Big Brutus Photo Excursion 2009

Located in the Southeast corner of Kansas, Big Brutus is the 2nd largest electric shovel in the world, standing 16 stories tall. One heaping dipper on this shovel can fill three rail cars and it served a vital role in the mining operations in Kansas.

We'll be making a variety of stops along the way to enjoy various sites as we pass through the Flint Hills. Our first stop will be in Beaumont where we will have Breakfast at the historic Beaumont Hotel and Cafe. That will give us a chance to stretch our legs so we don't have any really long periods in the vehicle. We'll have time while we're there for you to photograph the Beaumont-Frisco Water Tower. Our return trip will include some stops too, but they will be determined by the weather of the day.

There's a great museum and visitor center when we reach Big Brutus and we can take plenty of time to enjoy all the things we can shoot there.

These trips are lots of fun and great adventures.
Big Brutus is open for us to explore and photograph from all kinds of angles and levels. There are no elevators here, so if you want to up into the shovel and the operator's booth, you're going to be hitting some stairs and possibly some ladders too. If you're not up to the climb, that's cool too, because you can get a lot of great shots from the ground and still enjoy the museum, visitors center and the other pieces of equipment on the grounds.

You'll need to be prepared for weather extremes, and keep and eye on the weather the week prior to the trip. Wear sturdy shoes that give your feet and ankles plenty of support.

Your registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and admission at Big Brutus.  I'll supply drinking water, but if you desire coffee or pop, you'll have to bring your own.

You need to be sure that your batteries are charged and you've got plenty of extra batteries and memory cards or film. It would not be at all surprising for somebody to take over 300 shots on one of these trips.

The exact route & schedule is always "To Be Determined". The trip will depart in the early morning as posted in this listing, but we will be back whenever we make it back. We will be traveling over 300 miles for the day, so there will be a lot of vehicle time, but I will make stops often for us to be able to stretch and shoot more.