Beautiful Evening in the Bakken -- Williston, North Dakota, USA

Wow, what a gorgeous evening. After a short ride around the area to see what was new (since yesterday), I went for a 30-minute walk (after first checking in on the Texas-BYU game and the NASCAR race). I think it hit 85 degrees today, under clear skies, and no wind. And no mosquitoes, thanks to the USAF spraying earlier this summer.

I walked through a residential neighborhood, as quiet as it was before the boom, when I was growing up in Williston 50 years ago. But when I got to a major thoroughfare, the traffic picked up a bit. Along a frontage road an 18-wheeler was parked, idling. Music to my ears.

When I was in my teens I hitchhiked a lot, including three cross-country trips. Some of my best rides were with truck drivers, before liability issues stopped that. It was always a great feeling coming into a truck stop in the wee hours of the morning. With all the stadium lighting, the dozens of trucks idling, it was an inviting picture, and I could generally find someone to give me a ride. So, tonight, walking along that frontage road and walking past an idling 18-wheeler with drapes pulled around the cab windows brought back great memories.

I've posted another version of this song many, many times, so I thought I better do another version:



Lights on the Hill, Keith Urban and Slim Dusty
I prefer this version:



Lights on the Hill, Slim Dusty By the way, when you see me pull over on to the shoulder of the highway when I'm driving here in the Bakken, it's to let the trucks go by. I drive slowly, enjoying the scenery, but I do everything I can to help the truckers. (Of course, they would prefer I not be on the road in the first place, but that's not gonna happen.) If I can't pull over, I will speed up until I find a spot where I can let him/her pass.

But that idling 18-wheeler tonight: music to my ears, bringing back some wonderful memories.

Okay, one more -- how I wish he had written, "Under the Spell of Highway 2." Smile.



Under the Spell of Highway One, Slim Dusty