Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Jan 23 - 24

   Revised
Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Saturday, January 23, 2016
Morning 31 Degrees, Wind N 7 & gusting to 8  Mph, Humidity 97%, mostly sunny.
Afternoon 59 Degrees, Wind NNE 5 & gusting to 11 Mph, Humidity 35%, mostly sunny.
 

Looking in from the street

Seven o’clock I was at the new gate closer and a shorter commute from Buster with dawn gust breaking in the eastern sky. At the moment it is slow. Our company gate generator and shack trailer were moved here by the gate coordinators earlier this morning. Stretched out thru the day different types of equipment came in to the work area keeping me busy all day thus time passed quickly. My wive's evening was slower but she had company.

While we were changing shift there were still a number of vehicles coming in the gate and as one pulled forward to go into the work area there was this black dog wandering over to us. He stayed with my wife all night even sleeping in the shack. He was concerned about being alone inside the shack, that was not going to happen.

Looking in to the work ares and the wing sock on top of the tanks

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Sunday, January 24, 2016
Morning 34 Degrees, Wind variable calm, Humidity 92%, partly cloudy.
Afternoon 71 Degrees, Wind SE 9 & gusting to 30 Mph, Humidity 54%, partly sunny.

Toady was much slower gate traffic and time passed much slower. I relieved my wife a little early and my day passed much slower. The wind was very noticeable throughout the day as the wind sock was stretched out straight most of the day. All of the well sites have wind socks for wind direction indication. If H2S gas is detected people present in the area need to know wind direction to escape in a cross or up wind direction avoiding low areas.

Sunrise Sunday

After we changed shift in the morning my wife pulled out over the cattle guard a rabbit came out and the dog alerted on it, both stopped and looked at each other for thirty seconds then the rabbit ran along the fence line disappearing into the tall grass. With that the dog stood for a few more seconds and realized my wife was gone and trotted off to the work pad area.

The rabbit has moved on down the fence line

This was what I saw most of the day at the work area

Thought for the day:
A lot of RV blogs you will see the people and the food  they are eating in a restaurant.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Jan 19 -

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Morning 43 Degrees, Wind calm & variable, Humidity 92%, mostly sunny.
Afternoon 6 Degrees, Wind  & variable gusting to  Mph, Humidity %, .

Back to work today at the same gate we were at last week. There is routine here with shift change, vehicles in and later the previous shift leaving. We record company, drivers name, total number of people in vehicle, time in and vehicle plate number. When this vehicle leaves we record the time out. This is two times a day starting when the first one of the shift shows up and ends when the last of the previous shift leaves. The time is about four forty-five to six forty-five vairing from day to day. During the day service deliveries or maintenance vehicles show to provide their service, delivering fuel for light towers or equipment diesel engines. There are sale people that are coming to get a “ticket signed”. These are companies supplying services to the oil company at the site. They need the “company man” to sign their work ticket signed. The company man is the person in charge of the work being performed and must sign for the service provider to be paid. Even our gate guard company needs to get tickets signed for our services.


Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Morning 50 Degrees, Wind calm, Humidity 97%, mostly cloudy, patchy fog.
Afternoon 59 Degrees, Wind ENE 2 & gusting to 7 Mph, Humidity 72%, mostly cloudy.

This is the work site looking up from the gate in the foggy morning.

The work pace has picked up as the company man does not want any sales people that are not providing service or no visitors that are trying to sell their service to the company man. It is interesting to note that when a drill rig or a workover rig or a crane is put up in the air, sales people from all types of service start showing up to give their pitch selling their companies service to the work site.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Thursday, January 21, 2016
Morning 62 Degrees, Wind SSE 1 & gusting to 2  Mph, Humidity 95%, overcast.
Afternoon 6 Degrees, Wind NNW 3 & variable gusting to 16 Mph, Humidity %, mostly sunny.

