Fuel for the Journey

Travel

Audio By Carbonatix

This summer, millions of us will grab our passports, pack our bags, and take to the skies, roads, and rails. But here’s the million-barrel question: what’s really fueling your journey?

Spoiler alert—it’s not “good vibes” or biodegradable glitter. It’s oil. And if that makes your eyes glaze over, allow me to change that. I’ve just returned from touring two of the most fascinating places I’ve visited all year—not in Paris, not in Santorini, but in Weld County, Colorado: the Rusch Pad and a newly acquired fracking site just fifteen minutes away, both operated by Prairie Operating Co. (NASDAQ: PROP). And let me tell you, I left with more than a hard hat tan line—I left with a deeper appreciation for what keeps That Passport Life actually moving.

Prairie Power: The Unsung Hero of Travel

You may never have heard of Prairie Operating Co., but chances are they’re powering your Uber to the airport, the jet fuel in your plane, and even the backup generators at your Airbnb. This isn’t hyperbole—this is barrel-by-barrel reality.

Prairie, headquartered in Houston, is ramping up to an astonishing 28,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2025. That’s not a typo. That’s a quadrupling of production in a single year. While other energy producers tinker with ESG scorecards, Prairie is drilling, fracking, and quite literally fueling your adventures. Efficiently. Reliably. Domestically.

My Tour of Prairie’s Energy Wonderland

At the Rusch Pad—Prairie’s high-tech site in the Denver-Julesburg Basin—I stood where 11 two-mile lateral wells will soon be humming under the Colorado soil. This isn’t your grandfather’s oil rig. Powered by clean-burning natural gas generators and backed up by electric battery systems, Prairie is using what’s called Precision’s E-rig 461 to drill smartly and cleanly.

Just a short drive away, I toured a newly acquired fracking site, where Prairie is deploying an all-electric frac fleet in partnership with ProFrac Holding Corp. That’s right—25 high-powered E-Pumps getting the job done with less noise, less emissions, and zero apologies.

The Unexpected Education

Here’s where things got even more impressive. Prairie isn’t just pulling hydrocarbons from the earth—they’re pulling back the curtain on how misunderstood the energy industry truly is.

They’re the only energy company in America actively educating the public on why fossil fuels are not the villain Hollywood and coastal Twitter say they are. Prairie is leading the national charge with their platform OilFacts.com—a no-nonsense, science-based hub that tells the truth about oil: it’s clean, it’s abundant, it’s American, and without it, you’re not going anywhere.

You can’t make a Tesla without oil. You can’t charge your phone without fossil fuels. You can’t fly to Fiji on fairy dust. And Prairie is gutsy enough to say it.

Why YOU Should Tour an Oil Site

Think of it like this: You wouldn’t write a food blog without visiting the farm. You wouldn’t post beach pics without understanding tides. So why would you enjoy a summer of wanderlust without ever thinking about what powers it?

Touring a site like Rusch or the nearby fracking field gives you a whole new appreciation for the science, skill, and safety that go into every barrel. You’ll see just how high-tech the rigs are. How careful the crews are. And how wrong the headlines have been.

These are the real people—the engineers, geologists, and workers—who make your trips possible. And they deserve more than our energy—they deserve our gratitude.

What This Means for Travel

This year, the road trips, cruises, and getaways we all cherish are being quietly carried on the back of companies like Prairie. And the fuel powering your RV or JetBlue flight? It’s not coming from overseas dictatorships or unstable markets. It’s coming from right here—under American soil, via American workers, from a company that actually believes the truth still matters.

And that’s not just patriotic. That’s practical.

The Bottom Line

So, as you spin your globe or refresh your Hopper app looking for the next destination, take a moment to appreciate the real MVP of your summer: energy.

Not the mystical kind. Not the metaphysical kind. The actual kind that burns, moves pistons, and keeps your air conditioner running in 112-degree Scottsdale.

Prairie Operating Co. isn’t just an energy producer. They’re a modern marvel—a rare blend of innovation, environmental integrity, and bold transparency. They don’t just power your car. They power your freedom.

And for those of us living That Passport Life, freedom is the most essential carry-on.