Tim Nyhus Ghost Towns, Abandoned Mines, and the Thrill of Discovery in Washington

Today’s guest is Tim Nyhus, a passionate explorer uncovering the hidden treasures of ghost towns and abandoned mines across the state.

Episode Highlights

• A Journey into Washington’s Forgotten Past
• Tim shares how his love for history and family road trips inspired him to explore ghost towns and mines, starting with the abandoned coal town of Melmont in 2009. Hear about his first-hand experiences uncovering these historical gems and how a simple hike sparked a lifelong passion.
• Building a Community of Explorers
• From sharing photos on Facebook to creating videos for YouTube, Tim discusses how his adventures evolved into a platform that connects history enthusiasts. He reflects on how technology and storytelling have played a role in preserving and sharing Washington’s forgotten landmarks.
• Exploration Tips for Beginners
• Interested in visiting a ghost town? Tim offers beginner-friendly tips for exploring these historical sites, including how to find publicly accessible locations and plan safe, enjoyable trips.
• Challenges of Abandoned Mines
• Learn about the risks and rewards of mine exploration, including the incredible story of Tim’s harrowing entry into a collapsed 1890s mine. He emphasizes the importance of preparation and respecting the history and fragility of these sites.
• Why Documentation Matters
• Tim explains his mission to preserve the legacy of Washington’s ghost towns and mines, ensuring future generations can learn about these significant landmarks before they disappear.

What’s Next for Tim’s Adventures?

Tim teases upcoming explorations, including a private mine visit in the Okanogan area and more trips to Washington’s lesser-known ghost towns. Stay tuned for incredible stories of perseverance, history, and discovery.

Where to Follow Tim’s Journey

Explore more of Tim Nyhus’ work and connect with his community:

• Facebook: Ghost Towns and Mines of Washington
• YouTube: Ghost Towns and Mines of Washington
• Instagram: Ghost Towns And Mines of Washington

Tim Nyhus Episode Transcript

Scott Cowan [00:00:04]:

Hello, friends, and welcome to the Exploring Washington State podcast. My name is Scott Cowan, and I’m the host of the show. Each episode, I have a conversation with an interesting guest who is living in or from Washington State. These are casual conversations with real and interesting people. I think you’re gonna like the show, so let’s jump right in with today’s guest. Well, I am sitting down with Tim Nyhus. Tim, did I say it right? You did. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:00:30]:

I have I have a if I’m cheating, I have a big thing up on my screen. That’s the but still, it’s always and I’m gonna just you know, I reached out to you because I saw this video. And then after I looked at the video for a few minutes, I I looked and I went, how did I not know about this? So you’re out exploring ghost towns and abandoned mines in Washington state. That’s really cool. And that’s what we’re gonna talk about. But before we talk about that, tell my audience a little bit about you and and your your team and how you guys got started doing this.

Tim Nyhus [00:01:07]:

Sure. So as far as, I’ll start off with how we got started, and then we’ll go from there. And so I wanna say it was probably around, I’m gonna guess, 2,000 maybe, like, 2,009 ish, somewhere in there. It was probably it was it was the spring or summer, and I’ve always enjoyed history and and, younger growing up, you know, we traveled a lot with my parents, you know, coast to coast. We stopped all the historical sites. So it’s just something kind of ingrained in me. I just like that tangible aspect of being able to go and see it, touch it, smell it, whatever. And, I was looking online.

Tim Nyhus [00:01:43]:

I don’t I don’t even truly remember why. I was looking around. I think I discovered, looking in the Wilkerson area, and there was Melmont, which was, a former coal town. And so I decided, hey. You know, this would be really cool to kind of check this out, some place to go. Let’s go see if we could find this place, and I don’t know if it was the next weekend. It was just, my son, my wife, myself. We went down there.

Tim Nyhus [00:02:07]:

We hiked down, started hunting around, and it was really cool uncovering all these foundations and all these remnants. And literally, I mean, that’s where it all started. I mean, it was like it was like after that trip, it was the what’s the next one? Onto the next one. Onto the next one. Right?

Scott Cowan [00:02:23]:

Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:02:24]:

So that’s that’s kind of how my interest in this got started, and then sharing it, via Facebook and other platforms came later. But, really, it was myself, my wife, and and my son, and then we’ve networked with other, organizations that kinda do what we do, like, there’s Northwest Underground Explorations and some other groups that we’ve, explored with, and then, a couple of people that, were involved in some other groups. One guy who’s kind of our our our heart and soul of, research and finding, you know, these sites, you know, he joined us and and has been working with us for, like, the last year. So kind of a small group, to be honest. I mean, it it doesn’t really have a a huge team behind it, but that that that’s really the the fundamentals of it.

Scott Cowan [00:03:13]:

Okay. I think it’s interesting. You you you said as a as a kid, you traveled to my my parents I did the same thing, and so I’ve seen a lot of the, you know, the major there’s big gaps in my coverage too, but, you know, I’ve been been to Gettysburg, you know, Mount Rushmore, those those type of things. So I I I get it. And so it sounds like you might have had a similar upbringing.

Tim Nyhus [00:03:35]:

Very much so.

Scott Cowan [00:03:38]:

So starting to share this, how do I wanna how do I wanna go with this? Because you started sharing on Facebook because, well

Tim Nyhus [00:03:46]:

Exactly.

Scott Cowan [00:03:47]:

That’s the kind of granddaddy of of these types of platforms.

Tim Nyhus [00:03:50]:

And the easiest. Okay. At the time anyway. Right.

Scott Cowan [00:03:53]:

At the time. Okay. Were you when you started sharing it, was it just was it just photographs or was it videos or a combination or how did you start sharing this? And I’m curious what the initial reactions from people were.

Tim Nyhus [00:04:09]:

So photographs strictly starting off, you know, obviously, going back to that time frame, you know, technology and and, you know, cameras on phones were weren’t there.

Scott Cowan [00:04:20]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:04:21]:

You know, I it it was just, you know, I I knew a guy that used to haul a VHS or a I I wouldn’t say VHS. I’m dating myself now, but he hauled around a video camera, and I don’t remember what format it was, but this was, you know and he hauled this huge flashlight that was, like, 3 feet long, and that’s how you made videos then. Right? So I was like, I didn’t want any part of it. I wasn’t really interested. I didn’t I didn’t see the value in it, to be honest with you, back then.

Scott Cowan [00:04:46]:

Alright.

Tim Nyhus [00:04:47]:

YouTube wasn’t that big of a deal. You know, it was it was still, you know, coming around and and, you know, if I would have had the foresight back then, it would have been you know? But you know how it goes. So, so that’s I don’t know if I answered you the second part of your question. I think I Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:05:04]:

So you started with photographs, but what was the what was the reaction, as you’re sharing this now? And and as the was this on your personal profile or did you create a page or a group or what what did you how’d you get started on Facebook?

Tim Nyhus [00:05:17]:

So, you know, I shared a lot of it on my personal profile just with friends and and people. And then I just thought, hey, it’d be really cool just, you know, to start sharing this. Maybe make a Facebook page. Let’s call it, you know, and and this and I guess I have to kinda go back to the original naming of this before it kind of evolved is I thought, well, I wanna do a website where I can put all these places up in photos and then use Facebook as another medium. And so originally, it was called ghost towns and, excuse me, ghost towns of washington.com.

Scott Cowan [00:05:48]:

Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:05:48]:

So that that was the original name. And so I would take all these sites that we visit, you know, and write a little blip on the history, throw up some photos, nothing too fancy, and then just kinda share them on Facebook and kinda go back and forth between the website and Facebook, and and really that’s, you know, kinda how it all began.

Scott Cowan [00:06:07]:

How how much traffic did the website generate back then?

Tim Nyhus [00:06:14]:

You you know, it it was fairly low if I in my recollections of it. I mean, you know, web stuff, still, I mean, isn’t like I mean, compared to what everybody goes for today, whether it’s TikTok, Instagram. I mean, web stuff, if it has a real purpose and need, to, you know, for merchandising or other more in-depth content, it has value. But, you know, back then, it was just I was more or less sharing the photos, if you will, and and a little bit of information. So it was kind of a slow go at the very beginning with that. K.

Scott Cowan [00:06:49]:

We’re gonna bounce around a little bit, but so I’ve got some some questions I was thinking about ahead of time. Let’s talk about planning, and that and that might that’s probably evolved in the last 14 years. Sure. So, you know, you you told us initially you saw it and then you went out. So today, what sort of planning and research are are you and the team doing prior to going out to see a ghost town or a mine or both?

