So the history hunter and I finished our exploration of the canyon inlet and joined the survey team. Their task had not been as fruitful and it became obvious that the proposed site was not practical. In the midst of the proposed new well pad, there was a 20' deep arroyo which became quite violent and unpredictable when the rains come.
A week later, I stepped out to the end of the porch to observe my favorite view across to the far mesa. It was not without great upset that I now saw an expanse of fluttering markers. For me, the impact was as disturbing as the sea of white crosses at Flanders Field, standing so discordantly against nature's backdrop. Their new location was obviously going to be 'in our faces'. Since this is part of the land which we lease for grazing, we would have no input on the matter. All we could do was wait and hope for the least impact possible. I can't say that their activity on our private land is going to be any more magnanimous yet.
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Late last week saw the first activity at their new well site. The big D8R was the first to invade. What amazed me was that it first simply ran rough-shod over the entire area without use of the blade, trampling down anything in its path. It returned later to start leveling out the pad and forming large banks of dirt. It seemed outrageous and offensive that such a large area of history be disturbed but I will show the reasons later..
In this photo taken from the first mesa bench up, you can see the final area that they claimed. This report is truly a challenge for me in that I love to watch the big toys at work and, at the same time, hate to see it make such a deep and permanent cut into this wilderness. This photo also shows the proximity of our new and uninvited guests for the next month. Given our recent dealings with the big gas player out here, I can only presume that this is their little Christmas present for us.On the other hand, as I alluded, this is a fascinating process and I will bring you along on the rudimentary aspects of making of a new gas well from our observation deck. LOTS of big toys and guy stuff to follow.
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37 comments:
Ooooh, goody-goody-goody!!! Bring on the "guy-stuff"! We'd just as well start to enjoy the little pleasures from your BIG pain!
How much d'ya wanna bet that you'll have a record number of FEMALE comments on here, as well? Probably outnumber us "STILL-REAL" men...!
Geez, Bruno, you're wide awake on the tail gun tonight.
I've given up trying to figure out who of the sexes will be most inclined to comment on any of my posts. Overall, I think guys get a bigger kick out of our adventures. I have a few hardy gals who follow the tales but they are rare (and precious). I can't tell you how many guys out here say "Hey, I'd be out here myself in a flash ... well, if it weren't for the ol'lady." Easy enough to say though.
Lost indeed! That really sucks!
My first thought was sabotage! But, I know you can't do that...can ya?
Maybe...just maybe though, you might can get a power connection or some other utility that they have to bring out there at their cost. Picking at straws...I know.
Anyway, whatever comes, good or bad, I will look upon your photos with less enthusiasm knowing they have disturbed your world.
GAS WELL! Isn't that dangerous. You'll have to quit smoking.
Am I precious? Even if I don't like snakes and snails and puppy dog tails?
"snark, snark"- were they referring to their old lady or the one already there? "snark snark".
Do you get anything from the gas company in the way of compensation?Also, is it "sour' gas or sweet, do you know. They tried to put in a sour gas well near the houses here and the town raised such a stink about it , the plan was scrapped. Good thing too. That stuff is dangerous to people with any kind of breathing problems.
Mrs. Moose says she would be there if it wasn't for the old man.
Ah, out of ALL the possibilities left open at the close of your last post, THIS one never occurred to me, Lin. Judging from the pics it looks like they're a quarter of a mile away? The implications are just beginning to sink in, and by that I mean aside from the aesthetics, there's the noise, the smell, the light pollution that will screw up your view of the Milky Way, yadda, yadda. Not good.
Re: I can't tell you how many guys out here say "Hey, I'd be out here myself in a flash ... well, if it weren't for the ol'lady." Easy enough to say though.
Not me. I don't have NEAR the skills required to forge a life off the grid, Ol' Lady or not. I so admire you guys for doing what you do...in part because I know I could NEVER do it.
I'm curious, but is this basically the "color" of your landscape year round?
Mushy, the supreme despair bummer was my first reaction, too. Actually we didn't even think about sabotage because it might harm the field guys. These guys have been pretty good to us and a few have become great friends and adopted kids. Of course, that doesn't mean that we don't think the corporation still sucks big time.
