2/2/08
Jean came up from Tucson with Larry this weekend, so we went to Zadora Mine, Jean hadn't been there before. The trail was muddy from melting snow and ice and all the normally dry creeks and washes were flowing from the runoff. There were a couple of "iffy" places along the trail, one that was pretty scary because it crossed a small creek, but in the place we would normally have crossed, there was a pretty deep washout with water flowing into it. Both Jeeps made it through okay, but there was a bit of consternation about the return trip. Fortunately, again, both Jeeps made it through on the trip back as well.
Zadora Mine was pretty much as we had left it before, although this time water was dripping from the ceiling of the mine forming frozen icicle stalactites. Larry climbed down the rocks and into the tunnel to see how far he could go while Jean, Ralph and I remained outside (so we could help Jean file the insurance papers if anything happened.) 
Larry reported back to us that the shaft didn't go very far in, he said that it looked as though it had been closed off and that the ceiling had collapsed in several places. We left wondering what was beyond the closed off tunnel. We'd all love to find an old mining car, but the odds are against finding something like that. We trekked up the mountainside above the mine and checked out the vertical shaft which would have probably connected beyond the point of closure of the adit below, but it would take someone younger and more foolhardy than we are to venture into the vertical opening without knowing what lies below. Zadora will have to remain a mystery, if there are secrets deep inside, the old mine isn't revealing them.
Larry reported back to us that the shaft didn't go very far in, he said that it looked as though it had been closed off and that the ceiling had collapsed in several places. We left wondering what was beyond the closed off tunnel. We'd all love to find an old mining car, but the odds are against finding something like that. We trekked up the mountainside above the mine and checked out the vertical shaft which would have probably connected beyond the point of closure of the adit below, but it would take someone younger and more foolhardy than we are to venture into the vertical opening without knowing what lies below. Zadora will have to remain a mystery, if there are secrets deep inside, the old mine isn't revealing them.
