Why Not, Minot?

As I mentioned in the previous post, the drive through North Dakota was enlightening.

Originally, we thought our second FUE conference was going to be in Wisconsin in January but in the end we were in Minot after all. I had taken to referring to our trip by saying, ?Why Not Minot?? somewhat tongue-in-cheek, while what I was really thinking was ?Who on Earth wants to drive to Minot in November??

We left Rudyard on a Tuesday afternoon and drove East into a cold, blowing snow.  After an overnight stop in Glasgow, we were off again early Wednesday morning?nothing between us and Minot except the oil patch in western North Dakota. There has been so much talk about the Williston and surrounding environs over the past few years.  Jeff and I both had a pretty good idea of what we would see driving through there and how busy it could get, so we planned our gas stop so we ideally would not have to pull off the highway in the heart of the Bakken.

As we neared North Dakota the truck traffic skyrocketed.  Traffic was slow from the border all they way through Williston, but not at a standstill like we had heard it could get. We drove through sideways blowing snow the whole way, and it was cold. Single digits cold. I expected nothing less, frankly, when I heard we would be driving through North Dakota in November.

Here's a link to a very interesting NY Times article that my friend had on her Facebook page yesterday: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/us/as-oil-floods-plains-towns-crime-pours-in.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0  She grew up in Sidney, MT, which has definitely seen the affects of the Bakken.

I think what impressed me the most was the number and size of the man camps. And when I say ?impressed,? I mean that they left an impression.  There were just so many? We had heard so many stories about things that happen in the oil patch. I?m sure some of it is embellishment recounted by storytellers but one wonders, nevertheless.  I wished I had seen Williston ten or fifteen years ago and could compare the Then and Now.

We arrived in Minot just ahead of the really heavy snowfall. It was a good thing in my mind that we really were not expected to leave the hotel/convention center as long as we were in town.  All of our FUE friends managed to arrive safely, despite the weather.

In our group, we have one couple from North Dakota and the leader of the FUE program and his wife are also from North Dakota. The couple from Minnesota is also close friends with a couple from ND, who joined us one evening for dinner. We had ample opportunity to discuss the impact of the oil field on the state. Granted, our sample size was pretty small, but they were unanimous that there was no doubt the revenue from the oil had been making a positive impact on infrastructure and economy in North Dakota. But.  Everyone had a ?but? to add to their comments.  But what has it (oil) done for the quality of life of people working in and around the boom? But what truly is the environmental impact of all this oil and the extraction process? But what will happen when it?s over? But what does it mean for me and my family? Most of these questions cannot be answered conclusively.

The couple that lived closest to the oil field talked about the added difficulties to farming in the area. Increased truck traffic on roads that were just recently paved over top of existing gravel makes it difficult to move machinery around. Some people have no control over the mineral rights on their own land and they are dealing with oil companies coming and going through their fields as they see fit.  The young man said that his family had been approached to sell their mineral rights. His response was that until they are offered a sufficient price to live comfortably somewhere else, they?re not interested in selling. How can farming and oil coexist? In my opinion, the Bakken leaves more questions than answers.

The majority of our time in Minot was spent learning our leadership styles and how different types of leaders can work together, emphasizing each person?s strengths to accomplish common goals. It was interesting. I learned that Jeff and I are opposites in many ways, which is probably not a great surprise to those of you that know us.  I like to think that though we are different, we are harmonious and complimentary of each other. People with different personality types or leadership styles can still work together if their values are aligned.

Minot turned out to be a very nice town, despite the frigid cold and snow we encountered while there. We had a very lovely dinner with our group in downtown Minot one night at a place called 10 North Main, which I would highly recommend to anyone passing through the area.  I also learned that with a North Dakotan accent, Minot is pronounced more like MY-nit, so it doesn?t rhyme so well with Why Not after all. Turns out my tongue in cheek reference to Minot was inaccurate anyway. We had a great time.