the great american vacation, part2 - energy

Drive by shootings (photography on the fly) can capture the truly fleeting image, moment of light and image of interest that is not worth stopping for; a road trip would never end if every curiosity was honored with a stop. Energy makes this economy turn and we cannot escape its production while in the act of its consumption on the road. Click on any of the image to enlarge.

Gasoline and wind turbines under a big sky

Thunder Basin is the largest strip mine in North America and the source for most of the coal burned in Missouri and many parts east of here. This is where the trains come from and to where they return. Ameren's Labadie Plant will burn up to 3 trainloads a day in July/August.

Just to the right of center can be seen the Callaway nuclear plant with a puff of white smoke. The cooling tower is over 550' tall.