Standing Into Danger: Down a Rabbit Hole!

Friday, September 20, 2019

Down a Rabbit Hole!

Late Saturday morning I fell down a rabbit hole.
I was answering emails at my usual spot at the kitchen counter,
when the sound of a hovering helicopter caught my attention.

I ran out on our deck to find it,
but it took a minute or two because the helicopter wasn't moving.
I finally spotted it among the rooftops at the top of one of the monopoles
in the new power transmission line running through our area.

At the Top of a Monopole

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

I watched for a bit, but the helicopter was too far away
and I couldn't see what was happening.
I was surprised because I thought all the power line work was finished,
but also because I didn't know helicopters could hover motionless for so long.

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.
I scribbled a note to Terry who was off playing pickleball and stuck it on the tv.
Then I made a mad dash for my car, forgetting to turn off the tv and lights,
let alone shut the front door completely on my way out.
I was afraid the helicopter would leave before I could reach it.

Six or seven minutes later when I spotted it at the end of an unfamiliar street,
it was still hovering in the same spot,
looking for all the world like a fish feeding on a strand of giant kelp.

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

I zoomed in with my little point-and-shoot Canon

and was amazed to see a lineman standing on the landing skid

of the helicopter and working on the power line.

Perhaps even more amazing was to see the pilot monitoring everything
and holding the helicopter in a position with little room for error
for, what seemed to me, a very long time.

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

One or two monopoles farther south, more linemen were working

under much tamer conditions, or so it seemed to me.

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

As I was snapping pictures, out of the corner of my eye,

I saw a man in a hard hat headed across the field straight for me.

Oh !@#$%^! I thought. I'm in trouble now!

I couldn't have been more wrong! He was the Xcel Energy
(Public Service Company of Colorado) representative on the site,

and we had a long and fascinating conversation

(well, him educating me)

about electrical power transmission in Colorado.

We covered a lot of territory:
from our electrical grid and how it works,
to rapid population growth and meeting future power needs,
to developing renewable energy sources such as wind power,
to the public and economic issues surrounding major power projects.
It was just the coolest thing ever!

Thus the rabbit hole.

I have spent many, many hours this week researching electrical power transmission

and learning as much as I could to help me understand it all.

I still can't wrap my mind around the concept of a volt,

but as Curt, the Xcel representative reassured me,

I didn't need to grasp that to understand power transmission in Colorado.

Meanwhile the helicopter had hopscotched over the linemen in the bucket
and moved to another monopole farther south.
Curt gave me his business card and offered to answer any future questions I might have,
and I was off in my car to catch up with the helicopter.

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

September 14, 2019

I arrived home for lunch very late.

Thankfully my husband wasn't upset about coming home from pickleball

and finding the front door partially open and the tv and lights on.

He gets me.

I may very well text Curt.
I have so many questions.
If I learn something cool, I'll let you know!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Waiting for the Ferry to Tiverton

Grand Passage, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada

July, 2016

For Map Lovers Like Me:

Location of Aurora, Colorado, USA

Wikimedia

Area Where I Took the Photographs

(by the asterisk in the lower middle)

Google

Adapted from a Sign in the Park

Red-Tailed Hawk Park

Aurora, Colorado, U.S.A.

30 comments:

nashvillecats2September 20, 2019 at 3:19 AM
What an experience Louise, hope you;re ok. You certainly do see some extraordinary sights. Do take care. and enjoy your weekend.

Yvonne.
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Alex J. CavanaughSeptember 20, 2019 at 4:50 AM
Well you get to see all sorts of fascinating things near your home. I don't know which looks scarier, the guy standing there or the one who was dangling.
You might have to work power into your next story!
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SandiSeptember 20, 2019 at 5:35 AM
What would it take for you to work tied to a helicopter hovering over a powerline... 😯 If it was up to me, we'd still be building fires for warmth. Ha ha!!

I'm glad you didn't actually fall in a hole!
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Debra She Who SeeksSeptember 20, 2019 at 5:51 AM
Holy moly, that seems so dangerous! I know the lineman had a safety harness on, but still! You found a fascinating rabbit hole to fall into, Louise!
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AdamSeptember 20, 2019 at 5:58 AM
Not a job I'd want.
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Nancy JSeptember 20, 2019 at 11:50 AM
Massive trust in each other, and what skills they both show up there. Glad the hole wasn't one in the ground. I still find electricity amazing, and clever people who get the power from water or wind or other means across lines to our homes.great close ups!!!
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Pat HattSeptember 20, 2019 at 5:33 PM
Sure has to be some amount of trust between the two. That is one job I'd never want to do. Bad enough watching them in their buckets, but a helicopter, nope lol I'll stick to delivering what they need. Great that you got to learn a lot sometimes going down a rabbit hole isn't a bad thing.
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Rain September 21, 2019 at 2:37 PM
Very cool! I love the photos!
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L. Diane WolfeSeptember 22, 2019 at 6:43 AM
That was nice of him to educate you. All the while getting an amazing view, too. Those are some great close up shots.
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BarbSeptember 22, 2019 at 1:26 PM
Cool photos - I can't imagine having the job of either the pilot or the lineman! We just signed on to use Excel's renewable energy so our bills will go up. When Bob asked what percentage of people do that, we were shocked to learn only about 5%. People talk about climate change and saving energy, but I don't guess they want to pay for it.
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KezzieSeptember 22, 2019 at 3:43 PM
That is utterly..... terrifying!!!! I can't imagine doing that job. SO, so precarious! I am not surprised you were compelled to go and look closer! How nice of that man to come and talk to you!x
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Magic Love CrowSeptember 22, 2019 at 8:47 PM
That is so cool!!! I love the pictures!!! So happy you left the house and ran after the helicopter! LOL! Big Hugs!
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bailiSeptember 24, 2019 at 12:34 AM
Wow this is wonderful post dear Louise and thank you for sharing it :)

your curiosity is awesome and i share some of it lol

i found your photos great and fascinating :)
very well captured and thoughtfully :) i smiled over your rush to outside out of curiosity and for snapping of course ,how lovely that you still own a child like soul ,free ,happy and full of curiosity
this is so nice of representative that he shared the technical information with you so far ,reminded me day when we visited the grid station and i almost irritate the guys on management of control room with my questions lol
i am not surprised that you are still trying to learn more about the topic and i would love to know if you share something more interesting my wonderful friend!\hugs and blessings!
thank you so much for your always so special and insightful comments ,i feel blessed and honored truly !
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Theresa MahoneySeptember 24, 2019 at 10:33 AM
I would be terrified to be in the bucket let alone standing on the rails of a helicopter! I swear, you see the most interesting things in your area! How lovely of Curt to offer up additional information on how it all works. Do come back and share any interesting facts or tidbits you might learn!
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