Tim Nyhus [00:07:20]:

Absolutely none. No. There’s there is some truth to that, though. I’m a very spontaneous impulsive person. So, to give you one example of that, you know, my wife can contest to this because we’ll be driving from here to stay. We’re going to Long Beach or some place for the weekend, and I will find the, most indirect route that goes through the back roads. And I will look for every street sign that says cemetery, road, or whatever, and I’m off down that road because, you know, I wanna see that historic cemetery or what’s down there. Generally, there was a community, associated with some of these rules set.

Tim Nyhus [00:08:01]:

So I just have it ingrained in me to just to spontaneously hunt, for this kind of stuff. When I’m driving, I’m always looking for structures or something to say, what is that? You know, maybe it’s just a good photo of an abandoned old building in a field or whatever. So that’s the spontaneous side of this, gig for me, and I and I do quite a bit of that. Okay. The planning side, when you to go back to what you asked is so, usually, what I do now, because we’re doing YouTube and stuff, is I will look ahead, and say, okay, what do we have left that we can some little little hanging fruit perhaps, that we can tackle in the next spring summer. So I’ll make a list of some of the mine sites, for example, that we’re gonna target, try to figure out when we can do them. I’ll put some, you know, stretch goals in there, like, if we have, maybe a private property provision we’re trying to get in Eastern Washington from a a property owner who has a mine. So we’ll we’ll work that, you know, to try that.

Tim Nyhus [00:09:00]:

We have contacts and we know people and, you know, sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. So there’s kind of that, but now, yeah, I think the thing that’s changed the planning the most for us and me, is is the YouTube aspect of doing this because, you kinda see what works on YouTube. You kinda see what people wanna see, what attracts them. So you start looking at the successes and going, well, okay. This worked really, really well, so let’s see if we can continue the steam and this kind of continuity. Right? So there’s that’s that’s a whole new deal. If it was just pictures in Facebook, I probably wouldn’t be planning whatsoever hardly. Right? So there’s a lot of things that, you know, that come along with making videos that’s changed the planning process.

Scott Cowan [00:09:46]:

So Alright. I I gotta ask you. You painted a picture of driving to Long Beach for the weekend and taking the most serendipitous route to get to things. So in all the years that you and your wife have been road tripping like that, what’s the strangest place you’ve landed on with that, you know and she said, what are we doing here? Why why are we what no. Let’s leave. I mean, is there been any

Tim Nyhus [00:10:07]:

You know, I I really I really can’t think of one that he’s, like, been repulsed by or or, I I mean, I I it it goes it goes so far back that I think she’s just adapted to it. Yeah. It’s just like status quo. Like, yeah, whatever. Here he goes again. You know, he just doesn’t doesn’t say it, but I can feel it. Right? So you know? And and she’s a good sport about it and just knows that’s my you know? And she sees the value in what we’ve been trying to do. So, I mean, she goes along with it and no issues whatsoever.

Tim Nyhus [00:10:38]:

But That’s great. I can’t think of any I mean, maybe, like, for example, I could say I was in, you know, like, by Long Beach, for example, and I said, hey. We’re gonna go to Oregon and drive all the way down 2 hours into Oregon when we didn’t intend to do that. Right? You know, stuff like that might be like an eye an eyebrow razor. Right?

Scott Cowan [00:10:59]:

One of the questions I had when I first saw this is is when when you guys go and you’re you’re showing a a mine or a a ghost town that’s on private property, you don’t disclose. You’re you’re very you’re very good about that. Not in a not in a I’m keeping it to myself, but out of respect for the property owners

Tim Nyhus [00:11:18]:

Yep.

Scott Cowan [00:11:18]:

Privacy. What typically is the response when you when you approach a a property owner and say, hey. You know, we we know we heard you have a mine on your on your parcel of land in Eastern Washington, and we would like to ask your permission to come out and explore it. What’s what’s the range that you get? Are people, like, super excited to let like, let you do this? Are they very apprehensive somewhere in between?

Tim Nyhus [00:11:44]:

You know, I’ve had both ends of the spectrum, in responses. I’ve had, people reach out and and frankly invite us and say, hey. Would you would you like to do this? And that’s always the best. Right? Right. And then I’ve had people, who just are not interested whatsoever. I mean, they’re I’m not gonna say they’re rude, but they’re borderline, like, don’t wanna talk about this anymore. No means, you know, knows no. Yeah.

Tim Nyhus [00:12:08]:

And then I’ve had in between, the in between as well where then we think on it, and we think about it, you know, kind of thing. So I think especially the more that people are sharing information out there, the more stuff that gets around the world shrinking, as I always say with our, you know, technology, that more people have become more apprehensive in general because they’re just not convinced that you can safeguard what you’re showing them, as far as the audience, and they’re just gonna always be apprehensive to that. K.

Scott Cowan [00:12:40]:

Do you ever have to, like, sign a hold harmless agreement or anything like that?

Tim Nyhus [00:12:44]:

I have not. No. It’s surprising you think that maybe that’d be something that, you know, given in their minds and all and, but no. No. Nobody’s

Scott Cowan [00:12:54]:

Nothing to that point. Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:12:55]:

That far.

Scott Cowan [00:12:58]:

Let’s say somebody wants to go out and explore a ghost town. Seems like a good safer way than than climbing through an old mine, and it’s a publicly well disclosed location. Do you have any ghost ghost towns for beginners type tips?

Tim Nyhus [00:13:17]:

Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, ghost towns, I mean, the majority of these sites, that still have anything of interest for people to really wanna go and see, they’re on public lands, public property. You know, one thing I always say is, you know, just you you know what interest you. Right? And that’s, I think, what’s key. It’s not just about, hey, what’s available? It’s like, what what interest you? Because it you know, we have a limited selection in Washington, to be honest, in terms of what’s left there. I mean, there are sites that, you know, have foundations and a few remnants, and there’s a couple that have some structure. But compared to other states that we border and others in the southwest, we just don’t have a lot left.

Tim Nyhus [00:13:57]:

So I would tell someone, you know, just go get on Google. You know, look at what’s in your area, your vicinity. There’s a lot of information readily available out there. They’re not, like, secret sites or hard to find. They they’re available outside of our staff as well. Mhmm. So you just look at it and say, hey. Is this you know, maybe you don’t wanna drive 2 hours today or maybe, you know, you do wanna drive 4 hours.

Tim Nyhus [00:14:18]:

You know? It’s it’s all kind of what do you wanna see? You know? What kind of weather are we having? You know? I always tell people, for us, when we’re in really, you know, bad Western Washington, you know, hey. It’s not a good day to go out. You go east. It might be 35 degrees, but it’s sunny out. Right? So, you know, you’ve, you know, you’ve got a lot of options out there and and places. And are you interested in mining and or agriculture or military? Right? There’s a lot that are are surrounding different industries and, you know, whatnot. So, I mean, you know, it’s a mixed bag of stuff out there, but there’s a lot to see.

Scott Cowan [00:14:53]:

It was interesting. I was on your website before we connected today, and I saw that you had Richland on there. And I was like and at first, I went, and then I realized and

Tim Nyhus [00:15:04]:

I read I

Scott Cowan [00:15:04]:

read the blurb, and I realized, it’s like, yeah. The the military came in and just made it a ghost town.

Tim Nyhus [00:15:09]:

And Yeah. We’re talking Hanford there.

Scott Cowan [00:15:11]:

Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Have you ever have you ever a side note. Have you ever been to Hanford? Have you ever done a tour?

Tim Nyhus [00:15:17]:

Yeah. I I’ve done so I did the, the free Manhattan project tour. Mhmm. I don’t know if it’s, like, 4 years ago, somewhere in there. And it pretty interesting. It’d be one I wish I like to I would like to film it. I don’t know what their rules are. I’d never really looked into it.

Tim Nyhus [00:15:32]:

Whether that might be, maybe not a thing, you know, they allow. I don’t know. But the like I said, the pre Manhattan project tour is really cool. You know, they cover Hanford, the former town side of Hanford and the White Bluffs. Mhmm. And so, great tour.

Scott Cowan [00:15:47]:

We, I have a friend of mine that lives down there. We were down there for business, I don’t know, 10 years ago or so. He goes, hey. Let’s let’s run out to let’s run out to Hanford. I’m like, okay. And we’re in his pickup truck, and we’re driving down this road and he actually meant to like go to the gates where there’s armed people there. And we were very professionally and very emphatically encouraged to turn around at leave. And we were followed by a large SUV until we got far enough away from the, from the, the gates.

