01x01 - Wonders of the World/Arizona

[bunniefuu]

[siren]

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ We're going on a visit ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Come on,
let's go with him ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ What's that, you ask?
What is it? ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Well, no one
wants to miss it ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ We're going on a visit ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Have fun,
let's go with him ♪

♪ New places,
new faces ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

Inspector Gadget here
with a golden opportunity

to show you a genuine gold mine

and share my nuggets
of information.

Shh.

We'll just keep this
our little secret.

Wowsers.

I guess my secret is out.

And I lost my train of thought.

I'm sure I can track it down
if i, heh heh,

check my top secret message
from the chief.

"explore a mine
in Bisbee, Arizona,

"pan for gold,

"go back in time
to a genuine ghost town.

And don't forget to have
a boo-tiful day."

Go, go, Gadget gold country.

We're at the queen mine
in Bisbee, Arizona.

You can bet those miners were
busy bees down in Bisbee.

It's time to go, go
into the mine,

but first, we've got to suit up
with all the right Gadgets.

Good afternoon, folks.
My name is neto.

I'm gonna be your guide
on this tour.

Now we're gonna go underground.

Hey. wait for the old Inspector.

Wowsers.

That's where the miners drilled
into the side of the mountain.

They obviously didn't bother
to knock first.

Hmm. the world's first
underground port-o-potty.

Guess the public restroom
was too far away.

Neto: if you will look around,

you will find...

Gold! I see some gold
over there.

It's time to check
with our friendly tour guide.

Neto: we have over 2,500 miles
of tunnels going underground.

Bisbee was owned for copper.

Copper? Wait a minute.

There's no gold in here?

Well, of course, copper
is an important metal.

Just ask a penny.

They don't make any sense
without copper.

Heh heh. yes.

Uh, just a little
Inspector humor there.

If Bisbee is known
as copper country,

let's go, go
to northern California.

There's gotta be some gold
in them there hills.

Now, this is more like it.
Gold country, u.s.a.

Northern California,
to be exact.

In the foothills
of the Sierra mountains.

If these are foothills,

look out for the shoes.

On january 28, 1848,

a carpenter named James Marshall

found some gold
in Coloma, California,

by this sawmill
near the American river.

He exclaimed, "gentlemen,

I believe we have found
a gold mine."

Or so they say.

And the rush for gold was on.

I guess that's why it's called
the gold rush.

By 1849, thousands of people
came from all over the world

to find their fortunes.

They were called 49ers.

How many people came
to California to find gold?

In 1848, the population
was only 14,000.

By 1850, it was 100,000.

Leaving precious little
precious metal

for the old Inspector.

Which explains why my Gadgets
are tin-plated.

And here's an Inspector Gadget
field trip fact:

did you know that gold
is so flexible,

one ounce can be drawn
into a wire and stretched

for 43 miles?

Why, you could stretch a gold
wire from france to england,

across the english channel.

Wowsers.

Guess James Marshall was right.

There was gold in those hills.

Let's go, go to Marshall
gold discovery state park

in Coloma, California.

We can pan for what's left
of the gold.

Go, go Gadget gold pan.

Wowsers.

A real gold nugget.

This panning stuff
really pans out.

That's no frisbee collection.

Those are genuine gold pans

at the discovery tour
at Marshall gold park.

Would you believe you can pan
there for gold nuggets today?

Gold is 19 times heavier
than water

and 7 times heavier than gravel.

So it sinks to the bottom
of the pan.

Why, this place is a gold mine.

Well, it's a gold bug mine.

Gold bug is an imaginary bug.

One explanation
of the term gold bug is

"an irresistible obsession
for finding gold."

So when a miner was bitten
by the imaginary gold bug,

he got gold fever.

And nothing could cool him down.

Miners didn't just pan for gold.

In these mines,
gold was discovered as veins

in the quartz and ore rock.

Wowsers. it's dark in here.

Back in 1849,

miners used candles to light
their way through these mines.

Guess they were in
too much of a hurry

to wait for the invention
of flashlight batteries.


We're 353 feet into the mine.

No wonder they call it
these foothills.

Look at that stamp mill.

No, they don't make stamps here.

They stamp the gold
out of the quartz and ore.