Looking like the work here will complete tomorrow with the gate job closing at this well site. The crane has been up in the air most of the month and now that I am turning away sales representatives the “word” seems to be out and fewer are arriving at the gate. Even today with the job nearing completion even representatives with tickets to be signed are being told to come back tomorrow.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Friday, January 22, 2016
Morning 38 Degrees, Wind WNW 1 & gusting to 2 Mph, Humidity 77%, mostly sunny.
Afternoon 56 Degrees, Wind  & variable gusting to  Mph, Humidity %, mostly sunny.
 

 This is the work site latter in the day with the workmen up on the man list the equipment is disconnected from the well making an equipment change.
The work finished up overnight while my wife was on shift. When I came in to start my shift she had packed up our things ready to move out immediately. That did not happen there was a slightly smaller day shift arriving and the “rig down” started mid to late morning lasting the rest of the day shift. Rig down involving flat bed trucks coming in to pickup equipment and other vehicles parked on site leaving with most of that taking place by three-thirty. I closed the gate closed gate about four-thirty in the afternoon. This gave my wife the night off and we had another gate opening at seven o’clock tomorrow at another location. Shucks I thought we were going to have a day or two off the gates.

Well site just before I left the gate. some equipment remains to be removed

Well head there after work in the left side

During a recent password audit by a security company, it was found that an employee was using the password:
“MickeyMinniePlutoHueyDeweyLouieDonaldGoofySacramento”

When asked why she had such a long password, she rolled her eyes and said, “Hello! It has to be at least 8 characters and include at least one capital.”

What is her hair color?

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Jan 16 - 18

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Saturday, January 16, 2016
Morning 46 Degrees, Wind N 1, Humidity 85%, partly cloudy rain (0.30).
Afternoon 62 Degrees, Wind NE 3 & gusting to 10 Mph, Humidity 64%, sunny.
 
My wife and I went to Kenedy for a few things I for got yesterday and to fuel Tan Jan,
gasoline price has dropped to $ 1.439 in Kenedy TX. Gasoline in Yorktown is $1.699 a gallon. The picture is Buster parked at Ironhorse Ranch.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Sunday, January 17, 2016

Morning 33 Degrees, Wind N 2 & gusting to 3  Mph, Humidity 89%, mostly sunny.

Afternoon 6 Degrees, Wind  & variable gusting to  Mph, Humidity %, .  

   

We stayed at Buster and relaxed watching NFL football.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Monday, January 18, 2016

Morning 37 Degrees, Wind variable calm, Humidity 96%, mostly sunny.

Afternoon 64 Degrees, Wind ESE 3 & gusting to 4 Mph, Humidity 71%, mostly sunny.  

   

I went to Kenedy in preparation for our work week and gasoline is down again to $1.419. Stocking up for the work week. As I know it now we are working four days then off for four days. So basically a four day work week. 

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Jan 15

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Friday, January 15, 2016
Morning 48 Degrees, Wind NW 2 & gusting to 7 Mph, Humidity 98%, sunny.
Afternoon 73 Degrees, Wind W 7 & gusting to 17 Mph, Humidity 35%, sunny.

First day off of our four day weekend and of course the only thing we're going to do today is shop. I was up early couldn't sleep got some computer time and got a post up on the blog. My wife got home after her shift had some breakfast took some time and then went to bed for a nap. Mid morning I went to Kenedy Walmart to transfer prescriptions for my wife and myself. While there some picked up  some groceries also. The prescriptions were ready fast as this is a mini supercenter. Gasoline was $1.43.9 a gallon. Then HEB to finish grocery shopping and return to Buster. After my wife got up we went to Victoria for some other shopping and dinner.  I purchased gasoline for both vehicles to have then full before starting our work week.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Jan 12 - 14

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Morning 39 Degrees, Wind SE calm & variable, Humidity 94%, partly sunny.
Afternoon 60 Degrees, Wind N 4 & gusting to 9 Mph, Humidity 52%, partly sunny.  

   I had stored under Buster for a long time (never know when you want this) a electric clock radio, I got it out and set the alarm for zero dark thirty. When I got up I reset it for the afternoon get up for my wife. When she came to the gate in the afternoon she brought the clock radio with her for the radio listening during her overnight shift. Now we are using the alarms on our telephones for waking up. We normally do not have the telephones on the bedroom at night some other people we hear actually check their telephone during the night.

