She opens the door of the bus and says that anyone who would like a better view can come forward. I do so, since the windows are not great for photography, and ask if it is ok to sit on the steps to take pictures where others can see over me. That’s fine, you just can’t put your feet on the ground – those are the safety rules. The train is approaching the tower and there is a slight wisp of dust where the coal will come out, but it disappears right away – sucked out by fans. As the locomotives come through the tower, we move further from the tracks but still very close. I eagerly anticipate the sound of this massive amount of coal dropping into the cars. Nothing. Hardly a sound. I look to see that there is really coal in the cars and there is. Speaking of not what you expect. It turns out that diverting to watch the loading has used up our time to visit the coal seam and we must return to Gillette. At this point I’m wishing I had time and opportunity to see and photograph more parts of what is here. Perhaps another time.

We spend some time in the outdoor mining museum in Gillette before checking into our hotel. We will be heading for Cody in the morning on our way to Yellowstone.