South Carolina BS thread under new MANAGEMENT and lives in SC

Yep demag is a German company I’m pretty sure. Komatsu actually is the primary stock holder and importer for the heavy equipment in the us. Not 100 percent sure but I think Komatsu released a current version of the old 285. They make em even bigger now! Most of them are in the copper mines in Utah.

 

Once the unions took over safety went up. A lot of the old timers retired once the unions came in.

 

Was an awesome experience. When that shit breaks in the middle of February you can’t just drive it into the shop. You’re stuck working in the bottom of the pit, in snow and muck where it’s 15-20 degrees colder then the temp above the pit. It sucked, but I made enough to put my wife through med school and give us the better life we have now.

Made building engines in a heated building a breeze though haha.

 

I admit I kinda wondered about how you had the good life of getting to go hunting and fishing when you want. Now i know. You fckng earned it, brother.

 

Ya no way I was gunna retire from there. My first day I meet an old timer named Mitch who was a mechanic. I thought he was getting ready to retire, looked to be in his early 70s. He was 49 years old. Worked 80-90 hours a week. Told myself right then and there no way in hell im doing this for 30 plus years.

 

That Bagger 288 is an awesome machine.. it amazes me how massive it is and how much work it does

 

My wife’s a doctor. We have no kids, are smart with our money. I was smart and saved a lot during deployments and invested it. Just worked a lot when I was younger and had to put her through med school.

Now I work whenever I want for the apartment complex haha. I’m truly blessed. The old lady would rather have me around whenever she wants then me working those kinda hours again. Sooo now I work all spring and summer and hunt and fish all fall until I’m tagged out or bored and wanna work again.

I got a month or so left to hunt here. We close on a house we bought dec 7th then I’m gunna do some remodeling and updating. Prolly start working again at the apartments in March when we get super busy. Happy wife, happy life!

 

Ya actually he’s loaded more then most people could even imagine. He had 3 daughters that all went to Pennstate. He paid cash for their tuition and all the weddings. Some people love money, some love working, some love home life. Gotta find the balance that works for you. For him he just loves money.

 

From AOAA it's a giant scoop off of a some sort of crane or escavator. We took a trip to PA and went wheeling in coal country or they did I drowned

'

 

It's tough try expanding your search into Southern Va. I know I found prices there to be cheaper usually than NC and SC or at least where I was looking. May be worth the drive if you can save several thousand dollars.

 

Whaleback is down in the background from this point my phone couldn't get the pic that well but a very cool place I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I will be going back ASAP. Centrailia isn't that far and that place intrigues me I really want to go there and check that area out as well.

 

Minning OSHA doesn't hold a candle to MSHA that's even worse.

 

My grandma grew up in Centrailia, if ya go over the mtn ya have Ashland then the next valley is Numidia. That’s where I grew up. Centrailia is ghost town now. Decent hunting since no one is around, but gotta watch since the mine is still on fire. Most roads and trials are closed. Neat history to the town though.

 

Sounds like the old farmer that I use to live next to. I bought the original house and land. He paid cash for and built all 3 of their kids houses that were no smaller than 3000 sqft and all custom. About 5 yrs ago they finally needed some new tractors and equipment he went to the JD dealership bought close to 2 mil worth of equipment cash. He's put all his kids now grandkids through college. But the family has stayed farming his kids run it now. Man is almost 90 looks like he's 70 because he's that fit and in shape.

 

Oh yeah the history is what interests me. From my understanding is they finally have made everyone leave and no one is really allowed in the town unless it's people monitoring the situation.

 

Yep pretty much. Route 42 and 61 are still open. Might have a few families that are stubborn and won’t leave, but there is nothing else in that town. absolutely sickening when I drove through I saw graffiti on the tombstones in the town. Sad what it has turned into.

 

So the land all in that valley are public lands huh? Man they sure don't mark that well on the maps they look like private where just to the NE and E there are labeled gamelands up near Ashland. We went to Bloomsburg to get my Uhaul driving through a couple of the small towns like Shomokin man there is nothing, I like the feel of it. Reminds me of some of our old towns where there is no big name grocery store etc. People just rely on eachother there.

 

If you drove to bloom you went through Elysburg where I lived. That’s the most populated town around there. Look up wiser state forest. That 9800 acres of public state land. There is another huge tract east of Ashland going towards ringtown. You are correct though, it’s hard to find signs or what’s public or private. I’ve always used on x maps and verified it when I talk to wardens and never had a problem finding public land to hunt.

 

Also reading anthracite used to have a permit. Was for use of their striping land. Guys would take 4 wheelers, jeeps, and homemade buggies from out past shamokin all the way to hazelton. They have land everywhere! Not 100 percent sure if they still do that since the opened up that aoaa park. Just look up reading anthracite, they are outta Pottsville pa.

 

Ummmm we were coming from AOAA to Bloomsburg to get the Uhaul to get me home. Just checked the map yep we drove through your hometown small world. Shit bloomsburg seemed bigger and more populated than Elysburg. But that was the bigger town of the others we drove through.

Yeah NC is the same way to a point very few topo maps show a lot of the public lands there are some that aren't on any of the maps but if you do enough digging you'll find there is some public land that isn't marked.