There ain't gold in them thar hills

Well, we didn't strike it rich last week when we traveled to Coos Canyon in Byron, Maine to pan for gold.  It was our first time out and the guy at the shop where we rented the pans said that there's only about a 10% chance anyone would find gold on their first try.

I guess the gold "bumble bee" shirt I had on didn't bring me any luck, as we didn't even find a sliver of gold.  However, the butterflies were very attracted to my shirt.  I guess they thought I was a flower or something.

Byron, Maine is about 15-20 minutes north of Rumford, Maine on Route 17.  The Swift River runs right along the road and Coos Canyon is a rocky gorge with some waterfalls and nice swimming holes.

If you want to go, you can rent pans at Coos Canyon Rock & Gift directly across the street from Coos Canyon.  The pans were two bucks each to rent and you have to leave a five dollar deposit per pan that you get back if you return the pan.  They give you a brief demonstration of panning techniques and then send you on your way.  You can either continue up Route 17 or drive up a side road that crosses over the canyon.  We chose the latter and found a quiet spot and proceeded to pan.

The river we chose was a cold, rocky river.  Our eight year old son Ashton panned for about five minutes and then entertained himself in the river for awhile.  My wife lasted a little longer that Ashton, but eventually packed it in and picked up a book.  I continued to pan for awhile, wondering if I was even doing it right given that I couldn't even find a spec of gold.  We brought a picnic with us and ate along side the river, so all in all it was a pretty relaxing time.

Afterwards we wandered back down to Coos Canyon and took a dip in the river.  We thought the river was going to be cold, but surprisingly it was very refreshing.  My son had a great time letting the currents move him slowly downstream and we all really enjoyed ourselves.

Bethany and Ashton swimming in Coos Canyon

A shot looking south into the Canyon

The rock formations were very cool, having been carved out by the water over many years.

On the way home, we stopped in Mexico...no, not the country, but the town.  We topped off our day with an ice cream from Frosty Delite right on Route 2 in Mexico and a slight detour to Marden's on Route 2 in Rumford.

We seem to spend a lot of time in the Rumford area.  In the winter Ashton and I had season passes to Black Mountain Ski Area.  Ashton was enrolled in group lessons this year, so we were up their almost every Sunday in January and February.  Even though it's been 95 degrees the last couple of days, I thought I'd insert this winter shot.  Maybe it will help you think cool thoughts.

The base of the beginner lift at Black Mountain