The good news is that this operation should only last until the end of the year. Then the quiet will return again ... hopefully.
Babzy, the gas wells are probably safer than the pipelines running everywhere but I have another story that will probably give you the heebies.
Darn right you're precious - anyone who can hang on through the icky critter and privy stories is a trooper!
Moose, oh ... I owe you one now for that comment. But I probably have scared off a few folks in my tenure out here. Mark just happens to be a saint.
Given that Mrs. Moose has survived your company all these years, I'd say that she can survive the challenges out here quite nicely. It might even seem like an ocean cruise to her. So there! (said with antlers lowered, a couple of paws at the ground and a snort or two)
Ya know, Buck, that possibility didn't occur to me at the time either, given how many holes they already had in the ground around us. Given the number of things that have happened in the last year, you'd almost think they were going out of their way to annoy the s--- out of us. And it seems to be working nicely, intentional or not.
I kind of wonder about that "if it weren't for ol' lady" line myself. How many guys have the ample testosterone to just admit that they doubt they could really cut it or that it's simply not their idea of a good time. Does make you wonder sometimes.
Goddess, yes, that's the way it is out here. Once you're here, you start the notice the subtle changes that the seasons bring though. The sage and the chico definitely have a darker green to them in the spring ans early summer. Where you really notice the change is in comparing the 'natural' colors of the gas field tanks. Sometimes they blend in and sometimes they stick out like a sore thumb. Winter definitely adds a lot of dull gray/green and blondy brown to the ground cover.
Buck, I just realized that I didn't answer one of your questions. Or maybe I was just too embarrassed to admit to how I gauge distance. I pictured myself at the line with the Christmas tree coming down and letting the bike rip. It's definitely closer to an eighth of a mile than the quarter. Blush.
I am trying to think of a N. M. politician who isn't beholden to these people, but so far I've drawn a blank.
(Rats, he thought in his best Charley Brown imitation.)
I guess you'll have to tough it out. "Green" doesn't mean a thing to these companies.
Oh, wait a minute. I've heard of some zoos that have too many elephants. Wonder if you could get a herd of them to handle this problem? They are a protected species, you know.
Oh, I saw a dish receiver, I believe. Is that your connection to the real world of bloggers?
thought you'd like that since you live in the never-never. Hehehe.
Not to worry, Cattie Brown, we knew we might get a rock for Christmas. We also knew that the Great Pumpkin wasn't going to stop up to bat for us.
We'd also get beaten up and bankrupt by the various govts for introducing non-native species (protected species or not). Shallow pockets got to go pound sand.
Here, I'll paraphrase a quote I know you will like from the dean of a regional oil field training program. I thought it was so good that I cut out the article. Cut to the chase: he noted that it was up to the govt to support the program to supply qualified students for the industry or they would up and leave.
I-kid-you-not. They will just up and leave the golden goose patch, just like that. Maybe all move to New Hampshire in disgust? sigh
My first thought was that now you're gonna have to smell that friggin' thing every time the wind blow your way. That gas smell is nasty.
When I was a kid in Missouri in the early 70s we had a huge field at the end of the road that we played in. It was a big open space that adjoined to a thick wooded are with a creek running through it. This place was bliss to us, but one day we saw the dudes coming with flags to lay out the new roads. Not long after they’d bulldozed it into roads and housing lots. We were PISSED, so we’d go out there at night and on the weekend and pour sand down the exhaust pipes of the tractors and break everything we could.
I assumed from those memories that the place probably went the way of the bulldozer and there was nothing left of it now, but I looked it up on Google Earth and it looks just like it did back in the old days. There are just a few more streets, but the woods and creek are still there. I want to go up there and visit that place some day.
You take it in stride sister. Just hope to God they don’t put a huge blaring white light on the top of that tower and blind your view of the night sky. I’d think that would call for a rifle shot or two in the night.
Lin, we have been friends for such a short time, but I want you to know I feel real pain at the violation of your physical world and your exquisite view. What a crummy thing to happen....did they HAVE to put the well right smack in your favorite view?
