Day Four

Medicine Hat, Alberta to Fernie, British Columbia 376KM We had a slow start this morning - well it wasn't exactly slow per se but we didn't really get on our way until after 1pm.  The night before we had run-in with what we think was a young coyote.  We faired better than the coyote but there was some damage to the undercarraige of the car.  We took it to the dealership in Medicine Hat first thing in the morning and asked them to repair the damage we knew about and to make sure there wasn't any damage we didn't know about.  A few clips and $50 later we were told all was good and we continued on our journey.  We left town a little after 10am.  At about 50kms from Medicine Hat we heard a noise that told us that the dealership missed something and we had a problem.  We called them and after a couple of hours of waiting by the side of the road, a technician arrived with a replacement part and the repair was made.  Now we were free to go but we had lost a huge chunk of time.  We had planned to visit three places today and now we only had time for one.  We decided to head for the Bellevue Mine and take in the Mine Tour.

Bellevue Mine was one of the many mines operating in the Crows Nest Pass Area.  It opened in the early 1900s and operated for about 60 years before closing in the early 1960s when the railway switched from coal to diesel.  The Bellevue Mine simply stopped operating and the mine was abandoned.  It now operates as a tourist site that shows the conditions the miners worked in and the tools they used as they mined the coal.    

We had a great tour guide but unfortunately I forgot her name and hopefully she forgives me.  She is in the top photo setting up the battery packs for us to use in the mine to power our lamps.  We all had to be equipped with helmets as well.  Once we were kitted out we learned about the early history of the mine and how the tag system worked.  Each miner was issued 2 tags.  One he placed on a board at the top of the mine indicating he was working in the mine.  This meant if something happened in the mine such as explosion or if part of the mine caved in, the rescuers knew to look for him.  The other tag he wore so that if he was found but was unrecognizable, the tag would be able to identify him.  When this mine was operating only men worked in the mine.  Times have changed and women can and do work in mines, but at then having a woman work in the mine was considered bad luck.

The tour was about an hour long and we walked a short distance into mine, but far enough for the temperature to drop from 30C outside to 0C.  It was also far enough into the mine that the light from the entrance couldn't be seen.  

 

When we turned off our lamps it was pitch black and we couldn't see our hands when they were right in front of our faces.

Once we left the mine and returned our safety gear we continued onto Fernie to stop for the night.  In Fernie we found a lovely place called the Red Tree Lodge.  On the recommendation of the person at the check-in desk we ordered pizza for dinner and settled in for the night.