Sometimes the shoring seems a little improvised…
These are the ore cars and the chutes from above where the ore is dumped…
The supervisors traveled up to 10 miles per day around the mines, mounted on these rail-cycles…
After another train ride we dismounted at the 1,500 mark and walked down a cross-tunnel…
There are fire doors every 500 feet or so…
Next was the lesson on where to drill holes and how to set off the dynamite to get the largest cavity possible…
Finally we saw a typical 11-man elevator cage…
And the porta-potty…
Tour over, we walked back to the train and we were returned to fresh air…
After lunch we spent more time walking about the town. We visited The Bisbee Mining Museum, and enjoyed browsing the many vintage, antique, and junk shoppes…
This evening we returned for an anniversary dinner – It has been 51 years since our first date… The town was lit up and it was a beautiful sight…
We had asked all over town for recommendations for the best fine dining, white tablecloth restaurant. Every person we asked stated, without hesitation, “Roka”.
They were right. Great service, interesting, innovative food, and a lovely bottle of Turley wine…
And an enjoyable time was had by all…
Adventures in the Villa 
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