Looking in from the road at the gate area

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Morning 41 Degrees. Afternoon 64 Degrees, Wind variable gusting to 5 Mph, Humidity 72%, partly sunny to mostly cloudy.  

 

I used the radio today listening to talk radio helping to fill the time between vehicles coming or going from the gate. It does help pass the time waiting for vehicles. It seems like every day they are disconnecting the equipment and changing something inside and reconnecting, no picture never thought to take one.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Thursday, January 14, 2016

Morning 50 Degrees, Wind E & variable gusting to 1 Mph, Humidity 85%, overcast.

Afternoon 64 Degrees, Wind SE 2 & gusting to 4 Mph, Humidity 56%, sunny. 

Today is our last work day and then a four days off, yea. The days are getting routine with the regular shift change and daily visitors. Officially the work day starts at six in the morning, are required to have transportation available at the gate in case of emergencies, are fire retardant clothing pants and shirt with safety (steel toe) shoes. We have attended oil company safety training, H2S gas safety training and a gas mask fit check (part of H2S training). That is why we have rented a car and if we are assigned different gates we need additional transportation.  

 

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Jan 10 - 11

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Sunday, January 10, 2016
Morning 34 Degrees, Wind N 3 & gusting to 6 Mph, Humidity 85%, partly sunny.
Afternoon 50 Degrees, Wind ne 1 & gusting to 3 Mph, Humidity 59%, mostly sunny.
 

A little hard getting out of bed today after putting in twelve hours, commuting and making (heating up leftovers) my own dinner. But I needed to relieve my wife after her twelve hours on the gate site.

The picture was taken from inside the gate looking out. The tree on the left is blocking a view of the while pipe fence of the first gate I was posted at last week. The road to the right of the picture is the way we drive in from the FM road. The second generator is there because of power surging and lights going out.

The television’s owner showed up this afternoon to take it to another site. It was nice having it for the football games. I did get to watch the first game again today. I watched some of the second game at home in Buster before going to sleep last night and again to night. the company also supplies a small, microwave oven and refrigerator in the shack. Same routine again today the weekends are usually slower with fewer “visitors” checking on work progress. Besides today the equipment was disconnected most of the day from the well.

The crane is holding equipment in place to send a probe down the well.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Monday, January 11, 2016
Morning 32 Degrees. Afternoon 54 Degrees, Wind NE 1 & gusting to 2 Mph, Humidity 78%, partly cloudy to overcast.

The equipment was reconnected to the well this morning and back to weekday routine of gate traffic coming and going but it is a low volume gate, vehicles coming and going. It was a longer day for me without the television to help past the idle time between vehicles coming and going. I’ll have to bring more with me for the idle time awaiting vehicles. We are going to continue working this gate until Friday morning when my wife is relieved. We will have four days off and come back to this gate for another four days. For now we will continue the cycle of four on and four off. Cell telephone service is in and out the best being four G two bars and it is not steady changing to three G and one X and no service. It is like now it is there and it is gone (service). Texting is the most reliable service but that is in and out with some text not sent messages, requiring re-sending the text message. 

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Jan 7 - 9

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Thursday, January 7, 2016
Morning 54 Degrees, Wind NW 2 & gusting to 5 Mph, Humidity 97%, partly cloudy fog.
Afternoon 67 Degrees, Wind WSW 4 & gusting to 7 Mph, Humidity 71%, mostly sunny.
 
We went to Kenedy for more fire retardant clothing another shirt for me and a pair of pants need three sets for the laundry cycle. We will work the weekend and Monday at the gate in the picture.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Friday, January 8, 2016

Morning 48 Degrees, Wind WSW 1 & variable gusting to 2 Mph, Humidity 97%, fog.

Afternoon 66 Degrees, Wind SSE 5 & gusting to 6 Mph, Humidity %, mostly sunny.  

