I spent four years looking for full-time work, pitching hog manure, cattle farm work.
I took a job drilling water wells in New York.
Second year there I was a driller, in 11 months I drilled 105 wells and test recovery holes.
Both years I volunteered to be on the crew that drilled wells in northern NY.
First year I was a helper, did all the hard work, it made baking hay look easy.
The second year I was the driller, we worked in the Adirondack park area 5.5 days a week spring, summer and fall until it was too cold to drill.
I drilled 45 wells up north that year, no one has topped that yet.
Late November I blew a disk in my back, moved back to Iowa in January.
This is my machine set up in southern NY drilling a water well.

The last well I drilled in northern NY was across the highway from the Olympic ski jumps.
Then on the way home we drilled a well for an old lady in the Catskills.
One day she turned her faucet on and pure gasoline came out!
She lived between two gas stations, one had to pay for her well.
I was barely able to do my job , my back was so bad

It truly sucks when our Body gives out before our mind. Coal Mining does the same thing.I do not know very many Miners who work in Low Coal for very long before they are broken down and crippled.

Your work you have done is something to be very proud of, great job! I can tell you took your drilling seriously and always did a great job for your customers.

Thanks for sharing.

Bet you haven't seen bugs like you did in the Adirondacks since! Lol. Black flies, skeeters, deer flies, non see ems...we got them all!!

I lived next door(for10 years 1978 to1988) to a pair of twin brothers that where well drillers They where drilling until they turned 78 years old .Their driller blew a motor that year in the spring So after about 35 to 40 years of drilling And faced with a large repair bill they decided that retirement was the way to go .And they both lived into their 90's I am not sure but maybe IT WAS SOMETHING IN THE WATER !!

Thanks, I tried to push every one hard so my boss would make a profit, payments on my machine I heard were 8,000$ a week, 36% interest,!!!!!!!!
I was totally stressed out, it's a good thing my back gave out

Black flies were not a problem, we all knew a drop of diesel fuel on your cap ball would repel them
I do think I saw a wolf at the edge of the Keene airstrip

The hard work and probably genetics
In '83 the driller with the most experience took first place on the east coast in arm wrestling, finals in Des Moines he got 3rd in the nation, 185 lbs I think

Sounds like you were steady at the job. It's fun in a way to work hard at your job, you'll always have good memories. I'm sure you made lots of good friends too.

You never really know someone until you work side by side, and look out for each other. Then you'll know who is who, and a true friend.

I worked with about 23 guys, 1-2 on my crew, I trusted only two of all them.
Bob Davis, and Eddie Bennet, the others didn't care, or were back stabbers, most only cared about what they had time for.
High populated areas the people are way different

The arm wrestler was Richard Head, everyone called him Richie to his face, he was not fun to work with, everyone called him something different behind his back lol.

Seeing the wolf, and seeing a fisher cross the gravel road in front of me was cool

Looks like a drill tech D40 similar to the one we are still using today. They are a fun rig to run with the mechanical controls. I will take a picture of the ours today and post it tonight

Yes I think it was a d40!
He had four when I left, and two twenty foot rod machines, smaller ones
I heard a year or two later he had 8 Drilltecs running! Then the economy crashed