Goldstrike 3

That morning it was a bit cold but livable because the air was so dry. My son Charles and I made our way into the truck stop and met a few locals while grabbing a biscuit and juice. When I asked about the where-abouts of the mine, I was filled with information by a small crowd that worked in the mine. From the truck stop we headed up highway 766 to the Barrick Goldstrike goldmine. The road going up had nice back drops but a few times on the 20 or so mile trip there were really neat formations you drive through or past with all sorts of colors in the rocks. As beautiful as it is here in Tennessee I have to say I could use a little more of that landscape from time to time. After accidentally turning into a sliver mine that looks much the same at the gate we finally got to the turnoff going to the mine. With mountains and cliffs all around the pavement ended and this really wide dirt/mud road appeared. There was lots of ruts, bumps, and ice in the road and there were signs cautioning everyone to the monster Eucs (Euclid) that also used that road. Euc is a term used to describe those giant dump trucks used in mining operations. Euclid was the original maker of such trucks so no matter the make, Cat, Komatsu, Hitachi, Terex, etc they are all referred to as “Eucs”. I suppose it was 15 or so miles of this road around the mountains before we actually got to the mine.

As I got to the gate there were many other trucks sitting around, some coming in and others going. Most times I get very specific direction about what to do or who to talk to before I enter such a place but this time there were none. There was even more mud and ice as this little area was churned up by trucks turning in, out, and around the gate. I tuned the cb to the channel they use and listen for a few moments and trucks arrived. The truckers would call out who they were, the company on the side of the truck, the company that brokered the load, what they were hauling and where it was from. Sometimes they called out more info than that. Then the gate controller would either tell them to wait or lift the gate and off they’d go. I finally decided to give it a shot. After going through my info there was silence. I pulled up to the gate and suddenly the gate went up and off I went. I had no idea exactly where in the mine I was going except that it had to be a maintenance or parts area because I was hauling cone crusher parts. As I drove the road suddenly switched sides. In many big mines all the roads are opposite of our public roads. Someone told me why but I cannot for the life of me remember what he said but it did make sense. As I drove looking for some sign of an appropriate building I kept seeing the white ¾ ton trucks running around with tall poles an orange flags hanging on them. I figured they were just tooling around handling business and had the flags up so the euc drivers wouldn’t run slap over’em. Eventually I found my way around to the edge of the monster mining pit. It must have been 2 miles across and a mile deep. There must have been more pits because big eucs where coming from all directions loaded to the gills with silverish looking stones. To my left was the pit and to my right was a set of building that looked important with a mountain and hauls roads behind it. I did not see an entrance until I got to an intersection. At that time a huge euc pulls up to the stop. I realized that the hood of the big truck I was driving would fit under the bumper of that dump truck. I saw a little blond headed gal poke her head out from the cab 40 or so feet up and she was trying to tell me something. It appeared she was motioning for me to either get the hell out of the way or for me to turn next to her and go into an entrance into that group of buildings. So I turned right and immediately right again into that area. I had to lock the differentials on the truck to actually get through the mud. I got the feeling I was not even supposed to be in that area. As I passed the euc I looked out my window and could only see the bottom of the hub of the front axle where you might check the hub oil level. That was somewhat of a humbling experience. After I got into what turned out to be the was plant area, which also had the maintenance area I was looking for next to it, I saw several people moving around on foot and in pickups. I asked several of them where the crusher parts needed to go but it seemed no one had a clue. I could have hit the building with a rock from there. Anyways I noticed a small sign over a open door and I saw someone go in. I went in and realized I was exactly where I needed to be. There was a manager and another man going over some plan and I spoke up trying to confirm my assertion. The guy acted a little bit busy so I waited. Then all the sudden he whips around in his chair and says, “How did you find me?” I thought for a second and could only jokingly say I followed my nose….I guess…... Then he asked me again and I shrugged my shoulders and explained a bit about my trip inside the mine. Then he said “You aren’t supposed to be here!” uh….what? “You are supposed to have an escort truck bring you in. Did you go into the guard shack out front?” I said “No. I pulled up gave my info and they opened the gate. So in I went and here I am.” He flipped back around in his chair and made a call. The conversation sounded a little bit stressed. The he gets off the phone and tells me to go back to the truck to wait and they would unload me in a minute. So I go un-strap the load and eventually a forklift shows up to move the heavy wooden boxes. While that was happening one of those white pickups pulls up with an important looking guy waving me over. He rolls the window down with a big smile on his face and says “get in the truck”. So going against my judgment I eased around and sat in the passenger seat. He asked me to go over the details of my foray into the mine. He said, “ I have been here for 18 years and never once has our security been compromised. There have been attempts but no one has gotten through and here you just mosey in here like Mr. Magoo and cause a panic.” I said, “Really?” He then said, “Here’s the deal. You were never here. When you get unloaded, you are to follow me out. You will not go back through the gate, you will go around it. When you pass the gate just go and don’t look back. Is that understood?” I said, “You bet man, and I am so sorry about the trouble, I just did what it looked like everyone else was.” I got my paper work signed and off we went. After getting back to the gate he waved me on and I trucked it out of there and never checked up. I got Charles out of the sleeper and related what happened as we made our way back to civilization (phone signal) and I attempted to find a load home. And being a Friday in the middle of nowhere NV, the odds of doing so were really, really not in my favor.

The trip home is even more of a story so keep checking for it.