Busy, Busy, Busy in the Oil Patch -- Williston -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

This morning on my way into work -- work: exploring the Bakken -- I stopped at Tim Herman's out on the bypass for gas (as in gasoline, not natural gas). I left early to beat the morning rush. After 7:00 a.m. one cannot make a left turn at any intersection that does not have signal/traffic lights.

For folks unfamiliar with Williston: in the "old days" -- four years ago, before the current boom, I would have been the only one in the store at that moment, or maybe one of two, possibly three.

This morning, all pumps were occupied. When I was ready to fill up and pay, there were two lines of folks in the store, each line about six people long. I was the only one not in coveralls or similar oilfield garb.

It appeared the chaos was self-organizing. One line was mostly folks who were passengers with others and stocking up on snacks and drinks for the day. The othe line was for those folks who were paying for gasoline or diesel. By their speech, or by their comments, I could tell that most were from outside North Dakota. Many had accounts at Herman Oil; kept the line moving quickly and efficiently.

It is a beautiful day in Williston. We are under a freeze warning until 9:00 a.m. (now passed) and it was a very, very pleasant 30 degrees; at least that's what I heard the temperature was, according to news radio. Not exactly short-sleeve weather, but certainly no sweater or windbreaker is/was needed. I good long-sleeve heavy western shirt is more than enough, and probably too much once one begins manual labor. I expect it will be quite warm this afternoon under these absolutely clear blue skies.

Leaving Herman Oil, one can cross four lanes of divided highway (no traffic signals yet) or turn right and go about a mile down the road to make a less busy left turn, which I did. The city contracted to have traffic lights up at the Herman Oil intersection by September 2, 2011. Deadline passed; contractor couldn't get supplies, which appeared to be the metal poles because on Setember 2 (or thereabouts) the contractor was putting up temporary wooden utility poles (probably on loan from MDU) with traffic lights. Let's see, it's now September 14, and the lights have been up for about two weeks, and not yet working. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, by the way. How long did I have to stand in line? By North Dakota standards it was "an eternity." Probably three minutes. How long did it take to get to my destination? Five minutes. Had we not had the oil boom, probably four minutes. Me? I love the traffic. Those folks are happy to have work. It sure beats 12.1 percent unemmployment enjoyed by California and Nevada.

By the way, for folks new to Williston or Herman Oil: Herman Oil provides coffee free of charge for anyone who purchases gasoline. At least I was told that one day. I didn't see any sign advertising as such. I think coffee at McDonald's is higher than what I paid in California McDonald's: about 85 cents in Williston. A tall draft beer -- wow, I am really starting to digress -- is $1.00 between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. every day at one of the busier sports bars in town. Then, up to $2.50 or so after that. Maybe more. I don't remember. And a full meal for $3.50 between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.