Twelve time zones

The distance from my home state and Kazakhstan could not be any farther, and, yet, it sometimes feels like one is the other's alternative universe. On a day trip to the nearby town of Atbasar yesterday (and nearby in Kazakhstan, just like in Wyoming, means a three-hour drive!), the similarities were striking. I am beginning to believe that if my niece and nephews began to dig a hole straight into the ground from Gillette and kept digging until they came through the crust of the other side of the earth, their shovels would break ground somewhere near Atbasar.

For your viewing and reading pleasure, here is the evidence:
- The drive to Atbasar covers huge expanses of land, without the relief of roadside rest stops, small towns, trees, or mountains. It's just wide open space--what we would call prairie, but here it's the steppe.
- The monument at the entrance of the town is a tractor.
- There is a coal mine on the drive in and a place to purchase coal for heating on the roadside.
- City folk think that Atbasar is a village, but those that live there are proud of the 30,000 inhabitants and consider themselves civilized when compared to other nearby small towns.
- There is one museum to celebrate the heroics and grandeur of the town; in reality, the building houses  pictures of everyone's grandfather, stuffed wildlife, and a couple of paintings.
- People are absolutely down-to-earth, friendly hosts, and full of wild stories that make you laugh and like them even more.