Dirty Jobs

This week Mike Rowe worked as a wine barrel maker and a mule logger. As a wine barrel maker he showed the intricate process of putting together wine barrels. He is able to demonstrate just how much work and effort goes into the barrel making process. This gave me a whole new perspective and respect for people in this profession. I was under the impression that these barrels were assembled by a machine. They are in fact put together by hand using a special type of wood. All of the barrels are also burned on the inside to prevent the wine from touching raw wood. This helps to preserve the flavor of the wine.
As a mule logger mike cut down overgrown trees to make room for new trees. They then cut the trees into sections and use mules to pull the sections out of the woods. I didn't know that mules were still used in the logging business. It is amazing that all of the technology that we have today cannot replace mother nature. The mules are an essential part of the logging process because they are strong, cheap to take care of, and easy to maneuver. I feel that no matter how much we advance technologically, some things will always be done the same as they were decades ago.