If I knew there was food or booze for creative engineering, I would surely have thunk of something.

Don Jose de la Mangia (freudian slip, time for breakfast), thanks for your story.

I gather from the continued reference to your favourite animal, the mule, that the area around the Soledad mine is rather inhospitable from an interstate drivin truck logistics point of view.

Right by the 401 weigh scales between London and Woodstock Ontario, there is a practice track for standard bred horses pulling the sulky drivers around, tunin up for the races at Western Fair Raceway et al. You need to build one of those to get your lovely flock? gaggle? pod? of mules in Olympic condition for the job ahead, as my bones tell me we will be mining that Souldaddy bugger at some point.

It would not be the first time that a mining company said "Screw the 43-101, we know it's there, lets blow it up."

As always, I defer to the wisdom of real miners such as yourself and Jimmie V. But darn, I'm just itchin to see the youtube video of rocks flying in the air, and loaders and Cat's and Oh, I love the smell of diesel in the morning, smells like victory.

Hee Hee,

The xTrucker.

PS: Thanks for that other thing Aafab.