The only thing that gives me consolation about this is the fact that they can mess with your view but they can never touch your spirit. I already know that about you, my friend. {{HUGS}}
BUT...damn them!!!!
That happened to us ages ago, well it was kind of the same, the dunes that used to be at the back of our house were moved and reprocessed for any traces of gold, now we just this lovely large expanse of rocks
This sucks big time but I am a tad confused.
If it is your land, what gives them the right to park their tanks on your lawn?
My lil bro' was a directional driller for many years before moving into management - they could have parked their rig out of sight and got to the "goodies".
Oh, lin, if there's a buck to made, they'd stay come hell and/or high water.
But here's a suggestion I remember doing (from part of my mispent youth): It is great fun, after you have moved all their pointy little stakes into different places, to watch the expressions on the workers faces when they arrive to do the work. Many laughs abide in this simple action. Practice your "Huh? I'm shocked, thought I heard a vehicle last night" expressions before you do this however.
Moose, we can always count on Cat for a good zinger ... it's his cat-like nature, you know.
FHB, I remember as kids losing favorite wild places to development, too. Come to think of it, it wasn't that long ago that my berry-picking pal and I lost our favorite patches to housing developments. It just kills you to see those places disappear. Wow, we never did anything rotten though - you kids were meanies! I found it a good idea to not revisit places because what they had become ruined my good memories.
The gas here is raw so it just kills you silently without you having to deal with those nasty odors.
The lights? Oh, don't get Mark going on that one!
Towanda, I REALLY appreciate your encouraging words - it absolutely DOES help when I start to feel a little down. They had a pretty large area to choose from for another site so it did seem a little inconsiderate at best. Hopefully the month and some will go quickly. I sure needed that hug, too! Thank you, my friend.
PopeT - I bet there wasn't a darn thing you could do about them messing up those dunes either, was there? It's a terribly frustrating position to find yourself in.
dba, in this case, this land is not ours but fed lands we lease for grazing so we have no input at all. Honestly though, we don't have much say in where they put their wells on our privately owned lands either. We have requested directional drilling from existing wells on our own land and been farted off so far. The exception is Chevron who has been very willing to oblige our desires with a directional drill for their proposed well. I hope they stick to that decision but we haven't seen their final papers yet. So far, they have been the best to work with, a delight in fact.
Cat, wasn't that the most asinine statement? I really did clip pit out to add to my collection of dumb observations.
We must share the same mischievous streak since Mark and I did laugh about the prospect of changing around the stakes in our bad kid fantasies. In the end though, we couldn't bring ourselves to even that kind of minor satisfaction. Fate never let me get away with anything at all so I don't figure it will now either. sigh
"LIGHTS!!!!!WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN LITES"
Oh boy, target practice......can't wait..... I'll bring out my '94 Winchester. It nees a bit of airing out. Red
Red, okay ... I can see that I am not going to have you and FHB out here at the same time. I suspect that you two would have way too much fun ... and that Mark and I would somehow answer for it. grin
So any snow you get doesn't last?
The fact that they put up berms means something nasty might have to be contained...that ain't good!
Well to be fair the dunes werent exactly a natural formation, But the fun we had in those as a kid was second to none.
I guess in a way, it'll be like having your own little hobby ant-farm to watch. People are strange, so it should be interesting.
Goddess, nah, it really doesn't last that long unless it is in the shadows away from direct sunlight. The snow up against the mesa behind the Rat will last until April or May, until the sun swings back into the middle of the canyon. That was a serious blessing before we got the fridge hooked up. It was nature's free freezer space back then.
Mushy, oh yeah ... there are definitely rude things like chemicals and hazmat involved in the process. I get the impression that the containment pit gets sort of cleaned up at the end but then buried under with the liner like a cat would bury a turd in a litter box. Not exactly a totally comforting thought.
PopeT, I did suspect that your dunes were man-made mine tailings. But still, sand is way more fun for kids to play in than rocks. At least it wasn't old uranium mine tailings.
Phlegmmy, it's definitely my own ultra ant-farm to watch. Since they haven't broken out of the glass yet and invaded our personal space, it's been very entertaining. I haven't had to bring out the big stomping shoe yet.
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