Appreciation post: That long haul to the inland lake project years back

We drove for days with the old dredge parts strapped to flatbeds, sleeping in cabs at rest stops. Looking at how crews fly in now with modular kits feels like a whole different world. Anyone else miss the grit of those slow road trips to new water?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomaslewis1mo ago

Those road trips were something else, man. Sleeping in cabs and hauling dredge parts felt like real work. Now with fly-in crews and modular kits, it's efficient but kinda sterile. I miss the stories and the bond you built over those long drives. Makes you appreciate how things have changed, but not always for the better.

wesleyjohnson1mo ago

Flying crews in might seem sterile, but it saves weeks of travel that could be spent on the project itself. All that time on the road was tough on bodies and machines... leading to costly fixes. @thomaslewis has a point about camaraderie, but getting work done without the wear and tear is a clear improvement.

claire_ramirez221mo ago

Totally get what you're saying, wesleyjohnson. That saved time is huge for hitting deadlines and keeping costs down. But I feel like we're losing something you can't put on a spreadsheet. Those rough trips forced a kind of trust and problem solving you just don't get when everyone steps off a plane fresh. The new way is smarter on paper, but it builds a different, weaker kind of team. The old bonds came from shared struggle, not just shared tasks.