Mine Tour

We've lived in Tembagapura, a huge mining town, a little over one month now and until today, we had not even seen the actual mine that brings us all here, Grasberg. We woke to clear skies, it was the perfect morning for good views of the mine! Departing from 6500ft at 6:45am, we headed up the steep road toward the mine on a 4x4 bus with about 15 other tourists.

Up, up & away!

40 minutes & 4,000ft higher we were at the mill where the crushed copper-rich rock comes to be made into a slurry.

An interesting mix of big natural beauty and big industry.

From the mill we transferred from bus to cable car for another 2000+ft gain in elevation!

At the top cable car station we encountered a crew of workers apparently finishing their shift...

 at 8am!

Overlooking 70+ miles and 13,000ft of elevation we could see the ocean! 

A mineral-rich pool just below the mine.

No... I'm sorry, it's not Machu Picchu. Drum roll please... 

the world's biggest gold mine and second biggest copper mine!

Welcome to Grasberg Mine!

The overlook of the mine topped us out at about 14,000ft!

And this monster looks like a toy Tonka truck when it's down in the mine. 

This is where Mount Grasberg once stood!

We started getting a little crazy with the lower pressure.

Dave made some key connections with individuals from the mothership. ;D

Then moved on to some tractor-bucket calisthenics...

...while enjoying the breathtaking views of Puncak Jaya!

So, if you were wondering where the copper for all of those wires running through our homes and electronic devices and filling our piggy banks came from, now you know!