Scott Cowan [00:16:23]:

I have not taken that tour. The, the the reactor b, I believe, is the what I’m thinking of.

Tim Nyhus [00:16:28]:

Sure.

Scott Cowan [00:16:29]:

And I thought I read somewhere that that might be they might be closing that down. So

Tim Nyhus [00:16:34]:

Interesting. Yeah. I had I I think I looked a cup well, maybe I looked last year. Yeah. And what this is still had available.

Scott Cowan [00:16:41]:

Relatively new, news. Anyway, it it would be I I would like to take that tour and, you know and then I had done a little bit of research and then I realized, you know, just how much and how quickly that area changed in for the for the events. Alright. Are there any like, what misconceptions I mean, I’m gonna ask you what misconceptions I have. That’s an impossible question for you to answer. But are there common misconceptions that people have about ghost towns and mines? Are they, you know

Tim Nyhus [00:17:14]:

I yeah. I mean, I think with ghost towns, you know, we all are, conditioned through, you know, many things to what we when you hear the term ghost town, what do you think of. Right?

Scott Cowan [00:17:24]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:17:24]:

And I’ve done a couple of presentations on ghost towns and mines and, did one recently here, couple of months, maybe a month ago. And one of the things I show in the PowerPoint, to kinda illustrate this is, you know, what do you think? I asked the questions asked. What do you think of when you, you know, think of you hear the term ghost town. Right? Right. Right. And so the the slide I share is like a, a snapshot from a Scooby Doo cartoon looking down a cartoon street at night with buildings on both sides and tumbleweeds. Right? Because that means people think ghost town, they think old west. Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:18:01]:

So that’s one, I think, misconception that there’s gonna actually be structures there, and you’re gonna walk around and see this town that’s abandoned. Big misconception. Probably the the if not number 2, and maybe number 1, kind of switching places, is everybody thinks a lot I shouldn’t say everybody. A lot of people think ghost towns have to do with the paranormal. We’re referencing a paranormal connection, which, obviously, you know, that’s not our thing at all. So, those are probably the 2 biggest, misconceptions. Mines, I mean, I think some people believe that, hey, mines are perfectly safe and open and not a problem and just, you know, go for it. You know, some people have the extreme opposite where it’s just so dangerous.

Tim Nyhus [00:18:47]:

I mean, the truth of the matter is it’s probably, you know, somewhere in between, you know, depending on the, you know, the individual site. And I think that the size of the mines, I think sometimes people, you know, think these mines because you see mines from other places, there are miles and miles and miles of underground. And in some cases, it gets close to being true to that in the state, but the majority of mines around Washington are probably somewhere in the 500 to a 1000 foot Oh. You know, ish. So they weren’t very big.

Scott Cowan [00:19:18]:

And okay. Interesting. I I wasn’t thinking, you know, miles and miles, but 500 feet doesn’t sound like it’s that large to me. What’s been the most dangerous mine that you guys have explored? And and and also qualify that by, like, why was it dangerous?

Tim Nyhus [00:19:40]:

Okay. Well, the one that comes to mind I mean, they all have different dangers, and it’s it’s kind of hard to explain in some respects, but I’ll just back up to the one I was starting with. And that’s the one I think you probably saw the video of that which was the 18 nineties one with the wooden ore car in it. That one rings a bell.

Scott Cowan [00:20:02]:

Yes.

Tim Nyhus [00:20:02]:

So what made that mine so dangerous, that particular one is, the entrance of it was recently dug open because the mine had had a collapse over it from the hillside above. And probably been I I was there in, like, I think, wanna say 10 years prior to this last visit, and we couldn’t figure out where to dig or how to get into this thing. So we didn’t have a lot of time, so we bagged it.

Scott Cowan [00:20:26]:

Mhmm.

Tim Nyhus [00:20:26]:

And then another team of guys that I know from a kind of they just do this, you know, on the side, went up and they dug it open. And one of them messaged me and said, hey. I dug this mine open. It’s the one. And I said, really? So me being so excited to get out there even though I forgot how absolutely painful it is to get there. And, I mean, it truly is that I said, okay. Well, if the snow is almost gone, how soon can what’s the earliest we can go? I don’t want anybody else to beat me there. Right? So we did it in May, which was probably a little haphazard giving, you know, the weather potential.

Tim Nyhus [00:21:02]:

The snow is not gone. Right? So Mhmm. We picked the May. We said we’re sticking with it, and, of course, we had rain, the whole day. We were just wet, soaked, pretty miserable, quite a bit of snow, still in certain places. But when we got to the entrance, finally, and we we kind of had these checkpoints along the way that we stopped and said, do we wanna continue? Do we think this is a good idea, or do we wanna bag it? And, nope, let’s push on, and we oh, it finally got up to the mine. The entrance was just saturated. Right? It had been raining all day for, you know, maybe a couple of days.

Tim Nyhus [00:21:35]:

And this material was pretty loose material, So you could just see the materials bloop, you know, bloop coming down off. And so the entrance, I’m gonna say, was probably not more than 16 to 18 inches just slide through that was that was still dug open.

Scott Cowan [00:21:52]:

Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:21:53]:

And so between the saturated material, I remember sliding down into it where I got my body right about to close to my midsection, and I kinda stopped in and, I I wanna say it was a momentary, like, not panic, but a real big hesitation because I felt like I was gonna get stuck. So I kinda pulled myself back out, and I was pushing with my feet all the material down I could to try to make more space. And I finally was able to slide in, And I kept looking back thinking, oh, man. This entrance is is pretty precarious. I mean, it could just all slough off at any time. Right? And so Drew and Forrest, who were with me, they said, hey. We’re gonna stay outside, and we’re gonna do this thing 1 at a time just in case. And I good idea.

Tim Nyhus [00:22:38]:

We’ve done this exercise in the past. And so completely explored the mine. I mean, the mine itself is fine and stable. But at the back of my head, I felt like, okay. Am I rushing this video? Because I’m thinking, well, I wanna get back and let these guys have a shot to get in.

Scott Cowan [00:22:52]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:22:53]:

But I’m also thinking, man, I hope that entrance is still showing daylight when I get back there. Right? So finish the, you know, shooting the the video stuff and get back to the entrance to see the daylight. I’m like, okay. It’s a good thing. Right? So, you know, to get myself out of this thing, and these guys are drenched. They’re soaked. The weather is moving in. We’re looking at the time, and they’re like, you know, we’re gonna bag it.

Tim Nyhus [00:23:15]:

Just let’s just use our time to get out of this place. So so I was the only one that went in that day. So, fortunate for me, unfortunate for them. Hopefully, we won’t be able to get back there again, but that was probably the most the the one that gave you the most pause.

Scott Cowan [00:23:30]:

When I think of a mine, I kind of, and I’m on your website right now. Oh, actually, yeah, I’m on your Instagram right now, which I’m not signed in. So it’s going to kick me out at any second now, but I kind of think of, you know, rails, they’re going to have or cars, they’re going to be, you know, these quote unquote tunnels that have been in, I don’t wanna say engineered, but, you know, carved out.

Tim Nyhus [00:23:51]:

Sure.

Scott Cowan [00:23:52]:

I’m looking at these photos and I’m not really that’s the my belief is not being confirmed here. It’s kinda like we just carved a bunch of openings in in rock and dirt, and you just work your way through. So that that mind that you were in the one okay. So you slid in. So how you said the mind was intact and fine. So describe that space to me. Like, how tall how tall of a space is that?

Tim Nyhus [00:24:17]:

You know, it varies a little bit. I mean, there was some consistency, but in many cases, it wasn’t very consistent. And in in other areas, they may have made it smaller for a specific reason. So the it’s kind of what can be all over the board, but I would say, 7 to 8 feet, generally, maybe in that range.

Scott Cowan [00:24:41]:

Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:24:41]:

And, you know, probably, you know, 2 p 2 person wide ish Okay. In some places and maybe not in others.

Scott Cowan [00:24:50]:

Okay. That’s that’s still reasonable, you know.

Tim Nyhus [00:24:52]:

Yeah. They’re they’re definitely you don’t I mean, I mean, if you’re claustrophobic, you’re claustrophobic regardless, but, I mean, you don’t feel like even as a average person’s tolerance to spaces like that, I mean, you really don’t feel like you’re, like, in a tight space. You feel like you have plenty of room.

