New Idria Mine and Idria ghost town (36° 25' 41.778" N120° 40' 10.302" W) are located 60 miles away from Hollister, CA. The mine was the second most productive mine in the US until it was abandoned in 1972.
Panoche valley has some scenic country views.
A guarding cat.
And in the middle of nowhere, not an inn, just a bar.
Some lucky guy has been pumping oil for more than 50 year now.
And finally the ghost town.
A solar powered sensor in the middle of the town.
A huge chunk of the town was burned in 2010.
And the mercury mine.
The furnace that was used in the mercury extraction process (from cinnabar)
Not only the place is contaminated with mercury but it also has some asbestos. Time for an open house.
On the way back we decided to stop by at the Panoche Inn.
The owner, Larry, knew a lot about mercury and gold mining and even had some old Soviet rubles and Israeli shekels that he carried in his pocket for luck.
The sunset.
love your pics:)
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