JEFF'S EXCELLENT GALENA ADVENTURE, JUNE 20, 2006
Today I finally put the outhouse back on it's foundation. I lifted it back up slowly because I didn't want to be under it if it fell as I was jacking it up. So I used two sets of supports along the way, then used the come-along and rope to hold it so it didn't just drop onto the foundation.
I got done about 3, then took a shower. Then I headed off to ride my bike up to the mine above Koppos. It's open, so you can just go right in. I went about 50 feet in. There was water dripping from the ceiling in several places. There were lots of pop bottles just inside the entrance too.
I also took photos of the building ruins just up the road from the mine. The road going back down had a metal cable across it, and I assume that goes right to the property of the new house, so I didn't go past the cable. Also, I see that the ATV road I didn't want to go down the other day connects to this mine road, so that mystery is solved.
I then went up the bad hill toward Sturgis, and took a left at road "5H." This goes down and intersects another road at a stream bed. One road goes left, looking like it might head back to Galena. The other goes downstream, so I assumed that it would lead to Boulder Canyon and took that. The road intersection is 44,21.531, 103,35.613 and it would be fun to go back and go left instead. Anyway, farther along the road sort of split several ways. There were "no motor vehicle" signs on the other roads, so I went left. This road was the worst rutted road I'd ever seen in my life. I think the ruts were 3 feet deep! After a whle I suddenly saw about 8 birds fly from the ground to the trees. Then I saw a female turkey. It was 8 turkey kids! I got a picture of one, after another had been posing in the sunlight for me, but I just wasn't fast enough so will have to settle for this one. They seem to fly pretty well.
Right after this, there were huge rocks and trees across the road. I had to think a while before I found a way around the tree. I was not going to go back with an apparently good gravel road on the other side of the tree. But I had no idea which road any of these roads were, so I went left, expecting this to go to Boulder Canyon. It kept meandering around, until I could see Bear Butte. This might be the best place to take a Bear Butte photo (Sturgis below there).
The road finally wound up in Sturgis instead of Boulder Canyon, so I went and ate there, then came home on Vanocker Canyon road. I had taken the flashlight to check out the cave right on the Vanocker Canyon road. It has quartz all inside it and seems to go pretty far back. It's a strange cave because it seems to be natural, yet it's just right for walking in. I went back about 50 feet and it seemed to keep on going. Would be fun to check further, especially since it's dry.
Finally, I wanted to check out this rock monument at the intersection of 180 and the bad Galena road. I have no idea what it is, what its' for, or anything. It's just in the middle of a field. The stone is about 3 feet tall.
