The Auditors' Last Stand

Sun is up earlier in Montana than in Oklahoma, no use trying to sleep through the brightness blaring in your face.  Ham and eggs with bagels are on the menu, more hot coffee and glasses of cold orange juice are passed around.  

A temporary work station is constructed in the RV; documents are organized, observations and recommendations are discussed, emails are returned and a final review of the audit plan is completed.  Time to clean the RV and prepare it for return to Billings.  After swabbing the deck, the guys decide to make a visit to the Battle of Little Bighorn National Monument.  Sitting Bull and George Custer, two masterminds of open warfare meet in a battle to the death.  The Sioux versus the Pioneers is regarded as a clash of modernism against tradition.  Following a few hours of history lessons and reflecting on Custer’s last stand, it is time to move on down the road. 

A Billing’s hotel with hot showers, a soft bed with real pillows, and a meal not cooked over a campfire reminds the men they are one day closer to home.  The guys take in downtown and meet a native of Ponca City and an OU MBA graduate, now an environmental, safety and health engineer working for an oil company in Billings.  She is happy to see some Okies and hear a little about her home state.

After a restful sleep it is off to the airport, that is when the auditors learn the flight is overbooked.  Tulsa is calling, however Montana is holding on.  Three of the four guys are denied a seat, but after everyone loads, and enough volunteers are found to take the next flight, all of the team makes it on board bound for Tulsa.  The week of free spirits, traveling 1,460 miles across two states comes to an end.  The guys can’t wait to get back to their families, their own beds and the way of life they are accustomed.  After a week of RV’ing the auditors decide with a little practice they just might be worthy of the carrying the title of RV’er.

Dominant leaders of their time; Sitting Bull, Mark, and Pres. Grant

Katie's Story

Oil drilling has triggered a frantic level of prosperity in Katie’s formerly quiet corner of western North Dakota in recent years, bringing an increase in the economy with the lowest unemployment rate in the country.  But with this frenzy has turned the small town of Watford City into a fury of traffic jams, deteriorating roads, and temporary housing haphazardly placed from one end of town to the other.

Katie was born and raised in Watford City, obtained her education in this area, and now works in a natural gas plant.  She grew up in the laid back town where she knows most people by name.  This town of 1500 has served her and her family just fine, thank you very much.  That was until the most recent oil boom; with engineers finding new ways to obtain oil that was previously unreachable the town has multiplied beyond imagination.  Bars where locals would congregate to shoot the breeze are now over-run with traveling roughnecks who had never heard of Watford City and most couldn’t have pointed out North Dakota on a map.  “Bars are off limits now, fights are so common the locals know it is better to just stay away” Katie says.  Police investigated their first home invasion in, well so long ago none of the officers were on the force the last time a home burglary like this happened.  Both locally owned pharmacies have been broken in, more than once.  The most recent involved a welding truck and a cutting torch and resulted in a large hole where the door once stood.  Every last prescription pill was taken from the ransacked business.  $16,000 of narcotics went missing in the middle of a power outage. Before this year, small incidents of shoplifting -- like someone pocketing a Chap Stick -- were the only crimes the pharmacy owner had encountered

When you bring in a population of workers more than the original size of the town, you can imagine the problem of housing.  Companies began purchasing any piece of land they could place a trailer or quickly build living quarters, many times close enough to reach out your window and touch your neighbor’s home.  Regulations were not in place to direct temporary housing, causing many problems including the placement and condition of what could be considered a homestead. 

Katie longs for the day her small, lovable town will return to what to her is considered normal.  She realizes the boost in the economy is good for the local residents, but will the damage outweigh any gains is her largest concern.  She emphatically wishes the new comers would understand, that one day when the growth slows down and the work is not so frantic they will move along.  As they leave the boom behind there will still be folks who fondly call Watford City home.

Home on the Range

Two bull elk and a mule deer on the National Forest elk-pictures.com

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo elk roam. And the deer and the antelope cattle play take their time crossing in front of your pick-up.  Maybe not the lyrics Brewster Higley intended but they serve the purpose for the latest version of the North Dakota trip.  Two nights in Medora are restful and peaceful, the town is proud of Teddy Roosevelt; a nightly flag lowering in honor of the United States, North Dakota, and Teddy’s Rough Riders (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rough_Riders) silence the town in respect.  The shops sell the same souvenirs you see in most tourist traps.  But it is friendly and the views are wonderful.

