GOLD HILL

WHILE OTHERS WERE OUT ROCK CLIMBING DAN AND RUMME DID A BIKE TOUR OF GOLD HILL.  GOLD HILL IS A FORMER GOLD MINING TOWN THAT ONCE HAD 36 GOLD MINES AND 37 BARS.  PRESENTLY GOLD HILL HAS A POPULATION OF 14, RUMME AND DAN MET ALL OF THEM.

THEIR APPROACH WAS ARDUOUS AS WELL.

THE FIRST PERSON THEY MET WAS HOPPY, THEY HEARD HOPPY HAS A SON WHO WAS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT

THEY HEARD RIGHT

THEY FOUND WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS TOMMIE'S HOUSE SO DAN RUSTLED UP SOME DEAD SNAKES FOR A BBQ.  AS IT TURNS OUT THIS WAS NOT TOMMIE'S HOUSE SO NO BBQ.

NEXT THEY MET JAN AND ELLY, I THINK ELLY WAS THE DOG

AFTER THAT THEY MET LINDSEY WHO HAPPENED TO OWE PATSY TWO DOLLARS FOR SOME STRAWBERRIES SHE HAD PICKED

KEEPING WITH THE GOOD SAMARITAN THEME OF THE TRIP RUMME OFFERED TO GO OVER YONDER AND PAY PATSY THE TWO DOLLARS.  PATSY SEEMED SOMEWHAT CONFUSED BY THIS BUT POCKETED THE MONEY ANYWAY.

JUST WHEN THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD SEEN AND DONE EVERYTHING IN GOLD HILL THEY STUMBLED UPON A SLEIGH.  THERE IS NO SNOW IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY, SO THIS SEEMED ODD.  THE ONLY LOGICAL EXPLANATION IS THAT HOPPY IS SANTA AND GOLD HILL IS WHERE HE SPENDS HIS SUMMERS.