Things That You Don't Want To See Underground...

The first time that we tried to visit this abandoned gold mine, we were bullied by the river when we tried to cross and had to retreat or risk being swept away. So, we had to come very late in the season on our second visit when the river was much lower in order to be able to cross with all of our gear. I shared what little we know of the history of this abandoned mine during the course of the video itself. So, unfortunately, I have nothing further to add in that regard. It was a mining operation of a respectable size and so we were greatly disappointed by having our forward progress halted by the collapse in that band of serpentine. Serpentine and underground placer workings have blocked us from seeing the full extent of countless mines. While disappointed about the caved section in the mine, we were most certainly not disappointed at the missed social engagement with the mother bear and her cub underground. There is not a lot of room to maneuver in the older, narrow adits and being the obstacle between the outside world and a mother bear and her cub is not an enviable position to be in. We only have black bears in California, but I still wouldn’t want to square off with one. That cabin along the river must have been a great spot to spend the summers when it was in its prime. What’s funny is that that cabin is just on the other side of a river that a highway runs along. If you look closely, you can see the cabin from the highway (which is how we spotted it). However, I’ll bet that not one in ten thousand people that drive by notices the little cabin tucked away in the forest. And that may be a conservative estimate! ***** You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: https://goo.gl/TEKq9L You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here: https://bit.ly/2wqcBDD and here: https://bit.ly/2p6Jip6 Several kind viewers have asked about donating to help cover some of the many expenses associated with exploring these abandoned mines. Inspired by their generosity, I set up a Patreon account. So, if anyone would care to chip in, I’m under TVR Exploring on Patreon. Thanks for watching! ***** Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them – nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well. These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever. I hope you’ll join us on these adventures! #ExploringAbandonedMines #MineExploring #AbandonedMines #UndergroundMineExploring