A Moment to Reflect

It's sometime past midnight and the heat plus a slight upset stomach has kept me from sleeping, so I thought I'd walk it off. Slipping quietly out of the rig, I find it is already a bit cooler as a slight breeze flows past. The Sorensons have a long driveway so I've decided to walk down to the paved road and back. From the top of the hill I can see and hear the big rigs in the distance as they race past the far end of the drive. There isn't a moon out but the stars overhead add to the burning gas flares to give ample light to see my way. Just moving around helps settle my stomach.

Walking along in the semi-dark also gives me some quiet time to reflect on the past week. The bearing repair cost a lot more than it should have due to the local NAPA outlet jacking the price 175% over NAPA list with a cavalier  "take it or the road" attitude. The repair shop guy could have easily ordered it much cheaper elsewhere had he recognized opportunist slime-balls, but we've now waited nearly a week for this bearing, it's already installed and we need to get going. We returned the spare we had ordered and will pick up another along the way.

Looking out as I walk, I gaze at the bright flares on the stacks (burning off a reported 25% of collectable natural gas) as they illuminate the night sky. In addition to the noxious fumes  they produce in the air it seems to me a big waste of energy. Literally "energy to burn". We've also noted that many drivers of large trucks around here just keep their engines running when they duck into the stores or businesses. We still can't understand that.

The many bright lights of the nearby processing plant reminds me of a space port, and it will soon be joined by another presently being built. All within clear view of the Sorenson's home. The contrast to the traditional farming life that oil is replacing couldn't be more stark, and reminds me of the days I just spent helping rake hay and herd cattle. I really sympathize with any farmer who is trying to make a living while being bulldozed off their land and having their groundwater tainted by oil drilling. We Americans allow big money to be the decider. So what's new? I think about this every time I pull up to the gas pump, ...hypocrisy withstanding.

As I crest the hill coming back to the house, the drone of a thousand crickets tries to compete with the roar of venting gas from a nearby rig that has just come online. The warm night breeze dances around me again as I look back up to the sky just in time to witness a large 'shooting star' scribing its straight, white trail between the stars. Its short display is a reminder of our ephemeral existence here on earth. Gone in a flash. We are harvesting the eons of what has gone before us with every gallon of oil we pump and minute of gas we burn. And yet we are so transitory and short sighted that I'm sure humankind's contribution to the big picture may not even be recordable a million years from now. Or less.

Oddly, what comforts me as I climb back into bed is the thought that the taint of humankind will be cleansed by time. In the long run it won't matter at all. But likewise, this lends even more urgency to continuing our travels so that we may meet more wonderful people like the Sorensons and see the beauty that still exists in the world – while we still have a chance.

We're Repaired and Ready

After more than a week of hanging out on the farm the port rear bearing has been replaced and after a short test drive appears to check out. The stbd bearing seems to be OK, no noise or anything, so we've decided to leave it in until there's a reason to swap it with the spare bearing we are now carrying.

cleaned up and going out to dinner!

We have had a wonderful week meeting new friends and really learning about an interesting and quickly changing community.  It has really helped us see the whole picture of fracking, not only from our tree hugger, knee-jerk liberal point of view but the perspective of hard working farmers and landowners sitting on top of the gold mines of natural gas, oil, sand, and gravel. It was sad to see the beautiful farmland being scraped away for oil rigs, man-camps, disposal sites, sand and gravel pits, roadways, stores and services and the astonishing rate at which it is all happening. 

Thayer driving the tractor and Larry supervising


We stayed an extra day so that Thayer could help Larry get the alfalfa crop in on one of his many properties that he owns/manages.  He spends so much time bird-dogging the oil companies on his land that it is really hard to get his farming done.  It is also difficult to find hired help because of all the high paying oil jobs.  

typical NG rig

...and then we thought...

where else would we rather be?

Religion, lunch & bath, and a musical

Jill spent the morning attending church with Larry and Carla, grocery shopping and wandering around the farm.  We had the treat of taking a real shower up at the house and being invited in for burgers with the family.  After the family dispersed Larry and Carla invited us to see the renowned Medora Musical, performed in a lovely outdoor amplitheater about 80 miles south of here. We toured the historic little town, got some ice cream and fudge, and enjoyed a warm, pleasant evening watching the show. You can see the beautiful setting of the musical, they even had to chase 2 bull elk out of the background before the show.  Part of the show was a stand up comedian from Hawaii who was very funny.  Poked a lot of fun at North Dakota and getting old. "40 may be the new 30, 9:30 may be the new midnight, but 240 is not the new 180!" It was a very enjoyable evening. Got home late.

Carla and Larry Sorenson 

Sorenson spread

 Medora, ND Musical Revue!

Rain

chit-chat w Ben about his arrest the night before after Ribfest.
We see the clouds coming and pull down the WiFi antenna and button the rig before the rain hits. We have a nice little pond in front of our door so we drag pallets over to step on. After the rain, we go for a walk down the lane accompanied by the three dogs (Jade, Red & Tootsie).

Ribfest

Larry and Carla invite us to join them for a trip into town to the 'Ribfest', a local eating and social event. We sample the ribs, corn on the cob, lemonade and buy a bag of candy corn to bring home with us.

Losing Our Bearing in the Dakotas

Visited Missouri R. and Yellowstone R. Confluence Center, Fort Union and Fort Buford.

Whenever we take an extended trip we can always count on some mechanical issue, no matter what we're driving. It's a tradition, almost something to look forward to and this evening it was a rear wheel bearing. 

Thayer managed to take the thing apart but could not repair it without a new part.  We spent the night there and then got towed to a garage outside of Watford City, home of Larry and Carla Sorenson.  Got the part ordered, bad news is that it would take 5 or 6 days.

Turned out to not be entirely bad news at all, as we got to spend those waiting days making new friends, traveling through the countryside, walking the fields, and learning about this rapidly changing community.  Natural gas companies are fracking the oil deposits wherever they can acquire the mineral rights to do so.  Crops are cleared from farmers' land within a matter of hours and wells drilled as quickly as possible. There has been a massive influx of people drawn to the area, all looking for the high paying oil field jobs. Farmers are torn between their traditional way of life of caring for and working the land, and large amounts of easy money being offered for drilling, mining gravel and sand, and sites for disposal of waste from the wells.  The natural beauty of the land is being stripped away at an astonishing rate.  We visited with one couple who bought land about 15 miles from town 5 years ago so they could have some solitude and peace and quiet.  In just a few years they now have natural gas drilling going on on two sides of their property and a 3rd is planned for a remaining side. They have LOUD flares (openly burning natural gas and waste fumes, sounding like a jet engine) less than 800 ft. from their home. Besides getting some money they have little else to say about it all, though they have fought it tooth and nail. In addition to the mining operations there is also rapid development of housing, shopping, hotels, and service industries, all stretching this little town to new horizons. I can only imagine how they are coping in the schools with the influx of families.

No matter where we stop there is always something to photograph.