   

Just hanging out today mulling work tomorrow. Making a list of what I want with me lunch snacks water drinks. Things to keep me going thru the day shift and other  comfort things. 

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Saturday, January 9, 2016

Morning 34 Degrees, Wind  & variable gusting to  Mph, Humidity %, mostly cloudy .

Afternoon 61 Degrees, Wind N 5 & gusting to 14 Mph, Humidity 67%, mostly sunny.  

 

 

The picture above was taken last Wednesday from the first gate I was at. The crane up in the air is where I am at today. The light to the left is where I am located.

 

I was on the gate site at five-thirty to relive the night watch and settled in for twelve hours of work. Only a sixteen mile commute from the RV park and it is an easy trip on FM paved roads most of the way. My wife relived me at five. Nothing exciting happened today as it is Saturday or weekend routine. Just the workers changing shift and service trucks delivering or picking up. A previous gate guard has brought a television to the guard shack so I was able to watch the early NFL wildcard playoff game, yea for me. Basically one channel on the television a local over the air (antenna, twenty something rabbit ears) UHF digital that actually has four feeds. The fourth has a weather show all day, with the other three ABC, NBC and CBS. The “rabbit ears worked pretty good but did need some adjusting at times during the day.

This picture was taken outside the gate shack.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Jan 5 - 6

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Morning 37 Degrees, Wind NNE 2 & gusting to 3 Mph, Humidity 88%, partly sunny.
Afternoon 63 Degrees, Wind NE 8 & gusting to 9 Mph, Humidity %, mostly cloudy.

Look in to the gate site

I was on time at the gate, the directions were correct and good. I had also checked the location on my map program last night. Driving to a new location in the dark for the first time is is not my “cup of tea”. This is not “new” work site just new to me. Paul was already there and I would be there with him all shift. The oil company is winding down the work task at this site as starting yesterday there was a large move out of equipment with more coming out late today. I will work the site alone tomorrow but it will also close after more equipment comes out.

Looking out from the gate site

The gate guard setup with a generator and a trailer shack is different than having Buster there on the gate site but we can deal with it. The location is sixteen miles from the RV park so it is not a bad commute, and there is no traffic to deal with in the small town. This is “was” a twenty-four hour gate and the gate guards can agree to shift change when ever they wish between five and six. Paul had relieved the night guard at five this morning. Paul and I were relieved at five-fifteen this evening and we had some sunlight driving home to Buster.

The way I came to the gate

There is another gate there at the end of the road. Right of center there is a crane up in the air at the work site.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Morning 52 Degrees, Wind ENE 4 Mph, Humidity 98%, cloudy overcast.
Afternoon 62 Degrees, Wind NE 5 Mph, cloudy overcast rain.

This was an easy day for me and short, less than twelve hours. I relieved Robert at five o’clock with no vehicles coming to the gate before six-thirty. Then it was only one until nine-thirty when the “big rush” came with two flatbed trucks and four pickup trucks. These vehicles were all gone before ten-thirty and I closed the gate and left for Buster.

Bonnie worked another gate with Mary Jane today near Karnes City about twenty-eight miles from Buster.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Jan 2 -

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Saturday, January 2, 2016
Morning 40 Degrees, Wind NW 3 & gusting to 4 Mph, Humidity 93%, rain (.32).
Afternoon 42 Degrees, Wind NW 3 & gusting to 5 Mph, Humidity 93%, rain.
 
An all day rain totaling just under an inch measured. We took a ride to Victoria, Texas (southeast of here) to check out the area. We have not explored Texas east of interstate thirty-seven as all of our gates have been on the west side or west of interstate thirty-five. It is a city of over sixty thousand population the biggest in the area we are unless you go to San Antonio.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Sunday, January 3, 2016

Morning 41 Degrees, Wind NNE 2 & gusting to 5 Mph, Humidity 96%, overcast rain.

Afternoon 59 Degrees, Wind NNW 3 & gusting to 11 Mph, Humidity 61%, partly sunny.  

