Pine Creek Mine, CA

The mine is located at 12,000' in the Sierra Nevada. It once produced one third of the worlds Tungsten which is used to manufacture many items including lightbulbs and bombs. Pete has worked there 50 years. A true legend (and a nice guy) of the East Sierra community of Bishop. He has rescued drivers lost in blizzards and guided is 5000' into the bowels of Mt. Tom. Mines operate dependent on the cost of extracting the raw materials in tandem with going rates. Basic supply and demand with the element of this is one fo the few places on earth that has this resource. We met the new private owners, Lynn and Stan, and were introduced to Pete. There are many issues facing the mine in it's various incarnations but it's an engineering feat. For more info from fellow road trippers check this link http://www.ripleysghosttowns.com/pinecreekmine.html