The auditors take in the sights and the landscape when they noticed some cow elk grazing approximately 75 yards away.  After hiking around on a few trails a small herd of bull elk are noticed, even some large 6x6 elk are found in the National Forest.  Rex looks around for a no-hunting sign, but David quickly puts the brakes on any ideas he might have of elk steaks for dinner.

After hitting the sack early, the next morning brings two compressor stations and the Baker Plant.  Leaving North Dakota and heading to Montana is bittersweet, as they know they are one day closer to home and family, but will miss time spent in the Roughrider state.

As Mark and Richard drive to a compressor station, they realize life is a little slower in this part of the state.  The cows don’t care about their schedule, so they take their time crossing the path. 

Baker brings new work and a pizza lunch with the employees.  A pizza from Baker, MT that could rival Hideaway any day.  Jalapenos, sour kraut, mushrooms, olives, cheese, three different meats with red sauce sounds odd but tastes great.

After tours, research, Richard washing the pool pick-up the RV is back on the road heading to Hardin, MT near the reenactment of the Battle of Little Bighorn (http://www.nps.gov/libi/index.htm).     

Tonight’s menu consists of grilled chicken fajita salad with guacamole, grilled corn on the cob, and campfire pies.  This satisfying meal was topped off with ice cream and chocolate syrup served at the KOA campground.  The ice cream was provided by the local chapter of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, a group the auditors did not have much knowledge of beforehand but for whom they now have a great admiration for. 

They sit, relax and reflect on the weeks’ worth of site reviews, campfires, meals and miles driven.  Not many words are spoken as their eyes are getting heavy. 

A great appreciation is earned for their brothers and sisters up north.  The amount of heavy lifting to keep operations running smoothly while dealing with the conditions of everyday life is to be admired.

Road to Medora

Time to leave our temporary home at the Lewis and Clark State Park.  RV site number 49 served us well, with nice camp fires, wonderful views and peaceful settings.  The sun setting behind the bluffs provided bursting colors, the rising sun over the lake was magical and mystical.   The serene atmosphere enhances the senses; the trees seem more green, the water more blue in North Dakota than back in Oklahoma.  As much as we hate to leave, we realize Garden Creek is waiting.

A drive back through Williston and Watford City brings loads of traffic and construction.  More semis and pick-up trucks clog the pot-holed filled roads.  The landscape turns ugly with man camps, RV’s parks and orange cones.  The day is hot, heat warnings are given over the local radio.  Tonight we stay near Teddy Roosevelt Forest, but no time for day dreaming we have plants and compressor stations to visit.  Tuesday brings our third day of map searching and compressor station reviews.

Garden Creek brings new friendly folks, two compressor stations, and Katie’s story.  Watford City is what we feared, but more on that in a later post.  After wrapping up in Garden Creek, we take the highway south for the most unusual change of scenery yet.  We drive through dirty, run down areas full of man camps to the most beautiful valleys and mountains.  Theodore Roosevelt National Forest brings splendid and magnificent panoramas that force the auditors to pull over to soak in the beauty.  Pictures are snapped and breath is taken away as we are amazed in the transformation of the earth.

Still an hour of driving to go, we trek on to Medora where we will be staying the next two nights.  Although we are only four days away from home, the miles of travel and the tight schedule are starting to wear on the auditors.  The day the RV was rented seemed liked it was weeks ago.  The satisfaction of traveling with three friends across new territory while adding value to the company makes up for lack of sleep.

It is amazing what Richard can do with fresh garlic and spices turning a very cheap cut of meat into a delicious dinner.  Tomorrow brings Grasslands, Riverview and another compressor station, so it is off to bed early tonight.

Wild West Williston

Semi-trucks everywhere, men in 4x4’s in a ratio of ten to one to sedans.  Construction, trailers, beat-up roads are common sights in Williston.  Fifth wheel trailers are parked in residental areas, which the city will soon start fining $500 per day if not moved to a designated RV park.  The city government issues warnings: Women should not shop alone, and should never shop after 7 p.m., this includes Wal-Mart and grocery stores.   The group of traveling auditors venture to the Wal-Mart for a few supplies.  We should be safe on a Sunday afternoon.  The parking lot has more traffic than black Friday madness in Tulsa.  Thugs and roughnecks roam the aisles, can this be real?  Are we on the mean streets of LA or the sleepy town in North Dakota?

