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Published: August 6th 2015
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Tour of Butte
After a wonderful sleep I got up and took Oscar for a walk in the wind and potential rain. I had a great shower, got dressed and got ready for the tour. I talked to my neighbor who was from NJ, they were heading for Yellowstone then home. They have been on the road since June 13th having traveled to Alaska with a tour. There are companies that organize tours for rvs just like the tour company using buses. They reserve campgrounds and arrange tours of points of interest.
By this time it was getting late so I had to leave for the tour. When I got there the bus was there and some already on board. I picked my seat for optimum picture taking and we waited. There was a tour group that we were waiting for and for some reason they were late. Our bus driver just told us more about Butte and his experiences here so it was no time before the group arrived.
He filled us with so many facts and figures that I forgot most of what he said. The gist was that there were several ethnic groups
that mined the area mines and all got along or they would not survive. It was a 12 hour day in the dark with maybe a beer to look forward to at the end of the day. Also dangerous.
The town is full of contrasts. The huge, ornate mansions built by the mine owners and the workers shacks.
Our stop was at the open pit mine where we got to look at Montana's deepest lake. The company closed the mine in 1984 and stopped the pumps that kept the ground water out of the pit. It is now quite full of toxic water that is going to be treated and released into the nearby creek. The filtering process will not start until the water level reaches a certain level, they are thinking several years from now. The filtering plant has been built and stands waiting. Don't ask, the government is involved.
Our tour took us past as many old buildings that are still standing and varied with architecture because of all the different ethnic groups here. There are many pictures.
After describing the miners lunch I decided it was time to try them. Yes, the pasties
again. They are pronounced posties. They are round pastries filled with potatoes, beef and onions. The miners took them in their lunch pails and was their little bit of home in the hole in the ground. It came from Cornwall, England. I found Joe's that were supposed to have the best in town, took the treasure home and dove in. It was terrible. Too much dough, too many potatoes and dry and tasteless. Guess you have to grow up with it or be desperate.
I took Oscar with me to go back to the town to get some better pictures and shop at a special store that looked interesting. The weather was scattered rain and cooler temperatures so I could leave him in the car for a short time. I'm getting pretty good at finding my way around now.
Back at the campground we went for another walk then settled down for the night. It will be cool tonight.
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