Black Diamond Mines - June 2018

I planned our expedition date months in advance, yet we still found the hottest day of the year to go venturing into the hills of the east bay. Facing heat above 100° Fahrenheit, we accepted our mission thankful that a good portion would be underground.

Our crew all arrived on time and in an excited state. Those who arrived first were lucky to meet the mine inspectors, who having just inspected it, wished us luck into the depths of the mountain. The meeting spot was just outside the main entrance to the mine which allowed us to feel the cool breath of the mountain. Upon crossing the line in the sand our guide found us and got the group moving along. His focus was on the history of this land, though he sprinkled in some additional biology and geology insights, much to the delight of the crew. For me, with our mission to find evidence of L.A.J, I was very pleased to see his focus on history.

As we entered the cave, our first point of order was to equip everyone with hardhats and flashlights. The old system of checking in and out of caves was still in use, that of tags on the walls, flipped to indicate if they were still inside. I was delighted by this process though I could see some crew were boggled that this method hadn't changed in about a hundred years.

We dove into the depths of the mountain. The first signs of life were that of the teenagers from the 50's who used to use these caves for parties, the signs of smoke still clung to the ceilings. Further in we were shown an ancient script which is all but indecipherable now, the fault line which cut through the mountain and samples of why the place was called Black Diamond Mine, it's another name for coal. Our guide even showed us the fossilized remains of old mining ghost shrimp, which used to call this place home but now haunt the corridors. The strangest part though was hearing the sounds of the mine lizards. Our Stellar Cartographer did their best they could to draw it based on the descriptions given. Though we didn't see it, several of us were certain we could hear them scratching away at the walls.

This was all wonderful, but still no sign or stories of L.A.J. Upon exiting the mine, we found one. We were relayed the story of how she came through here looking for a lost relative. Upon being disappointed to find the relative long gone, she left a clue at the cemetery. We filled our bellies, then braving the heat a smaller group headed up to verify the stories at the Rose Hill cemetery. It was there that we found and activated a waymark, getting us a personal account of LAJ's time in this valley.

In the early 1950's, LAJ seemed to have come through here in search of distant relatives and further signs of the Explorers Guild. Finding no family, she instead gained a companion; Betty Jane. The two, having bonded, are now off in search together for the Explorers Guild, and we at guild headquarters are in search of more clues as to her next whereabouts.

Feeling confident about the expedition, we gathered for a final Semper Explorandum and headed home looking forward now to the next adventure.