On the Colorado side of the border with Nebraska, windmills proliferate on both sides of the highway. I love the engineering and ingenuity of the old windmills. What must that rancher been thinking? Was he in survival mode on the great plains with a huge aquifer beneath his feet, and animals depending on him? Or was it the merchandising of cattle that led to the method of watering livestock? Or was it the little woman who needed water for her garden?Today I passed up mini M&Ms at the grocery store, sweated on the ski machine while it blinked red and told me how many calories burned off in 30 minutes, and drove around getting postage stamps, newspapers, prescriptions, new license plates, and T-bone steaks, all while the wind turned the windfarm blades into electricity that lit up the Hot Spot in Peetz, Colorado.
While working on a cattle ranch in the early 70's, told the rancher I thought it was good of him to use a non-polluting windmill to pump water. He said he never thought of it that way. Just wanted his cattle watered and not have to think about it. Ranchers think simple.
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