The next morning we took a quick day-trip to see Silver City. We were hoping the streets were lined with silver and we could bring some home, sadly no… We arrived on a Sunday, so it was a quieter day with some businesses closed. We found a great coffee shop, Java-Lina, Patti had an Irish Nutt coffee and I had a Vanilla Chi Latte; both great drinks. There was a very active Food Co-Op with an annual membership of only $10.00, lots of fine looking restaurants, a college, many alternative health care facilities, a hospital, lots of art galleries, a copper mine and many friendly people. We especially enjoyed catching up with our friends from Trinidadio-laughing a lot, sharing a great meal and then going for an archeological lecture and walk.
The copper mine outside town is a mile wide and 1600 feet deep. Neither of us has a fear of heights, but we didn’t venture too close to the edge of the overlook (glad it was fenced off), dizzying!!!
There is a rock spire at the base of a mountain overlooking the mine, it is called the ‘Kneeling Nun’. The miners are superstitious in regards to her, if she falls it is bad luck for the miners and their fate. The miners have reinforced the Nun with rebar because the tailings of the mine are piling higher and higher and the depth of the mine has made them nervous for her fragile state.
The legend of the Kneeling Nun states that the Nun fell in love with a cowboy and now she must pray, kneeling, endlessly as penance. I prefer to think she is praying for the safety of the miners!
We drove back to City of Rocks through a beautiful canyon along the meandering Mimbres River Valley, lined with fall colored cottonwoods, lots of cattle (and vultures) guiding our way. Patti would love to settle in this phemoninal valley!
Back at camp, it is time to stow everything in preparation for the trip to Arizona tomorrow.
gypsyroadgallery 