Scott Cowan [00:25:09]:

I’m a I’m a big fat guy. I’m gonna feel claustrophobic in some concealing thing because

Tim Nyhus [00:25:13]:

it’s Fair enough.

Scott Cowan [00:25:13]:

Just like that. You know? But it’s like and how far was that? So from where you parked your vehicle to that mine, about how far was that? Oh,

Tim Nyhus [00:25:26]:

I think I said that was around a 17 ish mile round trip if I remember right. I think it’s at the very beginning of the video. So somewhere around 8 miles, 8 and a half miles one direction.

Scott Cowan [00:25:39]:

So what’s the furthest you guys have journeyed in one direction to get to either a ghost town or a mine?

Tim Nyhus [00:25:48]:

I mean, that’s that’s in the higher end range. I mean, I’ve done plenty of 12 to 14 mile on a regular basis. K. Probably the the longest, like, on foot, was an overnighter, where it took it it took it, you know, for 2 full days to get, you know, to the site.

Scott Cowan [00:26:06]:

And and where where in the state was that at? Eastern Washington?

Tim Nyhus [00:26:10]:

Yes.

Scott Cowan [00:26:10]:

Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:26:11]:

Yes. That was in the Chelan County area.

Scott Cowan [00:26:13]:

In Chelan County area.

Tim Nyhus [00:26:14]:

Okay. Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:26:15]:

Alright. And what it’s that particular mine, what were they what were they mining in that mine?

Tim Nyhus [00:26:23]:

That I so that particular mine, gosh. I’m trying to remember what it was. I believe it was I’m gonna probably, butcher it. I think it was That’s okay. Molybellum or, I’m I know I’m saying it wrong. It’s a it’s a mineral I don’t, come across very often.

Scott Cowan [00:26:46]:

Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:26:46]:

And, so molybdenum. So Alright. And what was

Scott Cowan [00:26:54]:

that I’ve never heard of that before.

Tim Nyhus [00:26:55]:

Really soft soft alloy. In fact, if you, like, if you had a piece of it flattened out Mhmm. You could manipulate it with your hands.

Scott Cowan [00:27:04]:

Interesting.

Tim Nyhus [00:27:05]:

I mean, how much used for? It was I don’t know all this exact uses. I mean, it was an alloy that was added to other metals, you know, a lot like like antimony, for example, had, like, fire retardant properties, and they’d add it to, various metals. I think they used it, you know, in brake systems and things of that nature, but not really an expert on that one, exactly what that was used for.

Scott Cowan [00:27:28]:

Most mines in Washington, what were they what what was prevalent here or is prevalent here, I guess?

Tim Nyhus [00:27:35]:

So for metal mines, because we had other types of mines other than metal. K. But metal mines would have been copper. Copper? Copper was very prevalent, especially in Western Washington. As far as precious metals, gold and silver, was more so in Eastern Washington, Northeastern Washington, and actually more successful in East you know, in Northeastern Washington. Most of the mines over here that had any gold, ambitions just never worked out, and they were pretty short lived.

Scott Cowan [00:28:05]:

K. Have you ever found any precious metals in your journeys?

Tim Nyhus [00:28:10]:

I have not. So two types of things. You know, you have you have gold that has to be extracted from its host rock, and then you have what’s called 3000000 gold. Mhmm. So 3000000 gold is the stuff you you’ll see, like in mines that especially in the southwest where they have this big quartz vein, and they have this big chunk of gold going through that quartz vein. Sometimes it’ll turn them into jewelry and things with that. You know? That kind of gold, you can just visibly see with your eye. You could look at it and go, here, I got gold.

Tim Nyhus [00:28:41]:

Right. The type of gold we have right here is very fine. It’s locked in the host rock. It requires, extensive amount of milling to extract it, you know, out of many tons of rock. So you’re just rarely gonna see precious metals with your naked eye.

Scott Cowan [00:28:55]:

Got it. One of the things I found on one of your platforms was oh, where did I find it? How many counties have you been to exploring at this point? I wanna say it’s at 22.

Tim Nyhus [00:29:10]:

What did the website say? That’s what

Scott Cowan [00:29:12]:

I’m trying to find, and it’s it’s not cooperating.

Tim Nyhus [00:29:15]:

About right.

Scott Cowan [00:29:16]:

Okay. So do you if you’ve been let’s for sake of this conversation, you can say 22 because I’m not gonna be able to prove you it is 24 or 21. Okay. There’s 39 counties. Do you anticipate finding something to go see in all 39 counties?

Tim Nyhus [00:29:32]:

Possibly. I I’m I’m guessing, I think I’ve added a couple of counties on since, I you know, that, but maybe maybe not. I’ll have to check my facts on that. But, it’s possible, but some counties are just tougher than others to I mean, depending on what you’re if you wanna say, hey, I I’ve gone to this county. I went to where the former town of, you know, x was, and there’s nothing there. I mean, probably not gonna have a whole lot of interest because it Right. Even though that’s where the town was, it’s just there’s nothing there. Mhmm.

Tim Nyhus [00:30:04]:

That’s the toughest one is just finding something that is going to have interest, or be of interest. So I would say I think that number will, get closer, to the 39, but may not get all the way there.

Scott Cowan [00:30:18]:

So So on the website, on the front page, it finally got there. It says, you have visited 22 counties covering 52 townsites, a 180 mines with over 50 miles of underground workings explored.

Tim Nyhus [00:30:33]:

And that that sounds about right probably, after this last year, maybe a year and a half, a little a little light on some of the stats, just not updated yet. But yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:30:44]:

When I started thinking about talking to you, I would have thought it would have been more ghost towns, less minds, not not almost over 3 to 1 the other direction. That’s really kind of amazing to me.

Tim Nyhus [00:30:55]:

Good good reason for that.

Scott Cowan [00:30:57]:

Yeah. Is there that you are that you’re aware of, and I’m gonna guess, you know, like you said, there’s this this other community of people you you you associate with. They they tell you when they dig out things, things like that. Is there a ghost town in Washington state that you haven’t seen that you want to go to?

Tim Nyhus [00:31:22]:

Yeah. I think there’s I I one comes to mind, and that’s probably I wanna say, I I mean, it’s a ghost town, but it’s, you know, a mining camp, some kind of a town.

Scott Cowan [00:31:33]:

Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:31:34]:

But would be, Gold Hill in, Okanagan County.

Scott Cowan [00:31:39]:

Did you say goat or gold?

Tim Nyhus [00:31:41]:

Gold. Gold Hill.

Scott Cowan [00:31:42]:

Sorry. Where whereabouts in Okanagan? What okay. Okay. So Okanagan County is larger than Connecticut, Rhode Island, or Delaware as a state. So it’s the it’s a massive amount of land in Washington state. What is it closer to say Tenasket, or is it more of the Winthrop area?

Tim Nyhus [00:32:02]:

I wanna say it is and it’s been a minute since I’ve, you know, looked at it. Let’s see what I can I’m just looking at a note I have here. There we go. So, near Loomis. Sorry for the delay there.

Scott Cowan [00:32:21]:

Oh, okay. Alright. Alright. And how about a mine? Is there is there an old mine that you’re aware of that you wanna check out? I mean, this might be the answer for, you know, this repeat answer, but is there something else that’s out there?

Tim Nyhus [00:32:37]:

There’s a lot, actually. I wouldn’t say there’s any particular one. Mhmm. I’ve done a fair amount, in Eastern Washington, Okanagan County, in, Stevens County, you know, Kittitas, you name it. But, I there’s a lot still in the Northeastern, so we’re getting into, Stevens and Okanagan. Definitely those areas. I mean, look, there’s many. Ponderay.

Tim Nyhus [00:33:02]:

There’s many. Many.

Scott Cowan [00:33:04]:

Interesting. I never before I moved out to Central Washington, I never really thought about like, you just said Kitas County, and I’m like, I can’t even wear up near Bluet? Liberty area, I guess, is what I’m thinking.

Tim Nyhus [00:33:17]:

Liberty Liberty, also, Salmon Lassac, just outside of

Scott Cowan [00:33:22]:

And then I guess Rosalind had all the the coal.

Tim Nyhus [00:33:25]:

The coal. But there there was quite a few metal mines out that way as well.

