We had a very busy and exciting day yesterday.
By 7:30 in the morning we were headed to Ouray, Colorado, to watch the Hard Rock Drilling Contest.
Ouray was first known for all of it mining, way back when, and that mining was for gold and silver. Hard Rock Mining. As far as I know there is no coal in ‘them thar hills’.
Today there are very few mines operating….although, there is still ‘lots of gold’ in the mountains surrounding Ouray. Mostly Ouray is now a wonderful place to visit, hot springs, good food, and outstanding scenery.
The drillers come from all over.
Yesterday, was the second day of the contest, we didn’t stay for every thing since we had been invited to our daughter and son-in-law’s place that evening for a yummy supper.
The above photo is of the bootleg jack contest
The last contest we got to watch was the mucking machine
This guy was so sure and steady that his dirt never spilled out of the cart and he filled it in record time.
Cliff got a smoker for his birthday this year. He invited us down to each smoked BBQ Pulled Pork and Turkey. Chef Cliff did a great job!
Photo stolen from Cliff’s FB page! THANKS! CLIFF!
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
That drilling looked like hard work! Ouray was one of my favorite places to visit years ago. Loved going through Tin Cup..there was a sign over there somewhere that said “This is God’s Country, don’t drive through it like hell”!! Always got a chuckle.
Sounded like an absolutely delish supper!
Blessings!
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Looks like fun!
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You have so many great historic places to visit in Colorado.
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as a prospector I will have to show my other half this lol
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Somebody else doing the cooking. I’m real good with situations like that.
From my understanding of this when these operations are performed in a contest the “old fashioned” way the event is called a mucking contest.
Did you see much concerning Chief Ouray?
Fun stuff!
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The hubby sure would of liked seeing the drilling. He is a driller for his job and he had rock drilled before. Gold is them hills? We will be down to start panning soon. Another hobby that the hubby and father in law has gotten a bug for GOLD! Great pictures!
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Sounds like a fun day with a great ending! Bet you drove the Convertible:)
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Yummy dinner-always Ok to steal from your family’s FB! We loved Ouray, and this mining event would have made it even better!
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We loved Ouray and this event would have made it even better! Dinner looks yummy!
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that must have been fascinating.. the mining and dinner does not sound too bad either!! c
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interesting drilling
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I was wondering what was going on with the drilling and then I thought oh ya in mines it’s horizontal drilling. I’m too used to oil where you drill down.
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Hard rock mining. I had no idea what was involved in getting minerals out of a mountain until I visited a mining museum in Wallace, Idaho. Since it is all done deep in a hole in the ground it pretty much goes unnoticed except by the miners. I was flabbergasted by the tools and danger involved when guys went after the ore in the early days with hammers and spikes deep in a tunnel with nothing but a kerosene lamp on their head to light the way. Glad you showed us the competition. Looks like a good way to spend time away from your own hard work.
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