Day 11 and 12 June 15th and 16th to Williston ND

Day 11 and 12 Devil’s Lake to Williston ND June 15th and 16th

One thing about traveling with a trailer on long distance trips is that the scenery aways changes and it never gets boring. The beauty is everywhere , from the business of cities (we try to avoid as many as possible) to the rolling hills and flat plains of the Plains of Northern USA. Even the grime and mud of the Devils Lake area had it’s character and of course will give travelers many things to talk about and remember for many years to come. The water was everywhere. Two of the areas we wanted to reach were in circuitous routes that were partially underwater so we did not get there . Another had the entrance road under water. So we did what birders do, we looked for side roads that were at least partially open and as there was a lot of water, looked for the attending birds that might be there. And they were. On Tuesday we counted 53 birds seen and on Wednesday about the same number. Each day picking up some 10-12 species we had not seen on the trip this far. (SEE BIRD LIST POSTING IN NEXT BLOG).

Our technique was to cruise the roadsides and when a pond or small lake appeared , we would stop and either look briefly, or close down the engine, set up the binoculars and/or scope and fire away with the camera when needed. There has been so much rain here that the ponds and small lakes were every few hundred feet or so. That was the same in ND all along US 2 into Devils Lake and again on the way to Minot and Williston. (Still on US 2) On Wednesday we actually made a complete “loop” from our campsite around the west end of the Lake and back. Some 85 miles in all. It was an all day trip with side roads and a few small towns included. The stiff wind really whipped up the waves on the Lake.(SEE PICS).

The West Bay Campground was new this past year and so the roads in it had not really been tested as they were newly made and subject to “settling”. Hence getting in and out was tricky in the mud , but we did make it OK. The last morning there we were met by a heavy fog that dissipated by 8:30 after we had driven some 50 miles. Slowing the speed by 10 mph was a necessity. I drive at about 58-9 mph on the highway with the trailer in tow. Was surprised by how many drivers in the fog did NOT have their lights on.

The ride from Devils’ Lake to Williston is about 248 miles and we had to come through the US 2 portion that was closed last Sunday just west of Towner. The east lane still had enough water on it to make splashes from the vehicle tires, but the west bound lane was open all the way.This part of US 2 really allows one to see the prairie as it might have been. It is easy to see some 30-40 miles across the prairie, and the vast 1,000 acre wheat fields are constant for mile after mile. For the most part the wheat has been planted but a few are struggling to get that finished. Then the terrain gets rolling just east of Williston. Here cattle dominates and the feed bins and feed lots are legend.

Western ND is seeing a boom the likes of which has not been seen since the pioneers went west. It is oil, gas and minerals. Never in all of the 100,000 car miles we have driven have we seen so many large trucks (tankers, double bottom, oil tankers and”bottom droppers”, and trucks hauling all sorts of equipment for the oil and gas fields that are springing up out here,. They are crying for workers! Just on the way in to Williston we saw 4 camps that are being constructed for the workers and they can’t keep up. One of them had over 200 cars in the parking lot. These are fully equipped camps for the workers with all amenities. The gas and oil towers are springing up all ver the area. Storage tanks dot the landscape and equipment storage areas are almost in sight at each turn. Amazing stuff in this down economy.

Then to finish the day after we had arrived in Williston at 2:30 we determined to see a small, albeit distant, NWR called Zahl NWR. Some 40 miles north, but promising. And it was a good plan. The viewing road was only 1/2 mile long but the grasses were filled with sounds and birds were darting in and out. There were birds on the accompanying ponds but the prize of the day was a Marbled Godwit with cinnamon colored under wings, and a long, slightly upturned beak. There were many of them so be sure to see the pics.

This campground is right off US 2, Convenient but it will be a test to see if sleep comes easily with all the trucks and traffic. Dawn comes early and these truckers will start work at dawn I am sure.

Incidentally , the Missouri River that flows next to Williston is just 4 feet from flood stage and rising. The dike is huge but only time will tell if it holds unlike 1915 when it did inundate the city. Tomorrow we do a NWR in Montana across the border (Medicine Bow Lake) followed by the Teddy Roosevelt NationalPark (north unit) and hope to see some antelope and Elk.