Tuesday 13th

Oh, what a superb day and the best so far  !

Our day started at 7:15 with a view like this ......



And before we got onto the Grayline bus to Tinaja Hills, I found this .....

The drive out to the Demonstration Facility took 1 hour, and when we arrived there, Jeff Fitch (Facility Manager) was waiting for us at the entrance. What a special welcome.

It was a very relaxed start with some coffee and donuts and getting to know Jeff and Jim Deputy. Then Jeff took us through a presentation on the facility and also the wildlife. We learned to respect the current critters out there which include rattle snakes, tarantulas, bobcats (no, not the machine) and the resident tortoise.
After our introduction ( and we each received an un-obtainable Tinaja cap), Jeff took us on a tour of the various training sites that include training for Quarry, Construction, Paving and told us about the simulated underground area.
This photo was taken at the construction training area... check out the background.

Taking this picture was an absolute must. This cactus would be almost 200 years old!

We then headed over to explore some more and Jason found exactly what he was looking for. Once spotted, he was like a bee in a jar. There was no stopping him or the grin on his face . ..  the 627H

The other guys also found plenty of interest in the scraper and lots to talk about ...

By now, we all know their faces, so this one is for the back ground !!

Once they spotted the D7E, I could barely keep up running down the hill and almost missed this one ..... 

Unfortunately Tucson has had unusual rainfall and the demonstration area was not useable. So most of the machines were parked up for the day.

The 24M and a magnificent back ground !  Tried to get some photo's of all the desert eagles ( and there were plenty), but they just did not want to pose ...

Finally on the way back to the bus for something really special. These guys had a special treat in store for us.  Jeff and his team at Tinaja arranged for us to get access to Tucson Proving ground. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with this ...  It is very rare (almost unheard of)  that outsiders are offered this access. This was a very special priviledge for us. The Proving grounds is where Caterpillar tests new designs before manufacturing and you get see stuff that is not yet available. What a treat !! 
During the morning, Jeff stated how impressed he was by the calibre of people in our group and the leadership qualities they show. He encouraged them to go out there and be the leaders and mentors for others in field service. What a special wrap from a man like Jeff !!




The official team photo in front of the Tinaja (pronounced "Tinaha") facility.

Then we were off to lunch with a special buffet that included some great American ribs and corn bread ...  yummmm.
After lunch, the guys did some shopping for their families back at home. Mmmm wonder what pressies they will get .

The team at Tinaja arranged for a select group of equipment to be brought out for us to climp all over. There were 3 in particular that grabbed the attention.

Matt found himself a new service truck .....

So, Dave wanted one as well ......

and Andrew reckons he should not be left out and called Traralgon straight away.

 This is what they want ..........

In the mean time, Jason is still grinning. But this time he found the 994H ...

Andrew jumped out of the Service Truck and would like to see one of these in Gippsland too.

There was a bit of showing off going on ...

This photo is not about the people, but about the size of this wheel loader !!

Now, this photo is about the people. Thanks to the trainers for taking the time to talk to us ...

The other popular machine was the D8T. It also got plenty of attention today.

So, finally we got to the end of the day and had to make a quick detour to get this photo of the Kenworth....

At 3:30pm we were back on the bus and on our way for the 1 hr return trip to the hotel. Lots of heat, sun and visual/information overload today.  WA has joined the team of "can't make the distance".... hey Dusty.

And once again, our guy from Queensland could not keep up either ....

We decided on a quiet evening with dinner at the hotel. 

And sitting outside on the patio, this was our view ....

Had a great meal and lots to talk about, but all over by 9:30.

We have a 7:00 am start off to the airport in the morning. All day will be in transit on our way to San Antonio ... but more about that tomorrow.

As a team, we would like to express our gratitude toward the group at Tinaja Hills Demonstration Center. Thank you to Jeff, Jim and Jim. It was an experience that we will treasure for years to come. Thank you very much for your hospitality and for making this a very special day.