Scott Cowan [00:33:28]:

Yeah. I’ve you know, so I yeah. But Okanagan, I mean, I I who thinks no. No offense to anybody from Okanagan County. Sorry. But who thinks about Okanagan County? It’s just it’s unless you’re

Tim Nyhus [00:33:41]:

I do on a regular basis though. Okay. But, you know, I, I go

Scott Cowan [00:33:46]:

up there for business quite a bit now, too, but it’s, it’s, it’s interesting to me. I never really gave that area of the state a whole lot of attention. But, yeah, when you start their their welcome sign says, you know, mining and agriculture. So, I mean, they’re still are there still active mines in Okanagan? There must

Tim Nyhus [00:34:04]:

be Oh, yeah. Many. I mean, honestly and again, I mean, I know, know, you didn’t want to offend anybody in Okanagan. I don’t wanna offend anyone anywhere else, but I will I’ll I’ll help you here with this statement by saying probably Okanagan, is probably my favorite county in the state to explore. It probably has the most to offer. So much history there, so much still standing. I mean, unfortunately, wildfires in the last decade have reduced some of our history, but, still one of the the premier areas to go. You know, to be if you really wanna understand what mining was like, unless you go to Arizona or California or or Nevada, Okanagan County, Washington is gonna give you the best flavor and feel for what that era was like.

Tim Nyhus [00:34:49]:

So

Scott Cowan [00:34:49]:

Really?

Tim Nyhus [00:34:50]:

Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:34:51]:

Okay. What’s going on up in Republic? Is there anything going on was there anything going in Republic?

Tim Nyhus [00:34:58]:

Yeah. There there I mean, there there was mining going on there for quite a while, and, I mean, I think mining even, gosh, I think it extended into the nineties. Is they still had quite large, activity. Mhmm. And in I know in recent years, I’ve read blips about new gold deposit being discovered, and the potential for new mining, opportunities, but I haven’t really I mean, as strange as it sounds, you you explore these mines, you look at the history. I’m not a huge, like, in the gold mining or anything. It’s not like I wanna mine or I wanna go out there and do it myself. I just I like the past and and discovering and uncovering the history of it.

Scott Cowan [00:35:38]:

Right. One of the things you I and a question is and I purposely didn’t look at this after I saw the blurb because I always like to make fun of myself publicly. What is a Steam Donkey?

Tim Nyhus [00:35:54]:

Steam Donkey. Okay. Yeah. Exactly. And some people, you know, there there’s all different names, you know, that people use for it. Donkey engine, Steam Donkey. So, essentially, it was a, boiler Right. Mounted on a a a chassis, if you will, usually with gears and winches.

Tim Nyhus [00:36:15]:

And so that boiler, would power, the unit generally, it was used for a lot in the logging industry, you know, so to winch and move, huge logs around and whatnot. Occasionally, it was used in, like well, it was used in maritime as well, on, you know, boats and whatnot pretty prevalently. Occasionally, it was used in the mining industry, but but not nearly, as often as these other industries.

Scott Cowan [00:36:44]:

It’s just the name. Something else It

Tim Nyhus [00:36:46]:

it no. For sure. It’s a it’s a interesting name for sure.

Scott Cowan [00:36:50]:

So I’m I’m scanning here your YouTube channel. You have about 15 and a half 1000 subscribers, which seems low compared to your other platforms, frankly. You have a 160 videos published. You have over 1,100,000 views out of a 160 videos. That’s I would love to have those stats. What has been the most popular video and has gotten the most comments? Like, what what’s which ones has struck a nerve and got got the the the public buzzing about it?

Tim Nyhus [00:37:34]:

Probably, the 18 nineties mine, with the Orchard discovery was the biggest video.

Scott Cowan [00:37:39]:

Mhmm.

Tim Nyhus [00:37:41]:

You know, recently, we did one, on Corfu, over in Eastern Washington. And our other ghost town videos, and, of course, we’re trying to improve our our format and our editing and and refine things to make them more interesting, which we obviously did some things right in the Corfu one, because it’s it’s, you know, I think it’s at 30 k or something, and it’s been climbing pretty steadily. 33. Well, there you go.

Scott Cowan [00:38:05]:

11 days. So,

Tim Nyhus [00:38:08]:

you know, that really worked well. I think, you know, we’ve done a lot of stuff in Western Washington, you know, the mines and whatnot. So getting into the eastern side of the state, expanding outside of just mines and mining, which is a lot of what we’ve done in terms of the, the economic reason for those other places being. So now we’re going into the railroad interest of railroad towns and so just just bringing in a different interest level because we’re, you know, we’re hey. It’s ghost towns and mines, but also I see is mines. Right? Mhmm. So I think bringing some of this other, content and interest, you know, getting other people interested because we’re we’re diversifying, if you will. Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:38:51]:

So

Scott Cowan [00:38:52]:

So are you editing your videos?

Tim Nyhus [00:38:54]:

I am.

Scott Cowan [00:38:55]:

What are you using software wise?

Tim Nyhus [00:38:58]:

Filmora is actually what.

Scott Cowan [00:39:00]:

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Alright. Alright. It’s The whole YouTube thing, you gotta have the thumbnail and you gotta, you know, grab grab that attention right away.

Tim Nyhus [00:39:09]:

I I can tell you, so I’m the like many people, maybe yourself included, I’m the guy that, you know, some people say they throw away the instruction manual or they leave it, you know. I leave it in the box. Right? I mean, you know I leave it in the box. Right? I mean Okay. Because it’s it’s it’s easier to throw the whole thing away.

Scott Cowan [00:39:24]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:39:24]:

So, I I when I started doing this, I I literally I mean, because I’ve read more technical details about how YouTube worked and, how the editing process should go? I just said, screw it. I’m gonna do this. I think I know what I want it to look like.

Scott Cowan [00:39:40]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:39:41]:

Let’s just give this a run. Right? And after doing that for a minute and kind of fumbling your way through and then looking at other stuff, I kinda pulled back and and just started simplifying some of the stuff I did instead of trying to be too cute. Just get to your point. Show people the stuff they wanna see, and then be done. The more I I mean, if you if you have the right kind of content, I think you can add in all the b roll and the music and and and reply your drone across the lake. And it works for some, but others that are just more realistic kind of, you know, in your face type videos, They they just don’t need all that, and so that’s been the hard part for me to, like, go. I wanna create, but maybe just be more simple. Right? So

Scott Cowan [00:40:22]:

And what what gear are you guys let’s talk about gear in 2 parts. Number 1, what are you taking in to make it so you can get to these locations? I mean, and then what, what are you using to document and record everything? You know, you already mentioned you’re not lugging in a big BHS, you know, over on the shoulder cam car quarter. And So what are you guys from a being a boy scout preparedness standpoint, what what’s kind of in the bags? And then also, what’s the what’s the gear to document things that you carry?

Tim Nyhus [00:40:58]:

You know, so, obviously, the the gear that is standard, you know, carry, it was Kate was going on long before any of the recording stuff, so that’s pretty standard. I mean, I mean, you have your, you know, your water, your food. You know, we always bring several light sources. Last thing you wanna do in a mine is have a light go out and I mean, it is there is no light source. It is dark. It is it is numbing darkness. Right?

Scott Cowan [00:41:23]:

Yes.

Tim Nyhus [00:41:24]:

So, you know, typical survival stuff, you know, I mean, you know, you have your different, ignition sources, in case you have to make a fire, emergency blanket, you know, those types of fundamentals. A water purifying pump of some kind, so you can pump water. Just the real basics. As far as recording, you know, honestly, I started off just using my, you know, my Samsung phone. Uh-huh. I still prefer to use it, a lot of the videos, to be honest, just because I like the screen, capabilities of scene when I’m shooting. I have GoPros. I’ve used them a few times.

Tim Nyhus [00:42:02]:

They’re great to wear and have on a a helmet or whatever and just capture everything else that you’re not filming normally. But the screen is really hard to make sure you’re seeing kinda what you wanna see. So I haven’t quite refined that whole deal. I’m still on the fence on it. I use it, but I’m on the fence. So but really outside of those things and maybe, know a power pack, just just in case, you know, to re, recharge. That’s really about it.

Scott Cowan [00:42:30]:

Do you have, like, a satellite phone that works? Because, like, up in Okanogan County, Verizon’s not my friend up there. No. Do you do you have, like, a satellite phone that gives you better coverage?

Tim Nyhus [00:42:42]:

No. Just, if there’s if there’s no coverage, there’s no coverage. I I can tell you the majority of the time when you’re going to these mines, you’re out of service. That’s just expected.