This mega-Gadget was so loud,

it could be heard
up to 7 miles away.

Which also makes it the world's
biggest alarm clock.

Try throwing that clock
out of the window.

$600 million worth of gold

was found in this area
over a 10-year period.

Some people did get rich.

Probably the pan salesmen.

Most miners only found
a few pennies, pesos,

centimes, or pence worth
of gold each day.

They should've stayed
at the Bisbee copper mine.

Looks like I just missed
making my millions.

Most of the gold has already
been mined out of Coloma.

Here's a Gadget field trip
riddle:

what did all the miners do
when the gold was gone?

In the late 1800s,
when the gold ran out,

the miners left for greener,
or golder, pastures.

Go, go Gadget ghost town.

Many ghost towns are the towns
the miners left behind.

If these old walls
could only talk,

they'd probably say,
"paint me."

Hey, was that a ghost?

Maybe just a strong wind.

Bodie, California.

Also known as the sea of sin.

Abandoned but not forgotten.

It had 65 saloons.

There's a legend that says
the miners who lived here

gave gold nuggets as tips
to the waitresses.

Back in those days, in Bodie,

this was a dinner and a show.

But when the gold ran out,
so did the tips.

And they stopped serving miners.

A little humor.

There was the end of the fun
and the population.

Looks like they didn't even
bother calling a moving van.

Today, Bodie is
one of the biggest

and most well-preserved
ghost towns in the world.

It's got everything...

But ghosts.

Did you see that?

Did you hear that?

That was the end of the fun
and the population.

When in Bodie,
do like the Bodieans do

and boogie.

I hope you had a good time
meddling in the mines,

going for the gold,
holing for copper,

and pussyfooting
around the ghost town.

So, stay tuned.
There's more fun up ahead

in our next field trip.

Inspector Gadget here.
On my next assignment

at Grand Central Station,
New York City.

Note its clever disguise.

Usually Grand Central Station's
teeming with people.

These cliffs don't fool me.

Hard to believe that this is
a major metropolitan city.

Where are all the trains,
cabs, and buses?

Are those horses?

Hmm. better check
my top secret instructions

from the chief.

"Explore natural wonders

"of the American
southwest. Stop.

"Find the world's
deepest canyon. Stop.

"Find cavern deeper than
a 50-story building. Stop.

If you think you're
in Grand Central Station, stop."

Hmm. if this isn't
Grand Central Station,

then this must be

the Grand Canyon.

Imagine digging a hole a mile
deep and 280 miles long.

Well, you might get something
that looks a lot like

the Grand Canyon
in northern Arizona.

It's the world's biggest
hole in the ground.

Wonder where they put
all the dirt.

Why, this canyon's so big,

it's grand.

Would you believe
the Grand Canyon

used to be a flat surface?

Would you believe
a couple of small mounds?

How about an anthill?

Anyway, the colorado river
caused the land to erode,

forming a huge canyon.

Someone must have left the water
running a long time.

According to my bionic
dictionary,

erode means to wear down.

Wowsers.

Going down...

Over the last 6 million years,

erosion made a huge gash
in the earth,

creating the Grand Canyon

and exposing layers and layers
of ancient rock.

Ancient rock, modern rock.

It all looks the same to me.

That bottom layer
is 1.2 billion years old.

Now, that's what I call
rock bottom.

The Grand Canyon would need
a lot of candles

on its birthday cake.

There are only 2 ways
to get to the bottom

of the Grand Canyon.

By foot.

Or friendly mule.

And either way, it'll take you
an entire day.

No horsing around
on the way down.

And don't burrow, either.

Wonder if I can burro a mule.

Hey. wake up, mr. mule.

You can't fall asleep
on the job.

Man: folks, this is
not a pony ride.

Gadget:
that's the mule wrangler.

Just smile and say, "hee-haw."

Mule wrangler: this is not
a merry-go-round at the fair.

This is a tough, hard trip.

For anybody.

We stress 2 things this morning:

number one being safety.

Number 2 is having a good time.

We don't jeopardize one
for the other.

For years, visitors
to the Grand Canyon

had been riding mules
to the bottom.

These are tourists from 1902.

Hmm...

They were probably hot
in all those clothes.

Wonder if they're
still down there.

My turn.

