Snowy Range Pass

Snowy Range Pass

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Not all drives are scenic

Leaving Bismarck, we decided to take a “scenic” route to our next stop and that would allow us to see some of the fracking operations and Roosevelt NP.  We ended up on ND 200 which turned out to be at the center of the fracking oil fields that we had heard so much negative news on  some of the cable channels.  About half of our time on ND 200 there was only gravel and huge ruts and grooves caused by the heavy equipment.

After touring T Roosevelt NP, we continued north to Lewis and Clark State Park, ND.  We had to pass thru Williston to get there.  As we neared the town, the roads started to get rough.  Then rougher and as we got thru town and out the other side towards the state park, the roads disappeared into a very ugly construction zone.  You had to contend not only with the construction equipment but also the heavy oil field equipment that had ruined the road in the first place.

We were beginning to understand why some folks are upset.  The heavy trucks, dirt, and construction traffic was destroying the roads, turning the countryside into old fashioned oil rush zone.  There were some beautiful ranches that were completely surrounded by areas that looked like a modern-day gold rush. The roads were so bad that a team from the caravan spent hours on the road searching for a route out of the state park that would avoid most of the hazards.  They did a pretty good job.  We only had about 8 miles of spring busting gravel road to get thru before we found actual pavement.

The pictures are not the best quality as they were shot from a moving (slowly) motorhome over some very rough non-roads.




















The state park was very nice with one large loop area we all could park in.  It will be a great place to visit, if the construction process comes to an end.













6 comments:

Jim and Sandie said...

I grew up in Eastern Montana not far from Williston.just breaks my heart what they have done to that area.

Nickie and Jim said...

We saw what I would call the "rape of the land" when we were in ND last year. It's horrible to see/comprehend. We just blew through Oklahoma and I expected to see the same mess as the Williston area (due to fracking), but didn't. I wish "they" would leave the earth alone!

Sherry said...

What is happening in that area is so terrible. I feel so sorry for all the people who have to live there so those who deny the truth can continue with a fuel source that we must replace ASAP. Such terrible greed.

Paul and Marti Dahl said...

Glad your springs and shocks survived! ;c)

Phyllis said...

We stayed at a RV park in Dickinson a few years back. Every where we went there was construction going on.

Happytrails said...

What a beautiful State Park to have been in...I know it doesn't make up for all the bad roads and breakdown of the rolling hills, but very nice anyway.