Today brought driving rain, strong winds and cold temperatures, so it was a good day to visit the underground mine in nearby Soudan. It is now a state park and as part of the tour, you travel down the original mine elevators about a half-mile underground to the 27th level of the mine and then travel about 3/4 of a mile in a small train at the lowest level.
Here onlookers watch the drum and cable that hoist the elevator cars up and down the half-mile to the bottom.
Martin anxiously awaits the trip to the bottom during his last moments before heading underground.
Linda, a half-mile underground heading down even deeper in the mine.
 
Martin a bit more relaxed now that he is safely down to the 27th level. The mine stopped operation in 1962 and produced very rich ore – 68%-72% iron. A 12 inch block of ore weighed 350 pounds.
There is now a physics lab at the bottom of the lab that is investigating the elementary nature of particles, shielded from the atmosphere by a half-mile of rock.
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