Scott Cowan [00:42:53]:

But from a safety standpoint

Tim Nyhus [00:42:54]:

Well, that’s why you tell your wife before you leave where you’re going

Scott Cowan [00:42:58]:

Give her the GPS coordinates and give her some

Tim Nyhus [00:43:00]:

information, you know, and if she, likes you and you don’t return, then there will be hopefully someone that comes and finds you.

Scott Cowan [00:43:08]:

Which is why you’re not taking these 2 hour detours to Oregon anymore. So you just

Tim Nyhus [00:43:14]:

Yeah. But there is technology out there to your point. There’s there’s GPS devices you can wear that show where you’re at at all times. Right. You could send out messages, like, a certain number of messages, and then it has SOS feature. Mhmm. Probably not a bad thing to to have or get. I think I my hang up was early on.

Tim Nyhus [00:43:33]:

You know, you you pay for the union, then you have this exorbitant subscription fee. Right. So I just was like, I mean, life subscription fee. Come on. Right? But but but luckily, you know, I can say over the years, you know, nothing like that’s ever come into play. I can count on one hand how many times, something went wrong or there was an injury involved. So

Scott Cowan [00:43:59]:

Alright. What’s the worst injury that you guys have sustained to this point?

Tim Nyhus [00:44:05]:

So my first one was actually a broken finger Okay. Which which not the the worst injury, but pretty uncomfortable when it happens halfway into the trip and you finish the trip and and do the whole 9 yards. Right?

Scott Cowan [00:44:19]:

Mhmm.

Tim Nyhus [00:44:19]:

The scarier one, was about a year ago. I was walking on a miner’s trail, and I’m generally sure footed. You know, I don’t really slip and fall and trip when I’m out in the woods occasionally, but not not I’ve seen people do much worse.

Scott Cowan [00:44:33]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:44:33]:

And, I was stepping over, like, some root systems on this miner’s trail, which had been there for over a 100 years, and it’s nice flat miner’s trail. And I tangled my feet sometime, and I went down a 45 degree angle slope on my back. And I had my luckily, I had a a larger pack on I was wearing, so it took the brunt of the, you know, the force on the back, but I slid quite a ways down. And the first thing I’m like, okay. You know? So I feel like everything’s right. And, you know, I got up, and it seemed like, okay. I’m good. I’m pretty good, but I think I separated several ribs.

Tim Nyhus [00:45:08]:

Mhmm. And I didn’t notice that until, you know, probably a day you know, the next day because everything, the adrenaline, and you name it. Right? It didn’t feel bad. I got back to the car. I’m like, whew, close call, but it was it was rough for about a month after that. So

Scott Cowan [00:45:20]:

Oh, and I don’t know why I don’t know what I did. Did you see the thumbs up bubble? I don’t know I don’t know how that happened.

Tim Nyhus [00:45:26]:

I that’s

Scott Cowan [00:45:28]:

Sorry. That was distracting me. I wasn’t giving you, like, alright. No.

Tim Nyhus [00:45:31]:

No. No. No. I could I could barely see it off the side there. So Alright. It was all good.

Scott Cowan [00:45:36]:

Well, that’s actually I mean, a broken finger is painful, separated ribs. Yeah. And, you know, that’s just a slog to recover from.

Tim Nyhus [00:45:43]:

And, you know, it wasn’t even doing anything, you know, spectacular. Right? It was just walking on a trail. So I I the people that know about this have given me quite a bit of grief because I’ve done things, you know, way more risky and unscathed and then walking on a trail that that you know? So

Scott Cowan [00:46:00]:

Are you are you do you identify as an adrenaline junkie?

Tim Nyhus [00:46:05]:

No. I wouldn’t say so. Okay. I would say I am a hyper fixated person when I when I’m really you know, I have a couple of interests in in life that I’m really into. And if I, like, am on the ghost town thing and we’re in season, I’m just I was I’m just, like, one after the next. Every weekend, like, in years ago, I was out every weekend. Now it’s, you know, it’s a one weekend a month, maybe 2 in the right months, but I just my fixation on on something that I’m interested in is just the drive is just, you know, crazy.

Scott Cowan [00:46:37]:

What else are you fixated in? What’s the other you said 2. So what’s the other?

Tim Nyhus [00:46:41]:

Well, my other thing is, my I’m I’m really into, movie memorabilia. Okay. And I so I collect a lot of movie memorabilia. It’s kinda my personal thing. So, you know, I have a lot of autographs, a lot of, prop replicas, some a couple of things that are original production related.

Scott Cowan [00:47:03]:

Just your prized piece? What’s the

Tim Nyhus [00:47:05]:

Boy, I I kinda figured you’re gonna ask that. I should’ve Yeah. Yeah. It goes hand in hand, doesn’t it? Probably, I don’t 1, I would have to say, so I have a phone book page, that wasn’t necessarily screen used, but it was made, as one of the additional ones that they needed more as they shot more takes. Right. Full of page for back to the future. So we’ve already rips that out and looks for doc. Right? Yeah.

Tim Nyhus [00:47:35]:

So I I have one of those.

Scott Cowan [00:47:37]:

Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:47:38]:

And I don’t know. Probably the other one is I have a replica hoverboard for back to the future that I actually got signed by Michael j Fox and Christopher Lloyd and Leah Thompson and Thomas Wilson all in person.

Scott Cowan [00:47:50]:

Oh, very nice.

Tim Nyhus [00:47:51]:

So the the fact that I it was in person kinda makes it more, you know, special on that one. So

Scott Cowan [00:47:56]:

That’s that’s awesome. Alright. So you’re you’re I’m gonna say you’re a movie buff then.

Tim Nyhus [00:48:02]:

Yes.

Scott Cowan [00:48:02]:

Okay. So this is the impossible question. All time favorite movie?

Tim Nyhus [00:48:06]:

Oh, Back to the Future.

Scott Cowan [00:48:07]:

Okay. Back to the Future.

Tim Nyhus [00:48:08]:

For me. Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:48:09]:

That’s that’s it. No no no phone or friend. We’re not gonna call somebody for no. That’s Back to the Future.

Tim Nyhus [00:48:15]:

I mean, it’s it’s tough because there’s there’s close seconds, if not, you know, parallel. But, but that’s I I have to say that’s the one.

Scott Cowan [00:48:23]:

That’s the one? Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:48:23]:

Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:48:24]:

Alright. Yeah. That’s very interesting. You mentioned in season. What in what is the prime in Washington state? Now wash west I’ll probably ask it both sides of the state. So in Western Washington, when is the prime season to get out and explore these places?

Tim Nyhus [00:48:46]:

If we’re talking mines, I would say late June. The the snow level, you know, generally, a lot of these mines are at 25100 or up. Mhmm. So you’ll I mean, you you have a good mild winter. In the early spring, you can get in sooner, but, generally, mid to late June. So July, August, September are really prime. A little bit of October. Generally, we had pretty favorable early Octobers, which is really nice in the fall.

Tim Nyhus [00:49:14]:

Going to the other side of the state, similar. I mean, you know, I I go over there most of the summer months, but you can get over there way earlier. So you can go May, May June, and, generally, you can extend, even into late October, early November. So over there, definitely, your season can be a little bit longer. So

Scott Cowan [00:49:33]:

for 2025, what do you got planned?

Tim Nyhus [00:49:39]:

For 2025, so there’s a there’s some there’s okay. Well, let me let me I don’t wanna spoil anything. It’s not

Scott Cowan [00:49:47]:

gonna happen to

Tim Nyhus [00:49:48]:

say it. Let let’s let’s let’s

Scott Cowan [00:49:50]:

let’s tease a little bit.

Tim Nyhus [00:49:51]:

Well, there’s a there’s a really, really cool historic mindsight, in that, let’s just say, the the Nighthawk sort of vicinity of the Okanagan that I I had the privilege of the owner, letting us go there and explore it and check it out, like, this was probably 7, 8 years ago. And we took pictures and all that fun stuff and have those pictures. Been working kinda hard to, see if we can get back there and do a video and have a friend who is an author, who knows this guy from his writing and has kind of helped reconnect us. And so I’m hoping that this mind comes into play, in 25 if everything works out. Because it again, it’ll be one that I mean, unless you have permission or you’re massively trespassing, you’re never gonna see it. And, you know, this guy is, you know, he’s, you know, he’s not gonna be around forever. Right? So having that that opportunity be really great to see this site. We have some stuff over on the west side, as far as a few mines that we haven’t kind of saved.

