Even the ghosts have left.......

Whenever the word "Ghost Town" is mentioned, you automatically have my interest. It is a perfect combination of old, abandoned, and non-structured, which appeals to our family's off the beaten path mentality. 

Delamar certainly qualified as being off the beaten path. Sixteen miles off the paved road, we braved several treacherous descents into gullies, and roads that could have been cobblestone, if the rocks would have agreed to sit all at the same level. 

Founded in 1894 as a gold mining town, Delamar once boasted a population of 3,000, but while we were there it only had a transient population of the three of us, and a rather large snake, which I could not get Tiff close enough to take a picture of. 

The mine shafts are still scattered about the hills, some of them going straight down, and others digging into the mountain. We sadly were without a flashlight, so our exploring of the tunnels was rather limited.

Tiff refused to go very far into the dark recesses. 

The baby and I braved the dark.....

After the coolness of the mine, the dry desert air seemed even hotter, but there were ruins to explore! 

Even stone walls eventually fall down.

While Tiffany was being artistic, I looked around for buried treasure.

All of the walls were constructed from local stone. 

"Tiff, can we take the wall home?"

A window, to let in air....

This was probably part of the line of shops.  They once had several stores, and even an opera house!

"Once more, unto the breach..."

The breach is taken!

Sometimes, the smallest part lasts the longest. Poor stovepipe....

I think it needs a little water, and some trees.

Still no treasure. 

The mines on the hill, which produced $13.5 millions.

Desert ground, green mountains, a big blue sky...  Now, if we could only get some water up there to keep the grass green and to fill a large swimming pool, it would be a nice place to live!

Who lived here?

For sale, well positioned house, quiet neighborhood, wealth nearby. Solid stone walls, could use new roof.  

The baby and I, plotting to take home rocks!

The sun sets over the ruins, just as it has for the last 100 years.

We had a delightful time, picking through the old buildings, guessing about what each place was, and who lived and worked there. Several hours passed before we knew it. It was getting dark by the time we left the ruins, but we were still a long ways from our destination. Part three of this day will have to wait for the next post!

Coming up, ALIENS and LOCALS. Oh my!!!!!!!!!

BFH