Good thing I'm wearing
my top secret bottom cushion.

These mules are trained
to follow each other

and stay on the trail.

I hope.

Wait for me, mr. wrangler.

Once you get to the bottom
and dare to open your eyes,

you may see some of the brave
river rafters and boaters

going down the colorado river.

Wowsers.

Stay out of that white water,
or you'll be all washed up.

The colorado river is
actually 1,450 miles long.

Only 280 miles of it cuts
through the Grand Canyon.

But it seems a lot longer
on a raft.

Have room for a mule?

This is the first river-rafting
trip through the Grand Canyon

back in 1871.

Explorer john wesley powell
led the group on a trip

that lasted 98 days.

That was one soggy camping trip.

Hope they packed lots
of clean underwear.

For at least 11,000 years,
many native American cultures

lived in the Grand Canyon.

Like these native American
artists from the hopi tribe

back in 1905.

Here's an unexplained mystery
to test your alertness:

these stick figures are made
of single willow sticks

and twisted into shapes
of antelope and sheep.

They're up to 4,000 years old

and were found in caves.

Did they bring good luck
to the ancient hunters?

Were they ancient toys
for the children?

Maybe old-fashioned cartoons?

No one knows for sure.

[train whistle blows]

all aboard!

After you've hiked, rafted,
or muled down the Grand Canyon,

hop on this antique steam train
called the Grand Canyon railway

to take you home.

It leaves
from the Grand Canyon depot.

[train whistle blows]

when we choo-choo back,
we'll visit the tallest,

the widest, the weirdest,
and the deepest.

And those are just my friends.

We'll all see more
natural wonders of the west,

but first, a field trip fact.

A bird or a helicopter

could quickly fly the 10 miles
across the Grand Canyon

from the south rim
to the north rim,

but it's 220 miles by car
around the rim.

That would take at least 5 hours
in my Gadgetmobile.

It's faster if you release
the emergency brake.

If you go over the edge,

you end up in the world's
longest car wash.

Inspector Gadget here.

And we're back on our field trip
exploring the natural wonders

of the American southwest.

I'm standing
on four corners monument

at the Navajo tribal park.

This is the only spot
in the entire united states

where I can get lost in 4 states
at the same time:

new mexico, Utah,
colorado, and Arizona.

It leaves me in a state
of confusion.

Go, go Gadget legs.

There are natural wonders
under the ground, too.

In 1901, a cowboy discovered
carlsbad caverns

in southern new mexico.

He was so surprised,
he fell off his horse.

Carlsbad caverns are deeper
than a 50-story building.

But you can't see
out the windows.

Caverns go on for miles,
exposing huge limestone icicles

called stalactites.

This looks like pink popcorn.

Unfortunately, it doesn't taste
like popcorn.

Let's go back aboveground
and cross over to Utah.

Wowsers.

It's the rainbow bridge,
the world's largest rainbow.

I mean, natural bridge.


and 270 feet across.

This sandstone bridge
is sacred

to the native American
Navajo tribe.

It's been named one of the 7
natural wonders of the world.

Wonder which side
has the pot of gold.

Finally, we're back in Arizona,
where we started.

Guess my Gadget compass
must be working.

Of course, I was heading
for cleveland.

Go, go Gadget neck.

Oh. just another
sandstone spire.

Now let's go, go
to Monument Valley.

Wowsers.

Monument valley is so big,

it's starts in Arizona
and crosses into Utah.

And that's without passing go.

It's official name is

Navajo nation's Monument
Valley tribal park.

That's a big name
for a big, big park.

Hey. maybe they could
just call it big park.

Take the 17-mile dirt road,

and you'll see why
this spectacular place

is my favorite.

Because it's the end
of the 17-mile dirt road.

Would you believe
that Monument Valley

was once a solid, 1,000-foot
layer of red sandstone?

It's our old friend
erosion again.

Guess we caught erosion
red-handed.

Each monument looks
awfully familiar.

What do you think
they look like?

Well, we've reached the end
of our southwestern field trip.

And are my Gadget feet tired.

I think I should've
stayed on the mule.

We saw some of the world's most
spectacular natural wonders,

rode a mule and train,

and had a good time, too.

Until next time,
go, go Gadget field trip.

[crash]