Even though we had registered to arrive yesterday, today was actually the first early arrival date for Escapade.  Yesterday was supposed to just be for volunteer arrivals, but someone had made a mistake when creating the registration page/form on the website.  Not that it mattered to us; we were already here and parked.

We had reservations for a 9:00 AM tour of the Eagle Butte Mine, an open pit mining operation north of Gillette, Wyoming owned by Alpha West Mining.  The tour is two hours long and there are no restrooms available during that time, so breakfast did not include our usual coffee.  (It’s good to skip morning coffee occasionally, if only to prove to one’s self that you are not addicted to it and can function just fine without it.  The result, however, usually establishes just the opposite.)

We arrived at the visitor information center (at the Flying J on Hwy 59) in Gillette about 20 minutes early and checked in.  The tour was by small bus–the kind used by car rental companies as airport shuttles–and was free!  Reservations were required, however, and Linda had made ours on Wednesday.  Our tour guide / driver was Danielle.  Her normal day job is teaching 7th grade physical education, but she had worked production at the Eagle Butte mine in past summers.  Her professional teaching skills were evident as she was very knowledgeable regarding the whole mining operation and was able to clearly explain what we were seeing with a strong voice that everyone could here.

What you see on any tour of a functioning production operation is always a bit by chance based on what is going on at the time you are there.  Your chances were pretty good with this tour, however, as the mining operation is 24/7/52 and the tour bus, which is owned by the mine, actually drives through the mine property and stops at various vantage points and a viewing platform.  We were lucky today as there were shovels and trucks (dirt/overburden, coal, and water) operating, along with smaller equipment.  There was also a train being loaded, and we got to see the loading process from a very close up vantage point.  The trains, with 110 -140 coal cars, move through the loading area at a very slow but steady 0.6 MPH, up a slight grade, even as the mass of the train changes as each car is loaded.  I presume that the locomotives are computer controlled, but I was not able to confirm that.

Eagle Butte is a relatively small mine compared to most in the region, but the scope of the operation and the size of the equipment were still quite impressive.  Eagle Butte is in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin (PRB) where the coal lies in a horizontal layer 100 -120 feet thick below 200 – 250 feet of overburden.  The reclamation process is continuous and very strict, with the overburden being used to back fill once the coal is removed.  The land is returned to its former condition (as much as possible), including the exact replacement of native flora and fauna.

After the tour we returned some items to Wal-Mart, bought some replacement items, and then went to the HealthStyles Market.  Rick still had his 20% off coupon from his FMCA welcome bag and gave it to us yesterday.  We, in turn, gave him some coupons for food items we would not be able to use.

It was warm again this afternoon, but it was not uncomfortable due to the low humidity (34%).  Linda went for a walk and encountered Nick & Terry Russell.  She also met Charles & Connie Martin, who invited us to go out to dinner, which she accepted.  We have not dined out on this trip much as the available restaurant/menu choices are limited to non-existent, especially here in Gillette.  Linda had found the one and only Italian restaurant in town and suggested we go there.  Italian restaurants usually have a few pasta dishes that work for us, and there is always the “pizza without cheese” option, although this has proven to be a hit-or-miss proposition.

We had a quiet afternoon and visited with Rick next door for a while.  The Martins picked us up at 6:00 PM and we went to Adriano’s.  The food was underwhelming, but the conversation was great.  Linda enjoys planning and preparing our meals, and I enjoy eating them, but she also appreciates a break now and then.  Charles & Connie have an MCI 102C3 conversion.  Charles was very familiar with Bus Conversions Magazine (BCM) and its founder, but was not aware that Gary Hall now owns and publishes it, so I gave him a copy of the February 2013 issue, which features our coach.

We got back from dinner at 8:00 PM and decided to go for a walk while it was still light, and before it got too cool.  We walked a portion if the Boxelder RV Park to see who else had shown up and met some very nice dogs (and their owners).  I spotted a motorhome with a very tall flag pole attached to the rear, but no flags.  The owners were outside and I asked if it was a flagpole or a ham radio antenna?  “Yes” was the answer, so we stopped to chat with them.  They have been full-timers for a while but only recently started traveling.  This was their first Escapade.  By the time we made it back to the coach it was dark and cool.  We had a few sweet cherries for dessert and it was off to bed.