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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

1,000,000 Page Views For The MillionDollarWay -- The Millionth Visitor From Wayzata, Minnesota -- Thank You For All Your Support

The purpose of this site started out as being educational. Over time it has added a fair amount of information about investing in the Bakken. It is almost impossible to discuss the Bakken without acknowledging the role that capitalism plays. Having said that, the site is an attempt to provide an overview of "the Bakken" and to direct folks to the news stories coming out of the North Dakota oil industry. It is very, very superficial in scope. I probably understand about 1 percent of all that goes on in the industry (if that much). I have a poor memory and often make simple mistakes, but will correct them when I become aware of them.

I grew up in Williston, in the heart of the Williston Oil Basin (WOB) and have followed the oil industry my entire life, in a very general way. I invest in publicly traded companies through the stock market, but my investments in WOB are trivial compared to my overall investment portfolio. I own no mineral rights, and have no inside information regarding the WOB. I do talk with people who live there and occasionally receive information second- and third-hand.

A few months ago I began subscribing to an "energy newsletter" for the first time, if you can call it that: the NDIC's basic services which provides more specific information regarding oil and gas wells in North Dakota.

About the Name of the Blog

For newbies, "MillionDollarWay" has nothing to do with money per se, at least not in the way most folks might think.

"Highway 2 & 85" heading out of Williston was known as "Million Dollar Way" to all of those watching late night television on Friday and Saturday nights in Williston in the 1960's -- due to the car dealerships (one?), the bowling alley (1), and the A&W Root Beer stand on that highway.

I saw the "Million Dollar Way" as my way out of Williston to see the rest of the world. In fact, in 1973, I hitchhiked from Williston to New York City where I caught Air Luxembourg and then hitchhiked through western Europe for one summer. My mother offered to drive me out to the highway, but I was too proud, and walked. To say the least, I have never been so embarrassed as I was that day when the first car that stopped while I was holding out my thumb was my mom, who drove out to get a photograph of me. (I've never seen that photograph.)

So, "MillionDollarWay" has a significant emotional meaning for me -- it has nothing to do with investing (unless, of course, if you consider opportunities in that one car dealership, the bowling alley, and the A&W Root Beer stand as investment opportunities).

And, coincidentally, I might add that the road that was my way out of Williston has turned out to be my road back into Williston.

So, that's it.

For newbies, or for those who have never read it, you might enjoy the "welcome" page.

[Over the past year, some internal links have been broken because I have moved some of the posts around to make the site easier to navigate. The search engines and search applications at the site are the best way to find information. And, of course, the sidebar on the right is chock full of data. If you don't find something you would like to know about, send me a note.]

The Millionth Visitor (and a few before and a few after)

The 1,000,000th viewer was from Wayzata, Minnesota,
Then, following after that:
  • Cottonwood, California
  • Minot, North Dakota
  • Becker, Minnesota
  • Casper, Wyoming
  • Puchong Selangor (Malasia) -- Hess natural gas expansion
  • Dickinson, North Dakota,
  • Garland, Texas
  • Parker, Colorado
  • Council Bluffs
Just before Wayzata, Minnesota's visit:
  • Calgary, Alberta (999,999)
  • Gig Harbor, Washington (999,998)
  • Wichita, Kansas (999,997)
  • Seoul, South Korea (999,996)
  • Belgrade, Maine (999,995)
  • Boulder, Colorado (999,994)
  • Scarborough, Ontario (999,993)
  • Pasadena, Maryland (999,992)

18 comments:

  1. Congratulations! I appreciate all of the work you do to keep us informed.

    I laughed out loud when I read the memory of your Mom being the first car you see in your hitchhiking adventure. What a gem.....

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  2. Yeah, it was pretty horrible. But by the time I got back from a summer on the road, I would have let my mom drive me anywhere. I was beat! But what a great experience.

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  3. Congrads on the Great Blog with the whit and insite to your corner of life.. The Eclectic compulation of information is one of the key features. There are so many working parts to the developement of the Williston Basin to a World class oil field. Someday the WB will look like Midland/Odessa texas and the permian basin. Keep up the good work and now you can look forward to the 10 millionth page view..

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  4. Hey, Don,

    Thanks. Yes, it's been fun. I've been thinking of moving to Odessa/Midland. I would still be in Texas, but a bit farther north. Smile.

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  5. What an accomplishment Bruce and congratulations! Your writing and overall wit about the universe is very satisfying to be a part of.
    All the work you have put into this is truly amazing and we can't thank you enough.

    All the best and many many thanks.

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  6. Thank you for your kind comments. It's interesting to see the site pop up on Google searches as often as it does.

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  7. Bruce, I want to congratulate you on this event and I want to add that it is your website that keeps me informed on a daily basis. Since I reside in Texas and have mineral holdings in the Bakken, this is my only true source for information. Your articles are always interesting and very informative. You are a true asset to the industry in that it's your articles that get the information out. I'm looking forward to the next few years as I believe we have just begun and the growing pains offer a true learning experience. Again, JOB WELL DONE!!

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  8. Thank you. Yes, I think we are just seeing the beginning. If you've seen the new BEXP regional headquarters in Williston, you know they plan on being here for a long time.

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  9. Congratulations! I first stumbled upon MDW when I clicked "next blog" on my very low traffic blog. The Minneapolis,

    MN media had occasional stories on "Bakken" but it seemed like a "pipe dream" to me at first. After a year of following MDW it makes sense to me. I have had many a beer and a few dinners bought for me when I explain the "Bakken boom" to people.

    If there is to be a rebirth of the USA economy it will be rooted in the Bakken.

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  10. Interesting how you found it. I'm glad you did. You've sent me a lot of good tips over the past two years. Thank you.

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  11. embraceyourinnerhillbillyAugust 9, 2011 at 7:22 PM

    Bruce,

    Kudos for your 1st million...the second million won't take as long. This is a great resource and I greatly appreciate your efforts to keep us informed.

    embraceyourinnerhillbilly
    Walnut Creek, CA

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  12. EYIH:

    Thank you for your kind comments. You've been a strong supporter.

    You will this interesting: I was getting a bit burned out today; I posted way too much; spent too much time at the blog; thinking strongly about whether I should spend so much time on the blog, and then three things:

    1. I learned about BEXP and zipper fracks.
    2. I learned about the cost of completing Bakken wells; Oasis has set up Oasis Wells Services for just that reason; very, very interesting.
    3. And then you sent a nice note. Thank you.

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  13. Bruce,
    Congrats on the milestone. My Grandfather and uncle kept me entertained for hours as a kid in New Town about the potential Bakken patch. "Just waiting on the technology to catch up" Uncle Dale used to say. Yor blog and the NDIC has been a god-send for me to keep up with info on the patch,
    Keep up the good work.

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  14. Thank you for your kind comments. I've learned a lot but I've had a lot of help along the way, folks sending me tips and pointing out my mistakes. And there have been plenty.

    When reading my posts, it's important to check the dates when they were posted; the older the notes, the more likely a mistake because I might not have known what I was talking about then ... as if I know now. Smile.

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  15. Bruce....nice job, reaching this milestone...your efforts are greatly appreciated, your style completely refreshing, your blog is the best!

    dvd

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  16. Thank you. As long as I stick to the Bakken, I do okay. I need to be careful not to get too far off-topic. Have a great day.

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  17. Congrats your achievement, Mr Oksol!

    Now this should be the next project; rise money from website users and sponsor your website name on a drilling rig!

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  18. I hate the idea of cluttering my site with ads, but I may end up doing that.

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