GILLETTE - Riverton resident James Arnold spends more than 14 days a month away from his family while working at North Antelope Rochelle coal mine in Campbell County.

While Arnold doesn't enjoy being away from his family so often, it's a sacrifice he makes to provide a good income and benefits for his wife, Lisa, and their two children.

�You're away from your family a lot, and you don't sleep in your own bed at night,� Arnold said. �But, it's a better job than I can find around Riverton with better benefits.�

The couple has looked at moving closer to Arnold's job, but it's a leap they've never been able to take. With a higher cost of living in Gillette or Douglas and Lisa's good job at the Riverton hospital, the couple is comfortable with the current arrangement.

�I try to make it positive, but I miss him,� Lisa said. �If I could have him home all the time, I would.�

Arnold isn't alone in his choice to commute to Campbell County for employment. According to a 2006 study by the Wyoming Workforce Development Council and Department of Workforce Services, 9,718 people commuted to Campbell County for employment in the fourth quarter of 2005. That's a steady increase from the 5,133 people who commuted to the county in the first quarter of 2000.

With a rising cost of living in Gillette and the surrounding areas, plus the worker shortage in the area, the trend is sure to increase in the coming years.

�{M3Campbell County has more jobs than workers. Campbell County may want to consider housing initiatives which make it easier or more affordable for workers to relocate or establish permanent residence,� the Workforce Development Council stated in its online report.

There are now 640 open positions in Campbell County, according to Joan Evans, director of the Department of Workforce Services. The job openings are projected to increase steadily over the next few years, with the state expecting the number of job openings available to increase by 2 percent from 2004 to 2014.

�There's a heavy need in the mining extraction area,� Evans said.

Arnold is helping to fill the current demand for workers, making good money as a coal miner. But there's a cost when it comes to family time.

Lisa tries to make the working arrangement as comfortable for the family as possible. She works her nursing schedule around Arnold's schedule and takes care of appointments and errands when he's gone. That way, when Arnold is home, Lisa and the kids can devote all of their time to him.

�When he's home, I belong completely to him,� Lisa said. �I can get all the mundane stuff out of the way. We can plan to be a family often.�

To get past the negatives of working so far from home, the Arnolds focus on the future and the thought that because of Arnold's job, they will have a solid retirement. They hope he can retire in about 10 years and travel together with Lisa, who may work as a traveling nurse.

But until that day, Arnold drives the same long road he's been traveling for eight years, sharing an apartment in Wright with fellow commuter Edmond Kukuchka of Cody. For Kukuchka, the days away from home are a trade-off for doing the kind of work he wants to do and still being able to live in a community he loves.

Kukuchka's commuting days started about five years ago, when he and his fiancee, Laurie Fall, moved from Gillette to Cody with the hope to one day retire in the mountainous region. They bought some acreage where they could enjoy their horses and all the perks of living in such a beautiful small town.

�I just couldn't make Gillette my retirement home,� Kukuchka said. �I can't retire quite yet, but I'm too old to start another job.�

Mining is a career Kukuchka has enjoyed since he started in the field in 1976. As a dragline operator, Kukuchka earns a good living and enjoys the benefits offered at North Antelope Rochelle. While Kukuchka thoroughly enjoys his job, he admits there's also a downside to working so far from home.

�It takes a lot of love and trust in a relationship,� Kukuchka said. �You miss a lot of activities and being able to share time with family.�

But Kukuchka looks toward the future and the thought of retiring in five to 10 years. By then, his retirement home should be paid for, and he'll be able to retire comfortably.

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From out of state

The wealth of jobs in Campbell County even appeals to out-of-state workers including Kelly Giffin, a resident of Belle Fourche, S.D. Giffin has been commuting to Campbell County's Caballo Mine for a couple of years. He cites the high cost of living in Gillette as the reason he continues to make his home in Belle Fourche.

�When this economy busts, there's going to be a lot of people in trouble,� Giffin said.

With an average home price of $226,439 in Campbell County so far this year, it's easy to understand what Giffin is talking about. This year's average home sale price is almost a $20,000 increase over last year's average for the same time frame, according to Campbell County Board of Realtors President Steve Laakso.

Expensive real estate prices and ever-increasing rental prices keep many from calling Campbell County home. {M3Giffin actually lived in Gillette before while working in the coal-bed methane fields, but when his rent continued to increase, he decided it was time to leave the community. He makes the 216-mile round-trip drive to work, knowing he can save money driving rather than spending it on apartment rent in Gillette.

�Gas is less than what I'd pay for rent,� Giffin said.

To cut the cost further, Giffin commutes with his dad, Phil Giffin, a co-worker. The two pick up another co-worker in Moorcroft, and they all share the gas expense.

To Giffin, commuting is worth it. He plans to help his children attend college and have a nice retirement by the time he's done working at the mine.

�I have two kids I want to pay for their education,� Giffin said. �I want to give them a life I didn't have.�

As a trade-off, Giffin enjoys his time off - 14 days a month - with his wife and children. They travel extensively and spend a lot of one-on-one time together.

�I bet my kids have been to more states than the kids who live in this town,� Giffin said. �It gives you the opportunity to drive around and see things.�

Giffin plans to continue working at the mine for at least another 15 years before following his dream of owning a campground somewhere on the West Coast.