East Coast Tour - Day 14

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Day 14 - Charlotte

Today we were given a personal tour of some of the sights in Charlotte and headed out to the Reed Gold Mine. The Reed Gold Mine was the sight of the first documented gold discovery in the US. Since the land around the find was all privately owned there was no gold rush like in California. There was a documentary film (very 1970s), a museum, a self-guided tour of the first level of the mine and surface equipment, and a chance to pan for gold. There were a few really cool pieces of equipment still working and the temperature of the mine felt lovely on a hot day. We had fun panning but, alas, no one found any gold. After the mine we ate lunch and then took a driving tour of the older parts of Charlotte. Since Ellen and Martin work as land surveyours Ellen was very familiar with the neighborhoods. We also stopped at the Duke mansion to see the grounds. They had several smaller gardens around the mansion, each sponsored by a differnt family or group. In the back was a childeren's garden with a Peter Rabbit theme. After our tour we went back to the house to play some One Night Unltimate Werewolf with everyone. I think it might be Cole and Cecilia's new favorite game. We capped the evening off with dinner downtown at '300 East'. A friend of Ellen's works as a pastry chef there and brought us some faboulous desserts to end the meal.

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Photos

Are we home yet?
Umm... We are pretty far away from California.

Cool Old Engine
From the side, it kind of looks like a Star Wars Air Speeder.

Inside the Mine
For the record, we found absolutely no diamonds, and it was dark (not shining).

Nice and cool
Can we go back through again.

Shoring up the mine
We were assured that the mine was perfectly stable.................

No gold here
Tony thought out loud "If lots of people are panning wrong, there is probably gold at the bottom of the trough.", which caused all the kids to re-fill their pans and try again, and again, and again, and again... thanks Tony.

The Duke Mansion
It looks very familiar... I think it's been on TV once or twice.

Taking a Break
Here are the girls, practicing their shade.

Children's garden
bigger than life sized statues, well done gardens.

Mr. McGregor
Ok, this one was a tiny bit creepy.. in a cute way.

Dinner Choices at 300 East
So. Much. Yum.

South Carolina
It was a blink, but damnit, we were there. I have a gas receipt around here somewhere.

North Carolina
Finally getting some vertical height on the East coast.