Happy Wednesday!
by marycompton
Good Wednesday, morning, readers! Daughter #1 here to write a bit while my mother whoops it up at the Malamute Saloon aka has fun with the Prairie Fam (I don’t know why my brain when instantly to Margaret Rutherford). Last week, I travelled to Campbell County, Wyoming for a two-day photo shoot at the largest surface coal mine in North America, North Antelope Rochelle Mine.
Here, everything is on a giant scale. Note the haul truck parked hilariously next to the normal cars and trucks below.
The trip began with a movie like scene featuring me sprinting through the Denver airport attempting to reach gate B88 from B49 in negative ten minutes. While running in clogs and carrying a very heavy computer bag, I hailed a golf cart who then drove at lightning speed through the terminal as I held on for dear life, my hair blowing back from the wind. Horn bleeting, we careened between people and zipped to Gate B70. I had to run the last ten gates because sadly, the golf cart could not drive down the stairs to the lower level gates. I made the flight but did not catch my breath for an embarrassing long time.
As you can maybe tell, the days began with a 4 a.m. alarm. An hour drive from Gillette to the mine, and then venturing out to shoot locations. This is reclaimed mine land, meaning this used to be a coal pit and has now been returned to its original landforms and uses. We saw wild elk in the distance! Hunting season is about to begin and elk come to the mine lands where they somehow know they will be safe.
The angle makes it hard to tell but the coal seam in this pit was 65 feet high. Other pits have seams reaching 85 feet.
We also took photos in the pit and got to climb on a dragline as it spun around picking up dirt and moving it.
It was very exciting. It was a successful photoshoot but boy those who say work travel is glamorous have never had the jobs I’ve had. I always forget how dirty you get a coal mine. lol.
This train probably blocked traffic in Kirkwood three days later.
It was an exhausting trip and I truly felt like Mr. Smith after three days at the kennel.
