The luxury of time

We have been mostly associated with three rigs over the past year. These rigs have been locked in competition to see who can get from spud to target depth the fastest. We continue to see the folks in charge come up with one idea after another to speed the process up. Even though we know we signed on for the nomadic life, we hated having to move every fifteen to twenty days (or less). We finally got the raw end of the deal and ended up "rigless". Unless you are lucky and/or the field superintendent (or company man) steps in, another couple ends up on your rig as someone has to pre-position to cover the gate at the new site. That is why some guards (especially newbies) end up covering a bunch of three to four day gates. This frees up the rig's guards to follow the rig. It is also why some companies don't allow folks to follow their rig. This led to us having to sit for about three weeks waiting to get back in the loop. Fortunately our entreaties to the field superintendent led to us covering both gates for the last move and we followed the rig to its new destination. Soon after our arrival we found out that they were in the process of putting in new pads (at least fourteen) and that our rig would be drilling at least five holes. Whoopee!! That meant that we could settle in and get into a routine, move the small freezer out of the motor home, set up chairs and tables, etc. What a relief and change. Before we were always ready to pull up stakes and move. And; even though civilization is over thirty miles away, we are happy to have the steady work. Ah! the luxury of time.