Putting Really Important Things Into Perspective

Across the United States, I often have coffee and an old-fashioned donut at Starbucks. I believe the cost is about $3.89.

This morning at Cashwise (the grocery story formerly known as the Economart), I got a bigger maple bar donut (or whatever they are called) and a cup of coffee for $1.81.

In addition, Cashwise is open 24/7. Full menu at the deli. Free wi-fi. Ample parking.

And I like the maple donut way better than Starbucks' old-fashioned donut. The service was just as friendly.

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 The Bakken

Trip #3

I arrived in "the Bakken" yesterday afternoon. I plan to be here for several days. I forget when I was last here, but I think it was about six months ago. The most memorable trip I had in the Bakken was in the autumn of 2011 when I was here for three months. I believe my impressions of the Bakken in late 2011 and mid-2013 were about the same.

So, for my sake, I will label this Bakken trip as Bakken trip #3. 

My first impression this time: I have nothing but respect for the folks who are living and working in the Williston Basin on a daily basis. I have been across the United States on several cross-country trips over the past three years and I have spent considerable time in various places across the nation, and for pure unadulterated old-fashioned manufacturing, blue-collar, high stakes capitalism, I don't think there is anywhere else in the US that remotely compares to the Bakken.

I cannot articulate what I experienced, or what I felt driving into the Bakken yesterday.

I drove north on US Highway 85. My observations are only on the activity along the highway.

South Dakota line to Bowman: occasional small pumper along the road.

Bowman to Belfield: almost nothing until near Belfield when one starts seeing increased traffic and more oil activity along the road. The Whiting natural gas processing plant southwest of Belfield gets one's attention. There were two Belfield police cruisers parked; I am not sure anyone was in them. Decoys to slow down traffic.

In Belfield, the truck stop where I always stop was less busy than usual. I spent an hour talking to a 49-year-old African-American truck driver who will soon be ordained as a Pentacostal minister. He was one of the most unique men I had met in quite some time; I would have enjoyed spending an evening with him, or a weekend, but even more, he could easily be a life-long friend if situation were different. He had worked as far north in Canada as the roads will go; he is a trucker out of Michigan and is a "free-lance" trucker. He has probably seen it all.  He was very, very impressive. He was blown away how much "minute" has changed since he last saw it eight years ago. That was his pronunciation of "Minot." There must be a thousand stories to tell each day, coming out of the Bakken. 

Just north of Belfield, I stopped to photograph a herd of buffalo, or more correctly, a herd of bison. I will post the photograph later. I don't have much of a zoom lens and I could not get too close so I doubt it will be a very impressive picture. I took it for Kei, a California friend, who told me to "watch out for" (as "be careful of") of bison. I think she used the correct word. She is a very, very smart cookie. 

Belfield to mile marker 133 on US Highway 85: absolutely no evidence of much oil activity. I was on the road about 2:00 pm. Almost no traffic. Mile mark 133 is a few miles south of Watford City.

About five miles south of Watford City, everything changed.

Driving north into Watford, there is now a traffic light at the intersection of state highway 23 going around the city on the east side. I can't remember if the traffic light was there on my Bakken trip #2.

The traffic was as heavy as I have ever seen it in Watford City. It took five minutes to get through the town of Watford City -- that left turn is the chokepoint, but it moves very, very quickly. Five minutes to get through the intersection but probably a total of ten minutes to get from south side of Watford to north/east side of Watford. In the old days, it would have been a two-minute, maybe three-minute drive, so I guess one can say it now takes three to five times longer to get through Watford if just driving through on US Highway 85.

I have driven cross-country from Boston to Dallas, Dallas to Los Angeles, Dallas to North Dakota and back, and Los Angeles via Denver, Cheyenne, and Lusk, to Williston, and I think I have seen a fair amount of traffic. I have driven in the most congested urban areas of Boston and the most rural areas of western Nebraska.

I can only call the highway from the western side of Watford City to Alexander, a 19.7 mile stretch the "most interesting" road I have ever driven.

This is the unedited note I sent my wife after arriving at Williston, regarding this "most interesting stretch of road":

Today, I was going through Watford City at 5:00 p.m. -- without a doubt, the road from Watford City to Alexander was the MOST INTERESTING road I have traveled in all my cross-country trips (Boston to Dallas; Dallas to Los Angeles; Los Angeles to Williston).

