Sept. 6, 2013

We met Arlene and Ken for breakfast at the Cowboy Cafe' in downtown Medora, and we decided to drive up to Williston to see the oil fields.  Ken and Arlene were going to their granddaughter's volleyball game in eastern MT, so it was a perfect meeting for the four of us.  We look forward to seeing them in AZ, where they winter in our park.  We took Hwy. 85 north and stopped at the northern unit of the Teddy Roosevelt National Park, and enjoyed that.  Back to the highway to Watford City, and Williston and it was quite the eye-opener!  We saw what a boom town/area looks like!  There were so many big trucks on the road, road crews building and widening the roads, little 'communities' springing up that housed the workers and their families.  We saw all kinds of make shift housing.  From single wide units, mobile homes, RV's that are winterized with skirts around them, small cabins....whatever works to give the workers and families a roof over their heads!  We talked to some locals and they aren't happy with their little town of 1600 people a year ago, growing to 10,000.00. It doesn't look like it will stop soon, as the oil supply seems plentiful.  We traveled over to Fort Union on Hwy. 1804 and they were widening the roads that far out, also.  The fort is a reconstruction of the original, that was built and was in service from 1828 to 1867.  It was the most important fur trading post on the upper Missouri River for 39 years, longer than any other post on the frontier.  It was a place for peaceful exchanges of goods/fur between the Plains Indian and the white cultures. We left there, and headed down Hwy. 16 to make a 300 mile loop for the day.  We are glad we didn't have to bring our motor home up this way!

                                                      Teddy Roosevelt National Park

                                                                         Fort Union