Late morning the sun started coming out for the first time in a while and it felt good. Last NFL Sunday of the regular season.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Monday, January 4, 2016

Morning 37 Degrees, Wind N 1 & gusting to 3 Mph, Humidity 87%, mostly sunny.

Afternoon 63 Degrees, Wind  & variable gusting to  Mph, Humidity %, mostly sunny.  

   

Busy day for us running around getting ready for work we were out and on the road early today. First up was thirty miles to Kenedy for fire retardant clothing, shirts and pants last week we picked up safety shoes. Called our coordinator for the H2S gas training class that would start at ten o’clock, it did not work out. We drove thirty-three miles further southwest to Three Rivers for two things, we got our pants hemmed for free (sister store) and a H2s class at two o’clock.

In between these we put a better effort into getting a rental car and have some lunch. We called around the local cities everything but San Antonio, so we were on line to Expedia clicked on rental cars and made a reservation at the airport for later today for a compact car for a month. It was the lowest price we could find anywhere. 

This will allow us to work two gates. When we are out at different work sites we each are required to have transportation if there is a safety issue at the work site. After the class we headed to San Antonio airport (eighty-two miles mostly interstate highway) to pickup the rental car stopped for some last minute things at the store. Our coordinator contacted me for a gate in the morning, be there at the gate at five-thirty. After the shopping and to stay out of rush hour traffic we stopped for dinner before going home. 

We had no rust hour traffic but there was a detour at the exit we wanted to take for construction. Then at the detour exit there was a stalled car in the left turn lane but it is dark now and we are familiar with the area, fun. Eighty-three miles later we are home a thirteen hour day. Work tomorrow sleep fast four am comes early.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX -Jan 1

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Friday, January 1, 2016
Morning 44 Degrees, Wind NE 6 & gusting to 10 Mph, Humidity 89%, rain.
Afternoon 50 Degrees, Wind NNW 5 & gusting to 11 Mph, Humidity 90%, rain (.26).
 
Bowl Games Day, a lot of college football on television today. Yesterday after the safety meeting we stopped at the new HEB grocery ant gas station. Interesting there is a convince store and McDonald”s with gasoline selling at $ 1.509 a gallon. I was thinking of the time about a year and a half back about gasoline selling at this price and thought that it was only a memory never to happen again. I also dream of the $ .249 per gallon I paid in 1973 buying 48 gallons about twelve dollars.

Even the diesel fuel under two dollars seems like fantasy after feeling that $3.699 in 2014 was a “cheep” price. Who ever thought the OPEC oil cartel would pump and sell as much as they could produce after limiting production for so many years. Even our round trip east this summer diesel purchases were at least one dollar per gallon less than the year before.

One location that I purchased diesel over five years, Tallahassee, Florida (2015 - $2.529) (2014 - ($3.889) (2013 - $4.269) (2010 - $3.169) (2009 - $2.669). The lowest price per gallon I paid for Buster is $ 1.889 per gallon in March 2009 in Eloy Arizona. The most we paid for diesel fuel in Tampa, Florida May 2008 $4.699.

We are still admiring, a year latter, that we have done the right thing in changing the refrigerator to the residential type. We are able to store more and the temperature is constant thirty-eight degrees, not fluctuating from forty-four to sixty-four degrees.

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Dec 31

Iron Horse RV Ranch - Yorktown, TX - Thursday, December 31, 2015
Morning 44 Degrees, Wind NE 5 & gusting to 8 Mph, Humidity 84%, overcast.
Afternoon 54 Degrees, Wind NE 5 & gusting to 9 Mph, Humidity 65%, mostly cloudy.
 

We were in Kenedy, TX (twenty-four miles southwest of Buster’s parking) at seven thirty for a eight AM safety meeting from the oil company. Needed this safety meeting and FR (fire retardant) clothing (long sleeve) and safety shoes (hard toe). Looks like Monday for the H2S gas safety training and more clothing. I was only able to buy one shirt today and need more, as they do need to be washed once in a while. This job will be six to six so there is no night work.