It is impossible to describe the highway.

It was truly something out of the wild west. Absolutely unsafe. I have to agree; this is the most unsafe stretch of road in the US (of roads I've been on and I have been on a lot). There may be worse stretches in India, Italy, Africa, but this is truly incredible for America.

The traffic is solid in both directions. There is a solid double-yellow line separating two lanes going into Watford and one lane going from Watford (on west side of city). All traffic is traveling above posted speed limit.

One pick-up crossed over the double-yellow line, heading directly into on-coming traffic; made it safely; it was a wake-up call for me.

From Belfield to Williston I did not see one law enforcement office (sheriff, city cop, or highway patrol). (At Belfield, I may have seen two police cars but not sure if anyone in them).

They need at least six full-time patrol cars between Watford City and Alexander. It was out-of-control. Perhaps it was the 5:00 o'clock rush hour. But headlights were starting to come on; they are at all heights -- cars, pickups, semis. Full speed with no barrier between oncoming traffic.

It's a credit to everyone driving that there are not major accidents. Watford City to Williston is no longer a urban/rural environment. Along US Highway 85 it is strictly 100% industrial zone. Mostly huge trucks. Perhaps 60% huge trucks; 35% pickups; and 5% automobiles. It was quite a trip. Words really don't do it justice. 

The description may be hyperbole. I had driven pretty much straight-through from Los Angeles to the Bakken and that could have affected my observations. When I say it was "out of control" I don't mean that in a negative way. I'm not sure if that's the best way to describe it. But from an "out of control" point of view, consider these facts:

• no traffic lights
• rare warning signs
• traffic flowing above the posted speed limit (this was winter, by the way)
• 60% semi's, specialty trucks; 35% pickups; 5% automobiles
• not one highway patrolman; not one city policeman seen

Therefore: no control. Folks were clearly on their own. Good, bad, indifferent. One gets on that road and one is in the "fast lane."

My wife asked, in a phone call, if I felt "unsafe." I did not feel unsafe, but the only word I could come up with was "uncomfortable." It was a feeling I have rarely experienced while driving anywhere. I am "uncomfortable" driving in downtown Boston and New York City. I was somewhat uncomfortable driving at the speed limit over the Black Hills on ice and snow (albeit pretty wells cleared), and I was somewhat uncomfortable driving in the small villages along I-70 on the way to Denver, but they were all uncomfortable in their own ways.

Watford City to Alexander was uncomfortable in its own way. An occasional trip is fine, when one has to take it to get from point A to point B, but I wouldn't want to take a "Sunday drive" to Watford city. On both my Bakken trips #1 and #2, I eagerly and easily took drives to Watford City just to visit the steakhouse/bank. Not any more.

Ironically, I think a highway patrol cruiser or two might make things worse. Folks would react to seeing a highway patrolman, and the rhythm of the drive would change. I don't know. Maybe the highway patrol should be there. But I can see how law enforcement could temporarily make a bad situation worse. I'm sure I'm wrong. But truck drivers might understand what I'm trying to say.

So, today, I will start exploring the Bakken. Slowly, in the Williston area.

Oh, I forgot. Again, everything described so far relates only to observations along the major highway going through the Bakken, north to south, US highway 85. We are talking about a very, very small geographical area. Fifty miles long? That was about it. This entire area should be zone/declared/defined an "industrial park."

Two years ago, out-of-state reporters talked about all the trucks. I thought there were exaggerating then. Now, the activity seems 10-times worse. One can only put so many vehicles on the road at one time, but the activity can still seem 10-times worse. I can't explain it. Maybe it will be easier to explain after I've been here a few days.

But I have incredible respect for the folks living and working in this immense industrial park. I don't think there is anything like it anywhere in the US, where everyday folks, like you and me, are driving automobiles through an industrial park with very, very little "oversight." By the way, I did not a) hear one horn honking; b) see one example of road rage; c) see more than one potential near-disaster.

I just saw one really bad example of a pickup truck endangering others due to illegal passing, but I was happy to see it: it was a wake-up call. They can't get that four-lane divided highway built fast enough.