On the Campaign Trail with Katie as she travels with her Dad
November 2 - Sheridan
This is Katie. Today Dad and I had another long day. We spent the day in Sheridan, starting at Wyoming Sawmills Inc. The first thing we heard at Wyoming Sawmills when we walked in was that we were "Going to get dirty!" It was an extra dusty day because they were processing beetle kill trees that took a long time to be removed from the forests. The logs were extremely dry and produced so much saw dust. We enjoyed touring the facility and learning about the massive machinery. It was also very nice of Ernie Schmidt, the president, to take some time out of his day to tour us around and introduce us to some employees. Some pictures from our visit:
Dad describes this time like "having two jobs." He has to both move state business forward as governor and also work as a candidate up for re-election. Today there were four official events alone. He spoke to the Basin Electric Conference early in the morning, presented the Sheridan County library with a check from the state, met with the Sheridan Community College president, and then had a meeting with the mayor and city officials. In between we also fit in a number of campaign stops. Needless to say it was another busy day traveling with Dad. Only five days left on the campaign trail!
November 1 - Fremont
This is Katie. Dad and I are on the campaign trail again! It is about a week from the election and things are staying really busy. We spent the day in Fremont County. The first thing we did in Riverton was visit the Brunton Company. As we were walking in to the building Dad said he visited Brunton's previous building four years ago and they were in a challenging situation of possibly being relocated to Europe. He was pleased they were able to stay in the state and convince their parent company that Wyoming is the right location. I was impressed with their facility and top quality products. They are a world-renowned company for outdoor products and have won many awards for their binoculars. Dad subtly hinted that they would be on his Christmas list and I knew it was my job to report back during shopping time. We'll see if he'll get that wish...
As always Dad visited some media outlets. He first was taped for KTAK's chit chat radio show with Rachel Woodhouse. After listening to the interview Dad had another interview at the Riverton Ranger. At both the radio station and newspaper they asked about workforce, the housing shortage, and numerous other questions. I've learned there is a lot of repetition on the campaign trail. I am glad I have the opportunity to learn more about the issues of Wyoming and how Dad approaches and solves problems.
After lunch Dad met with a group of energy industry employees at the Sundowner Restaurant. The most talked about issue was workforce. Dad emphasized his support for training facilities and how important community colleges are in the process. After the meeting he had another radio interview and then we toured Pertech Resources. Pertech was in a 
situation of possibly being relocated in New York a few years ago. Pertech manufactures many types of printers and employs about 86 employees. We took a tour of the floor and we had to wear safety goggles. Now Dad was so amused with my big glasses that he took a picture of me. He added that he wanted to see it on the website right away. I told him that it wasn't necessary for the campaign and anyways we couldn't post it since he took a blurry picture. He said with his usual wit, "Who is the candidate here?/?!" Now I have a reason to be glad the election will be over in less then a week - this picture won't stay online for too much longer! Here you go Dad...
