Gillette Wyoming

Most of the Escapees have headed down the road so we are taking this time to explore the city. Right outside the CamPlex is this wonderful assortment of equipment used to extract the oil and coal from the area. Dick and I are wishing this oil rig was in our back yard.
Dump truck for coal.....Discount tire doesn't carry replacement for these wheels. Each tire weighs in at 6.5 tons and lasts for 2 years.

This engine is on the market in great condition has worked since 1975 with low speedometer mileage of 2,400,000 miles. The owner is willing to negotiate a price on it.

We went out to the coal mine viewing area and watched these huge trucks haul the coal out of the mines to this conveyor and onto the trains. We saw one train 1.4 miles long filled with coal.
This scoop holds 23 yards of coal. It seemed huge.
Dick is thinking about this tire for our motor home. Hmm only $38,000 a piece.
Coal truck at work. This was on Sunday so we're assuming they work 7 days a week hauling coal.
The coal mines are like a maze with roads going back and forth, trucks dumping huge amounts of water on the roads and gargantuan trucks hauling coal out to the trains.

The technology is amazing. Touring this area proved to be quite an education and appreciation for the source for our energy. Gillette considers itself the energy capital of the world. They produce 40% of the low sulphur coal in the US. They ship 400 million tons of coal a year by way of 83 mile plus long trains a day.

Our last night in Gillette and a sunset to celebrate. Made me think of Mother Teresa's saying:"Quiet sounds of Nature. See how nature, trees, flowers, grass grows in silence. I see the stars, the moon, the sun, how they move in silence." Perfect ending for our stay.