It's A Long Story...

It was a cool but sunny day with no wind to speak of.  So I decided to go on a little adventure.  I had an obligation until 3:30 so I was late getting started.  I decided I would go take a photo of Helmet Peak, having done so only once, years before.  That time I was simply exploring back roads and stumbled upon it.  This time I was absolutely positive I knew how to get there.

I drove and drove and drove down the road where  I was sure I would find this peak but I hit a dead end, which turned out to be the guarded employee entrance to the Freeport-McMoRan copper mine. After turning around I drove and drove until I thought I should pullover and consult a map.  I could continue to follow the road I was on and drive another 25 miles - or I could turn back to where I started and get there after 20 miles.  While I was trying to decide what to do, I realized that a ginormous earth mover from the mine was waiting for me to get the heck out of its way.  That was shocking.

I decided it was best to take the second route.  If I could save 5 miles, great, considering how many miles I had already wasted.

Again, it seemed like I was driving forever and for the second time today was driving on roads that cut through tall mountains of mine tailings. Finally, I arrived at my destination. I pulled over and leaned against the car to take some shots. That's when I saw the sign (2nd extra). Seems like I was now on the property of the other large copper mine: Arasco.  I thought it was odd that the sign was completely in Spanish because around here almost everything is bilingual.

The blip is what I consider to be the 'front side' of Helmet Peak.  The 1st extra is the back side. I got home two hours after beginning my adventure.

This was my first excursion to look for a blip since my unfortunate "car door slamming on my ankle" incident.  I left the crutches at home and had a cane with me if needed.  I can get around a little better with my new hiking boots.  The heel on the right one is almost as high as the boot on the damaged left so now it's a little easier to balance.  It felt really good to get out.

Q: What do you call a banana who gets all the girls?
A: A banana smoothie.