This past weekend I made a second trip to the Bakken oil fields. This trip included locations north of interstate 94 and traversed many regions of the state with the most intensive oil development: Williston, