8: back on the road

Dear Friend,

How are you? I posted my last Tracks by the Post '7: a bookmark' on February 16th. I’m sure that a lot has happened in your world since then. The middle of February seems like an eon ago, we’ve been thinking of you, hoping that you and yours have been doing well! Perhaps you have news!? A new puppy? Someone’s growing a beard? Your family has asked you to bring your impossible quiche to brunch? Please don’t hesitate to write to us, we’d love to hear from you!

On Monday, Frank and I left to go back on the road. And yes, we do want to continue posting Tracks by the Post when it is possible.

So, I will try to post a Tracks blog/letter as close to every Sunday as possible.

Orange Grove is a campground in Bakersfield, CA, that is in an actual orange grove. I wish I could share the scent of the orange blossoms!

It was a great place to stop for the night. Incredibly clean bathrooms, flat, maintained, quiet property…  They expect visitors to pick the fruit, which we did.

Nothing like the sweet, tangy juice of fresh picked oranges!

Onward we drove, continuing south, and took the exit to visit the U.S. Rio Tinto Boron mine in Boron, CA.

A gigantic dump truck was on display in the parking lot along with an 11’ tire, a bronze statue team of mules and, of course, an incredible view of the pit.

This is the largest open pit mine in California. And though we were familiar with 20 Mule Power Borax laundry soap, we learned that the borate that is mined and produced at this plant in Boron, CA, is a critical component in manufacturing thousands of every day items. Ipads, tablets, cell phones, Pyrex, skin care, wine bottles, cleaning products … the list goes on and on.

This Boron, CA, mine supplies one third of the world’s borate demand and is gainful employment for the people of little town of Boron and other little towns close by. And, as this mine will eventually run out of borates, the company has been working on sustainability, for the land and for the employees of the mine.  

They’ve discovered ways of using byproducts of the mining process to extend the life of the mine and the jobs of the townspeople. For instance, clay is a byproduct of mining for borate. In the process of mining for kernite to make borate, clay has already been separated from other elements and is otherwise ‘waste.’ But this clay can be used in production of cement and other products, a solution that both cleans up the land and creates more jobs.

Read more about Rio Tinto’s mission to “achieve better outcomes for our people, the planet, communities, and customers.” 

Frank and I met Mary Beth Garrison, External Relations, and were invited to take a tour of the mine (and to join the gang for lunch afterwards). Thank you, Mary Beth!

Before the tour, the mine staff supplied steel-toed boots, hard hats, safety vests and goggles. As we were guests among the shareholders at this special tour event, we listened to an informative report from Rio Tinto C.O.O., and then watched a safety video before loading up on the bus.

The mine is about 1 and three quarter miles wide by nearly 2 miles long. Each shelf of the mine is about 50’ high. It is around 800’ deep in places, (this varies as digging and blasting occur).

There is a fault line that runs through the mine, you can see the variance in deposit color. 

Kernite (aka: rasorite) is a clear crystal-like, very fragile rock that is crushed to make borate. We were all encouraged to take a few pieces home with us.

We learned a lot about the importance of this little mining town way out in the desert, and are happy that we stopped in. Thanks, again, Mary Beth!

We’re looking forward to sharing more about what we’ve been up to in future posts. And, again, we hope that you will write to us and let us know how you’ve been doing!

Thank you for being here to read Tracks by the Post. We are grateful for your care to be here and for your thoughts and prayers as we travel on.

Wishing you a day full of beautiful hours!

Gently Be,

Leslie and Frank

Dear Frank, Thanks for the photos, love, Leslie