Tim Nyhus [00:50:58]:

Not not for any particular reason, just just kind of in where they’re located in order of what we did. Mhmm. And probably, we’re really gonna see if we can focus on some more, former communities, in Eastern Washington. Alright. And like you said, get more into the agriculture and some of the other, viable, aspects of, you know, what grew the state, you know, versus just sticking to the I 5 corridor and then occasionally going east.

Scott Cowan [00:51:25]:

Yeah. I5 or 90 corridors. Yeah.

Tim Nyhus [00:51:27]:

Yeah. Exactly. And, you know, get back in I mean, again, we we did a lot of exploring in Eastern Washington going all the way from a souton to Whitman to you name it and trying to get back over there and do some video. Because the good I mean, the nice thing is we’ve we’ve gone to a lot of these places. We’ve seen them. We know where they’re at, but we’ve never done the videoing. So some of these are revisits, and so now we have some time to think about, k, how do we wanna approach it because we have familiarity and hopefully do it justice and, you know, so people enjoy it.

Scott Cowan [00:51:57]:

You put a lot of work into this. What do you hope people take away from it?

Tim Nyhus [00:52:06]:

I mean, I I I would hope I mean, there’s there’s kinda 2 things, you know, in the vision of the why and what So one would be that people would understand, that there was a lot more, going on and and what kind of hardships that people had to endure, you know, and people are just blown away. If you look at comments, for example, I don’t know how they got that stuff up to those minds. Can you imagine? And and, I mean, it just shows the ingenuity, the thing, you know, the hard work, a lot of the these communities were built on. I think the other thing that’s really important is as we have already found in the time I’m doing this, these places are going away, for one reason or other. Decay, time, elements, fire. So leaving a record. These mines some of these mines are gonna collapse. I mean, some have already, that are no longer accessible.

Tim Nyhus [00:53:01]:

Showing people what these places look like, leaving that mark to say, if you go to the University of Washington, special collection archives, there’s all these great photos by these these pioneering photographers like Lee Pickett and and, all these different other people that documented. This is just another way of continuing that documentation. So there’s a lasting legacy, at of these places that may not be around in the future.

Scott Cowan [00:53:24]:

Alright. I’m gonna go a little out of order towards the end here, but you where if somebody’s listening and they wanna find out and see what you’re doing, where do you recommend what’s the best place to start exploring what you’re doing?

Tim Nyhus [00:53:43]:

The best place to start exploring or start looking?

Scott Cowan [00:53:46]:

For you to find your stuff online. What’s

Tim Nyhus [00:53:48]:

what’s the

Scott Cowan [00:53:48]:

what’s the platform that you think is the best entry level into what you guys are doing?

Tim Nyhus [00:53:53]:

I mean, probably Facebook is really easy just to kinda get a flavor. I mean, obviously, all of our YouTube, material is we we’re we’re really well about, getting that out there ahead of time, letting people know when a video is coming out. We share some of the old videos. So they’ll they can move over to that platform, but it kinda gives them, a snippet of everything. Right?

Scott Cowan [00:54:15]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:54:16]:

And they get to see a little bit of all all of what we do.

Scott Cowan [00:54:19]:

Now I didn’t look at you your your profile on on TikTok because I I never go to TikTok. How are you guys doing on TikTok?

Tim Nyhus [00:54:29]:

I so I laughed because, I don’t I don’t do anything with the Tik TikToks.

Scott Cowan [00:54:34]:

Okay. See, my daughter won’t allow me to go there. She just says no. You you don’t

Tim Nyhus [00:54:38]:

go there. No. Forrest, he does all of the, he does all the TikTok stuff.

Scott Cowan [00:54:43]:

Okay.

Tim Nyhus [00:54:44]:

So he he’s done well, but, I mean, it’s a consistency thing. Right?

Scott Cowan [00:54:49]:

Sure.

Tim Nyhus [00:54:49]:

So with any of this stuff, I mean, timing is starting to have a a consistent basis so people know that you’re you know, they don’t just hit you know, it’s not just a one time shot, look at it, gone. Right? Right. So, I’d say TikTok is probably one of our lower, audience platforms right now. Mhmm. But I think, you know, there’s it just needs some more additional work. And, again, TikTok is the newest thing we’ve we’ve tried to do. So

Scott Cowan [00:55:11]:

Right. I mean, it just it’s it’s a you I don’t know. I don’t know how anybody, you know, with us, you know, it’s you, your son, and and another person. How do you you how do you successfully be on all these platforms? I just don’t I think we have to pick and choose. And what, you know, what what resonates with with us. You you sounds like maybe you prefer Facebook over TikTok personally. So you Yeah.

Tim Nyhus [00:55:38]:

No. For sure. For sure.

Scott Cowan [00:55:39]:

So I would that’s why I don’t I don’t do anything on TikTok. Nothing against TikTok. I just I don’t have the bandwidth.

Tim Nyhus [00:55:47]:

I would say, I I know that YouTube’s probably my my biggest adversary, nemesis, if you will, to try to solve that whole thing. I mean, that’s probably the one that, I’m still, you know, learning the most. So

Scott Cowan [00:56:00]:

I I hate to tell you this. I I know you already know this, but and I’m gonna be master of the obvious. Just when you start to figure it out, they’re gonna change something. And what you’ve learned is now not relevant. That’s just the the, the nature of the online world. I always ask these questions. And so for you, I’m going to give you a little bit different set of instructions. I’m I’m going to ask you where’s a great place to get coffee.

Tim Nyhus [00:56:25]:

Now you

Scott Cowan [00:56:25]:

travel the state, you’re going to Okanagan County, and, you know, you’re you’re traveling around. So coffee, got any recommendations for me?

Tim Nyhus [00:56:35]:

So, you know, here’s the thing, with with coffee that’s that’s tough to give a recommendation is when you travel around and do all these places, you’re not looking and thinking about, you know, what’s the name of this place. You just I love to try different places. I love to go, hey. Or or whatever is available for that matter. Right. You know, a lot of times it’s it’s not it’s by default. So

Scott Cowan [00:56:56]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:56:57]:

You know, I don’t have a name of a specific because there’s so many different places I go

Scott Cowan [00:57:03]:

Alright.

Tim Nyhus [00:57:04]:

And and try. So

Scott Cowan [00:57:05]:

a cop out, man.

Tim Nyhus [00:57:07]:

That’s a cop out. Starbucks. No, I’m just Oh, no. I deserve that.

Scott Cowan [00:57:12]:

I deserve that. So up in Okanagan, have you been to FreeBird? The there’s a little drive through in town, and then they’re also in the IGA grocery store.

Tim Nyhus [00:57:22]:

So you’re talking an actual city of Okanagan. Yeah. No. I have not. I surprisingly, I haven’t spent as much time in Okanagan Mhmm. The town as the out outlying areas more. So

Scott Cowan [00:57:35]:

I I will tell you that if you’re up there and you’re looking for a a good solid cup of coffee, they serve Blue Star Coffee Roasters, which they’re out of Twist. Great coffee. But I

Tim Nyhus [00:57:44]:

I think I’ve heard of them. Now you say Twist, but but

Scott Cowan [00:57:47]:

Yeah. They’re Blue Star and Twist is like Starbucks in Seattle type thing. I mean, it’s just it’s just they permeate the community in a good way. Alright. So you you cop you’re you’re copping out on me. What about lunch? In all your travels, where’s a great place for lunch? What’s good what’s good mine and ghost town hunting food? What are you guys what are you guys pulling over for?

Tim Nyhus [00:58:10]:

I I mean, after some trips, I mean, if, it it you know, if you see the golden arches, you’re excited. You know, I mean, literally, because you’re just dying. Right?

Scott Cowan [00:58:19]:

What gas station has something. Yeah.

Tim Nyhus [00:58:21]:

Yeah. I mean, it can be, but I’m trying to think of I mean, we don’t stop nearly as much, after some of these mine trips as we used to because they just get they get longer and longer and later and later. You know, I really like Zeke’s on US 2, to be honest with you. Yeah. Alright. That’s probably, one of my my go to’s if I am I own US 2 all the time. Right? Oh, okay. That’s that’s a go to.

Tim Nyhus [00:58:47]:

Absolutely.

Scott Cowan [00:58:47]:

That’s a go to. Alright. Alright. What didn’t I ask you that we should have talked about? And the dog the dog hasn’t the dog hasn’t been?

Tim Nyhus [00:58:59]:

He’s posted in the other room with someone.

Scott Cowan [00:59:01]:

That’s all good. Mine mine hasn’t barked yet. He probably will in a moment, so it’s all good.

