Tuesday, October 11th
I made it to 7:00 am this morning! Michael followed about an hour and 15 minutes later….lazy thing! However, when he got up he made breakfast….oatmeal and toast to start the day!
I actually had a nice political conversation with our sons this morning via Google Hangouts. I’m not a political person at all and they both have different views but it was nice to hear their thoughts and know that they both have such good heads on their shoulders. They make me so proud to be their mom.
Visitor’s checking out Calico
Today we spent the day at Calico Ghost Town, which is about a 10 mile drive to the northeast…we actually passed the road to it on the way here on Sunday.
Calico is an old west silver mining town established in 1881. It had 500 mines and produced over $20 million dollars with of silver in 12 years. In the mid 1890s silver lost its value and the town turned into a ghost town when the miners packed up their belongings and left.
One of the original buildings that has been restored
Five of the original buildings have been restored and are now used as shops, offices or museums. There are several new buildings that are also used as either shops or attractions.
A replica of the original schoolhouse. It is just 1/3 of the size of the original building!
We wandered the dirt street popping into each building and browsing the wares for sale or viewing the items on exhibit. There was lots of neat stuff but we were able to restrain and went home with no souvenirs.
We stopped at the Old Miners Cafe and each got a hot dog to tide us over until dinner. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the views and did a little people watching too.
The town of Calico from above
After our hot dog we walked to the top of a big hill that overlooks the town and were able to view the entire town and then some! From the top of the hill we were able to see several of the 500 mines that were dug…they’re scattered all of the hillside.
We purchased tickets for $7 each to tour the Maggie Mine, pan for gold and take the Mystery Shack tour. We also decided to take the train ride for $4 each. If you’re gonna do it….you might as do it all!
Calico & Odessa Train
We took the train ride first. It was very short but was narrated and pointed out some things we wouldn’t have seen or known otherwise. Most of the attractions were decorated for an upcoming Halloween event so there were pumpkins, skeletons and other fall decor here and there.
One of MANY mines
You could still see all the rock lying on the hillside from one of the very profitable mines. A few years back someone estimated that there was about $6 million worth of silver in those piles. However, they also estimated that it would take about $10 million to ‘harvest’ the silver. 
2ps checking out the Maggie Mine
After debarking from the train we went right next door to where the Maggie Mine entrance was located, gave the ticket taker our tickets and went on our way. The Maggie Mine was one of the most profitable mines in Calico. The ‘tour’ was a self-guided walk through about 1,000 feet of the mine.
There are 7 exhibits along the tunnel that we walked through. We took our time, as usual, read all the information we were given and checked out each exhibit.
The glory hole!
One of the displays informed us about the Glory Hole and that it produced $65,000 in just three years…1884-1886. That was a LOT of dough back then…still is!
Fun stuff!
Next up was the Mystery Shack tour. What a riot! It’s one of those places where the building is built tilted and you can’t stand up straight. I’ve been suffering from some dizziness lately so I kinda laid low and let Michael participate in the silliness. There were only 6 of us on the tour and our tour guide was great so even though I didn’t participate I still had a good time laughing at everyone’s antics.
He’s a natural!
Last was panning for gold. We had a really nice young lady that showed us how to pan. Michael did much better than I did and scooped up quite a few pieces of pyrite. I didn’t get nearly as many but then our ‘helper’ scooped up another pan and made sure I had plenty to take home. It was fun….plus the water was nice and cool and very welcome on a hot day.
After traipsing around a desert ghost town in 90+ degree heat we were ready for some food. Our camphosting friends Fred and Debbie had recommended Peggy Sue’s Diner which just happened to be just down the road from the ghost town. What luck!
Hamburger steak
Peggy’s is a cute little place with three small dining rooms. At 3:00 in the afternoon we didn’t have a wait for a table….we were shown right to a table and given menus. They have a pretty extensive menu but we were each able to find something to our liking pretty quickly.
Meatloaf
Michael ordered meatloaf covered in brown gravy which came with mashed potatoes, green beans, a salad and a dinner roll. I went with a hamburger steak (smothered in onions), extra crispy fries, green beans, a salad and a dinner roll…with a side of brown gravy. Everything was very good…the only thing Michael would have changed is that he prefers a ketchup/tomato sauce topping to his meatloaf.
Stars of the Diner-saur park
After dinner we walked behind the restaurant to check out their diner-saur park. A nice little park-like area with a small pond that is home to turtles and ducks. Then there are the diner-saurs that loom over the pond…along with King Kong and a Tarzan-like guy swinging from a rope.
As we drove through the gate to the Marine base we’re staying at we talked to the guy checking IDs and he mentioned that there was a memorial for a man who had sold his land so that the base could be created.
Walter Ross grave site at the Marine Logistics Base
Walter Ross died in 1933 and was buried on the land. When the government purchased the property from his family one of the stipulations was that the grave not be disturbed. Interesting stuff!
We found it and found that it wasn’t actually a memorial….but a grave….smack in the middle of a parking lot! Walter Ross died in 1933 and was buried on the land. When the government purchased the property from his family one of the stipulations was that the grave not be disturbed. Interesting stuff!
Marine tanks
In the very same parking lot there is a display of five military tanks. Three of the tanks were never used and were just prototypes…2 of them were the only ones ever made and the other had one other produced. Michael always is interested in that kind of stuff. For me…a tank is a tank.
I guess Michael wasn’t quite ready to go home cuz he went for a drive around the base. It’s a very small base with just 1 barracks that we came across but there were 2 really nice housing areas. We easily found the commissary, a restaurant open on weekdays, the Childcare Center and several other places.
Before we left in the morning I got a phone call from Shawn, our boss with Gate Guard Services. He was just checking with us and making sure that we really were coming back to the oil patch. We chatted for a while and he filled us in on the happening in south Texas and we promised we’d back to work the end of next month.
Just wanted to mention that since we left Anderson Cove Campground our jacks haven’t been popping. They did some popping while we were at Zack and Kelsea’s but nothing really since then. The weather high’s and low’s in the valley where Anderson Cove is located are so great that it really effected the hydraulics in the jacks.