Thanks for posting that incident; you added to a personal evaluation I have been entertaining for a while.
For the past few months, I have been working with Pipeliners--they guys ( and gals) who build the big steel pipelines that carry the petroleum products and natural gas across this country.
They are an interesting breed. Their job requires them to spend months away from home at a time. They do it, mostly, for one reason only---to earn money. They are well paid for their efforts, laborers start out at a little over $20/hr, and the wages go up from there. Weldors are the highest skill, and best paid. My guess is that a lot of these people earn upwards of $100,000/yr; some of them 2-3 times that.
But for all that money, they have to operate 2 households--one back home, and one wherever they are. They work long hours with few days off. On this particular job they were limited to a standard 10 hour workday, 6 days a week; some complained that they were losing money at that--they prefer 70-80+ hours. The State of MD refused them permission to work on or near State highways over holidays, so they were forced to take 4 days off for Memorial Day and 4th of July--lots a grumbling about that, too. But they are away from home only to earn money.
I even considered going on the road with them after this job is done. However, as I look at their lives, and the sacrifices they make, I don't think I want to make those same choices. Money isn't everything--Having a home to go home to at night, a loving spouse nearby to share in the daily episodes of life are worth something too.

As much as the pipeline people get paid, they earn every cent of it.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags