Yesterday was one of those days you just wish had not happened.
Started out with a delivery for Accessories to a mine on Monday, nice 10 hour day.
Would check into the Hotel at 7 PM, relax, ate a nice light chefs salad purchased form the grocery store and just relaxed.
Sleep was my usual four hours of non constant BS grr.
Would crawl out of bed at 4:45 Am and eat a banana, 15 minutes later I would fire up the work truck, visit the hotel eh ehm, diner for some usual hotel food.
Two hard boiled eggs, one minature slice of french toast and one microwaved sausage I was ready to hit the road.
Nothing eventful as I drove the hour 15 minutes to pick up the MMU truck, or mobile manufacturing semi truck I would use on another site.
It was left at a different mine. It fired up after its usual five minute crank fest, doing the walk around I found that a fuel line used to tell how much fuel as in the auxiliary tank was broken do to age.
I fixed it at least as best I could in the truck headlights. Fixed the burnt out bulb in a clearance light and would be ready to go.
Not so fast, the less than dependable fuel guage only registered just over quarter of a tank, which ment it probably was empty.
A quick kick and a feeble attempt to see into the fuel tank would confirm my suspicions, my ever caring previous co workers had failed to not only mention any problems, but also that it needed fuel.
I would proceed to the mine shop and see what I could find out, namely how far a gas station would be.
I parked amongs the line of Miners vehicles who had just showed up, people were walking about everywhere and there right in front of me was a fox. She was looking scared confused and licking her chops. HOLY SHIT A RABID OR DISTEMPERED FOX! I prepared to jump back into the truck as she looked at me and took a few step forward, visions of the seven shots in my stomach came to my mind. But some crazy fool miner would walk right up to her, I almost yelled, he put out his hand and she sniffed it, he walked on past.
Turns out the Fox is a wild pet of sorts, they feed her breakfast and she follows them around, what an amazing experience!
Next I would have my fuel fear confirmed "Nearest station is 30 miles" yea I was screwed.
I managed to beg a tank of fuel off of them. By then it was now 7:30 am, I was supposed to be on another mine site 50 miles away already grrr.
Off I went, worried about hte scales as this is one of those barely passes trucks, not eventful at all.
I would ring my co worker and tell him to inform the boss I was running late and to please let the mine know.
40 minutes later I was at the mine.
First attempt to load the truck did not go so well, but it worked.
We began to fuel the axillary fuel tank and the crap hose I had tried to fix earlier broke, diesel everywhere.
After listening to a guy who didnt know what to do, I should have just used my years of plumbing experience and fixed it how I wanted, which I would do.
My boots were soaked with diesel and I was praying not enough to get into my socks, this sucks.
Boom swings out over the hole, I hit the switch, and, nothing, flip the switch back and forth, nothing.
Outside mess with the manual hydrolic override controls, nothing.
Miner helping is just staring, I am swearing out loud everyone knows how much I hate this job.
The Auger was not emptied properly so another half an hour following my co workers mistake we would finish loading the first few holes.
Back down to refill, this requires driving under and chute from a Amonium Nitrate bin with a flexible 14 or so inch hose hanging down.
Hose would fall off, and the hose clamps were rusted, one hour later it would re attach.
Miner whom I was contracted for "We HAVE to be done by 4pm today, nothing can stop us.
Trip to the bench, load more holes, back down for the hose to fall off again grr, Im hungy, and at this point it is 1:30 and I realize I left my sandwich in the delivery truck along with my extra water and vitamin water damn it!!!
Back up on top I would load on a hill most people would only want to drive a 4x4, not a semi truck.
We would finish, of course after I had to clean the auger two more times grrr.
3:30 pm, with a picture of Tom Cruise and Mission impossible music playing in my head I would strap down the boom on the truck and head out.
First stop at a gas station to get some diesel and hopefully a snack.
I would grab the last hotdog off the tray and it would roll off onto the ground unreal.
I would be back to the first mine site at 5 pm on the button, only one hour 15 minutes back to the hotel.
The Sandwich I left in the truck had melted cheese from the sun, luckily I had left a banana so I would have that. IT had only been twelve hours since my last snack even, and wow was I starved. Soaked work boots off, had not got to my socks which was great, but they stunk. Flip flops I would drive back in.
Upon checking into the hotel AGAIN I would ask where the best steak in Laural Montana was.
The bowling alley the old lady said who had worked this mediocre job far to long would inform me.
So off I would head up to my room, throw away my work shirt, tear off my stinky diesel covered clothes, shower and down to the kick ass diner.
And wow was I ever craving a good steak, and yea well it wasnt that at all.
A trip to the IGA and some snacks would tide me over with a six pack of beer would finalize another day in the mining industry.
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