Tim Nyhus [00:59:06]:

I I think, you know, probably the one thing I would say I mean, you touched on this at the very beginning, and that would be to say that, I think one message that I think is important for people to understand is, you know, we we do take a fair amount of heat, for not disclosing a lot of locations or giving directions and things of that nature.

Scott Cowan [00:59:25]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:59:25]:

And, you know, that’s okay. That’s, you know, that’s, you know, opinions, you know, in the world and the way, you know, you know, Internet works. But I think it’s really important for people to understand that we don’t do it for selfish reasons or to be gatekeepers or anything like that.

Scott Cowan [00:59:39]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [00:59:40]:

I think that that’s a real key thing is that we’re doing it to ensure the sites, are protected. They will go on, you know, the you know, unfortunately, the government likes to step in when things become a little over visited or becomes, you know, they’re gonna hazard to others. So these things get closed up. So, you know, I think a lot of people think we are, you know, just being secretive with our information, and that is the furthest from the truth.

Scott Cowan [01:00:07]:

Right. Well and also, if it’s private property, we need to respect the the property owners. Right? So And

Tim Nyhus [01:00:13]:

that and that’s a that and in my opinion, that’s probably the most should be the most understandably given reason there is, you know, but even the ones that are on public lands, it’s like, hey. The information’s out there. You can find it. You can do your and we nobody told us how to find a lot of places. We just had it, like, put in the work, go out 2 and 3 times and find nothing until we finally landed it. Right? And it it it was a lot of work, but it was rewarding in the end.

Scott Cowan [01:00:40]:

You said something earlier, and I should have asked you at that time, and I apologize, but I’m gonna ask you to, you know, go way back. You were talking about the the mine where, you you dug yourself in and you were only able you’re the only one that able to go to that one, and you said you were digging. How much digging have you guys had to do at times? I mean, what you know, it’s not like you’re walking in. I I guess, are you walking in and there’s a a big mine opening that says, welcome. Come on in. You know? No. But how much how much digging have you had to do in the past?

Tim Nyhus [01:01:11]:

Very little, honestly. I think I can count, maybe 3 or 4 times, and it wasn’t that you know, it was more or less to kinda widen something out that maybe was squeezable, but just to make it a little better.

Scott Cowan [01:01:24]:

Okay.

Tim Nyhus [01:01:26]:

Probably, I’d say there was one that took, you know, maybe more than an hour or a couple hours, to do. But for the most part, very little.

Scott Cowan [01:01:36]:

Okay. Alright. Alright. We’re gonna wrap it up the last question. I told you I was gonna ask you this. You you’ve agreed to play along. The rules are simple. I ask you a question.

Scott Cowan [01:01:44]:

You must answer it, and you must tell me why. Alright? K. Cake or pie?

Tim Nyhus [01:01:52]:

K. Cake.

Scott Cowan [01:01:54]:

And why?

Tim Nyhus [01:01:55]:

Frosting. It’s that simple.

Scott Cowan [01:01:58]:

Okay. So follow-up question. When you were growing up as a kid, was it cake or was it pie in your house?

Tim Nyhus [01:02:07]:

You know, probably pie more than cake, I would say.

Scott Cowan [01:02:12]:

See, I’m I’m I’m this is we started the question. I I I heard this question 2 years ago, 3 years ago now, and and I thought, this is kind of a cool question because it’s, you know, who cares? Let’s say we’re, you know, cake or piping. There’s no wrong answer. Right?

Tim Nyhus [01:02:24]:

Right.

Scott Cowan [01:02:25]:

But some people are like, oh my gosh. I can’t answer it. Some people are like, it’s cake. Can’t argue. Like, you were kind of cake frosting. You’re pretty much camp cake. But now I’m starting to ask. It’s like I I’m I’m of the opinion that it’s oftentimes influenced by our childhood.

Scott Cowan [01:02:42]:

You just kind of with your answers going, you know, disproving my my my working theory, but, you know, that’s okay. It’s it’s just So,

Tim Nyhus [01:02:50]:

essentially, you’re saying that, you you know, like, oh, they could save this a different way. There’s casserole and other stuff in my house growing up, but no casserole today. So No casserole today.

Scott Cowan [01:03:04]:

No Hamburger Helper.

Tim Nyhus [01:03:06]:

Right. None. So I’ve

Scott Cowan [01:03:08]:

got those days that here we go.

Tim Nyhus [01:03:11]:

You know, I do all the way through my twenties. You know, every helper was a staple. So

Scott Cowan [01:03:16]:

So did you grow up did you grow up in Washington?

Tim Nyhus [01:03:18]:

I did. Yes.

Scott Cowan [01:03:19]:

And where where did you grow up?

Tim Nyhus [01:03:21]:

In the Puyallup area.

Scott Cowan [01:03:22]:

And where’d you go to high school?

Tim Nyhus [01:03:24]:

Puyallup High School.

Scott Cowan [01:03:25]:

You went to Puyallup. Okay. Go to college?

Tim Nyhus [01:03:28]:

I did. Green River.

Scott Cowan [01:03:30]:

Green River? K. Interesting. So you’ve kinda just stayed kind of in the the the valley, if you will. I mean, you’re you know, but okay.

Tim Nyhus [01:03:39]:

Yeah. I mean, you know, one of those people that didn’t venture too far from home a little bit, little ways, but now, but not too far.

Scott Cowan [01:03:46]:

Yeah. So I went to Franklin Pierce. So just, you know, kind of kind of up the road, from you. So and I’ve ventured away here too. Well, that’s you, but I’ve lived in Washington my entire life, and and that’s kind of been the the main driver of why I do this is just because it’s really interesting when you pay attention, How many interesting things? I mean, talking to you and and and minds and ghost towns, and and next week, I’m not sure who I’m talking to. And it will be some things every not everyone. There’s a lot of people that are doing really, really cool things all around the state, and we’re really lucky to be here. And I think we and there’s so much more to Washington state than, no offense, Seattle.

Tim Nyhus [01:04:28]:

Oh, absolutely. And I think that’s, you know, and that’s a great point because I think, you know, I I’d stay a large we have a large demographic from Eastern Washington that falls or stuff. I mean, yes, we have a huge on the west, but but, I mean, we we try to do be equal in, you know, not leaving anybody behind or any area behind. Right. That’s why, you know, 22 counties, right, and trying to touch on something everywhere we can find something. If any counties have been missed, it’s just that we haven’t found that thing yet. Right? And if we find it, we’re there. So

Scott Cowan [01:05:01]:

Have you what count give me an example of an accounting that you haven’t been to that you’re that you’re still searching for a place like

Tim Nyhus [01:05:09]:

San Juan.

Scott Cowan [01:05:10]:

Yeah. What would you what would yeah.

Tim Nyhus [01:05:13]:

Yeah. There, you know, there was a lot that, of history and what you know, of in all kinds of stuff to probably go over. I just haven’t got over there. You know? It’s Right. It’s not like I mean, you gotta put in just a little more effort. You know, there’s a ferries involved in figuring all that stuff out and timing and you know? So I definitely, would like to get out there, and and look at that area, for sure. I I if there’s any, probably, I’m guessing I’m trying to think of any probably swing some center central counties that maybe been passed through, but we haven’t really found a whole lot there yet. Right.

Tim Nyhus [01:05:50]:

Well, you know, Ponder it. Right?

Scott Cowan [01:05:53]:

Right.

Tim Nyhus [01:05:53]:

I’ve been there. Haven’t really done much there. Tons to do. Just haven’t done it yet.

Scott Cowan [01:05:56]:

Right. Okay. Alright. Well, you’ve got your work cut cut out for you.

Tim Nyhus [01:06:01]:

Absolutely. Yes.

Scott Cowan [01:06:02]:

And so anybody that’s listening, if you got some place in San Juan County that he should go, go to his website, contact him, tell him where to go. There you go. Perfect. Awesome. Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate you sitting down.

Tim Nyhus [01:06:14]:

I appreciate you. Thank you so much.

Scott Cowan [01:06:16]:

Hope you enjoyed the show. You can reach me on Twitter at explore law state. I’d love to hear your comments. You can also visit our website at explore Washington state.com. If you know anyone who’d like the show, it’d be amazing if you’d share the show with them. This is the biggest way that we grow this show. Good old word-of-mouth. Glad you were here with me today, and I hope to have you listening to the next episode.

Scott Cowan [01:06:41]:

See you then.

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