41 APRIL 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® by Tim Rasmussen, President and Chairman, Water for Life We have been working toward getting a newer, better rotary rig for several years. First, we had to obtain the money. Then find the right rig and get it modified for our use, and then get the truck to go under it. We got the first things done, but obtaining the truck has been a saga. We looked all over the country without success, until we finally found what we were looking for only about 75 miles from our headquarters in Spokane, Washington. Next was the effort to get it from Spokane to East West Drilling in Pennsylvania to have the rig mounted. This is where one of our faithful volunteers came to our aid. Speedy Gonzales is the name of a cartoon character, but also the name of a real-life character who has been with us for many years. Our Speedy (not his given name) has lived a larger life than most of us. He served in the military and now owns a trucking company in Lancaster, Ohio. He has flown airplanes of all types, owned several planes, and raced automobiles, boats, and motorcycles. He has flown his own airplane to Guatemala several times with his friend Bucky Mowery. He bought a drilling rig to use in Guatemala, and he and Bucky drilled many wells there. He has lived a life of adventure and his heart is as big as the need he is facing. He followed our efforts to get a truck, and after we found it, volunteered to get the truck from Spokane to Pennsylvania. Really, it was two trucks that needed to go from Spokane to the east. One needed to go all the way to Pennsylvania for mounting the rotary rig, the other to Bucky’s shop in Ohio. Both would eventually end up at a Florida port for shipment to Guatemala, but first, they needed to get across the country. Speedy finished some trucking work in Ohio and found a paying load to haul to the Spokane area. The trip went well, until the truck engine’s turbo went out when he was passing through Butte, Montana. After fooling around for a few hours trying to fix the old one, he found a new one in Missoula, rented a car, and drove over there to pick it up. He drove back to Butte, then found someone who helped him install it. He got going again and arrived safely in Spokane on Friday morning, October 25. He parked the truck at Gary’s, rented a car at the airport, and took off for Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound area to visit his granddaughter for a couple of days. He arrived back at Gary’s on Monday morning after that fast trip to Bainbridge Island. Too fast, according to the Washington State Patrolman who wrote him a ticket for 90 in a 70 as he was coming back. He told me he was hurrying to get back to the truck and head east with the load. I picked him up at the airport rental car lot and took him to Gary’s. He and Gary took an hour chaining the trucks to the trailer. Then after a quick lunch compliments of Gary’s wife Angie, and a bag of apples from their orchard, Speedy hit the road again. He had 2172 miles to go to get to his home in Lancaster, Ohio. He figured to make it in three or four days, depending on the weather, road conditions, and no more breakdowns. Speedy spent his 77th birthday on the road, driving across the country, by himself, dealing with breakdowns and traffic, all to help Water for Life get trucks to Guatemala to help the people there. A long hard job, but he said he was having the time of his life. Thank you Speedy. We know the Good Lord will bless you and your efforts. We look forward to seeing you again. Note: Speedy made it safely to the first rest area going into Indiana, then there was more trouble. I will tell you about it in the next issue. If you would like to help, contact Gary Bartholomew at 509-939-1941. Tim Tim Rasmussen may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Speedy and Gary. WTR
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