Waxwing Bag Co.
Climbing out of Queenstown.
In its heyday, Queenstown's mine supported 11 smelters working 24/7. The fuel to run them required massive amounts of lumber, and then the acid rain completed the deforestation. The region's heavy rainfalls then removed the topsoil. Result - a barren landscape. Eventually the mine switched to a water-based extraction process that then led to heavy water pollution. An early example of environmental devastation. The mine still operates; the landscape is in recovery, though some like the unique look of the area and advocate to keep it that way.
We hit this stretch after a long lunch break in the heat of the day. Fortunately, by this point our legs were able to handle the work, and it wasn't as unbearably hot as our first days on the bikes.
Climbing out of Queenstown.
In its heyday, Queenstown's mine supported 11 smelters working 24/7. The fuel to run them required massive amounts of lumber, and then the acid rain completed the deforestation. The region's heavy rainfalls then removed the topsoil. Result - a barren landscape. Eventually the mine switched to a water-based extraction process that then led to heavy water pollution. An early example of environmental devastation. The mine still operates; the landscape is in recovery, though some like the unique look of the area and advocate to keep it that way.
We hit this stretch after a long lunch break in the heat of the day. Fortunately, by this point our legs were able to handle the work, and it wasn't as unbearably hot as our first days on the bikes.