Panning for Gold

April and I left our Airbnb early this morning and enjoyed breakfast at a local restaurant named “Toast.”

Before arriving in Denver, April texted me and asked if we could mine for gold. Naturally, there was no way I could turn down that request. So, this morning we back tracked 40 miles through the Rocky Mountains and down a 6% grade to the Phoenix Gold Mine. The tour lasted about an hour as Tim, the tour guide, led us through the twists and turns of two gold veins of the mine. He showcased some of the original mining equipment used to excavate the gold at the turn of the 20th century.

The tour is $15 but for an additional $5 you can pan for gold in the creek nearby. We stood eagerly in the windy and cold 37 degree mountain weather as Tour Guide Tim explained, “anything you can carry home is yours, except for a person, there are laws against that.” The creek was running but a thin layer of ice coated the edge. If we were going to strike it rich, it needed to happen in the first five minutes. Alas, I only walked away with tiny flake of gold, so small I didn’t even bother trying to save it, and a pocket full of rocks as a memento.

We then spent the rest of our afternoon listening to true crime podcasts and driving across the remainder of Colorado and into the Western part of Kansas to a small town called, Colby. Our Airbnb is located on a cattle farm nearly six miles off the beaten path. This renovated pole barn is a loft style home described in the listing as “hippy chic.” Bright paint and flowy curtains adorn the walls and from my bed in the upper loft, I have a perfect view of the orange and blue Kansas sunset to my left and a herd of cattle right behind me.

It’s peaceful here. It’s a different type of peaceful than in the mountains. This kind of peaceful represents a life that is simple and modest and on a clear night probably has a sky full of stars that meets a cornfield on the horizon.

I’ve now moved back into the central time zone and my body is excited to sleep in again on the schedule I’m used to. I’m going to switch over my last load of laundry for this trip and then head off to sleepy town for the night. The rest of Kansas patiently awaits our arrival.