Pod housing for sale

One has to think, did my line of work create this, is my business contributing to this mayhem?  However, as we meet the company men who grew up in this town, we realize they are family men trying to weather the storm.  Jason speaks fondly of his hometown, in hopes of one day the hooligans will move back to their own areas of the country so he can continue to raise his children in the place he so loves.

Lignite and the Northern Border

Waking up to a beautiful sunrise with an orange so bright it will make the three OSU alumni blush.  Quick breakfast is all there is time for with the long drive to Lignite.  The road twists and is full of well heads and natural gas flares shooting flames 30 feet in the air.  Small towns busting at the seams is common spectacle, like a big man in a little coat.  It just doesn’t quite fit, to see the sleepy towns with the sewing machine repair next to makeshift bar and grill.  Eighty-nine miles and three hours later, they arrive at the first gas plant of the week.

Alana who helps run the Lignite facility treats the auditors very well with an office space, printer, files and paperwork and after a few hours of working she provides a home cooked meal for all the employees and us lucky visitors brownies with caramel sauce almost puts Mark into a coma with chocolate so rich and delicious, he needs a glass of milk and couch for a nap.  No time for that however, they have the Canadian border and two compressor stations to visit.  After making quick work of two compressor stations on Sunday, the auditors have a system down. 

The Canadian border was as exciting as ERM mapping which they of course love; the guys are deeply disappointed in the border town, run-down and dirty.  No Mounties are to be seen anywhere, if travel had been more than seven miles they would be asking for a refund.

No time to sulk, Jason is waiting to show off his new compressor station.  Then it is home sweet home for a camp fire with a menu consisting of hobo dinners and s ’mores.    Ground beef, smoke sausage, potatoes, jalapenos, onions, carrots and seasoning lightly tossed with extra virgin olive oil is placed in a foil packet and carefully positioned among the fire wood and hot coals.  The Oklahoma boys relive childhood memories while roasting marshmallows to be placed between graham crackers and a chocolate bar that will melt upon its marriage with the hot, gooey, puffy cloud of sugary goodness.

 

 

Game planning and map research consumes much of the evening, as they know the travel will devour much of their day tomorrow.  Garden Creek Plant and Twin Valley are their next scheduled stops.

Following the Lewis and Clark Trail

Miles City was good to us, but the auditors know many important tasks lie ahead.  The sun is up and so is David, well actually he beat the sun up this morning.  Bacon and eggs is prepared for breakfast with coffee poured hot.  After packing, we bid farewell and happy travels to our new friends.  The open road is calling for the turd on wheels, (refer to RV starring Robin Williams) we can ignore it no longer.

Off to Sidney to meet a coworker for lunch and to borrow a pickup truck.  Life along the Lewis and Clark Trail is great, a storm threatens to blow in on the Okies.  We miss the rain and wind, but reap the benefits of temperatures dipping into the 50's.  Scenery changes are noticeable, less mountains and more plains. Semi trucks start to fill up the roads, Sidney is bustling but nothing to what is to come on across the border into North Dakota. 

 

Williston, ND is our next stop, but more on that madhouse later.  Lewis and Clark State Park can wait no longer.  The words I type on the page, can never do justice to the beauty we experience at the green park upon Sakakawea Lake. Richard is tasked with building a fire, which he does so well.  Rex and Mark prepare the steaks and potatoes for the grill.  Life is good on the RV trail.  Once again stories are swapped and memories are made.

The Journey Begins and Making Friends

The four boys land in Billings, Montana to sunshine, plateaus, and clear skies.  After a quick orientation on RV logistics, it is time to embark on the rolling hills and ever changing landscapes of Montana.  In a matter of three hours, the scenery changes from reminiscent of eastern Oklahoma and southern Colorado to New Mexico. This mash of views known as Montana will be forever a great memory for the four good ole' boys from Oklahoma.

Then comes Miles City, the first night of RV living.  Belinda, the first person we meet in the tiny highway town warns the boys that the roads are rough, the winds are tough, and the men are gruff.  The auditors heed the warning, but know at this point the ball is in motion and little can stop the momentum.

 

While at the Big Sky RV Park, Richard quickly makes friends with the new neighbors.  Ellis from Minnesota shares fishing stories, Betty from West Virginia gives tips on sights of North Dakota.  What is quickly learned is RV living is unlike anything these boys have experienced.  Pull up a camping chair and swap tall tales with the strangers you now know by name.  Exchanging travel stories is a common practice when parking with the RV'ers. Encouragement from their new friends is giving to the auditors that possibly one day, they too can earn the privilege of being  called a RV'er.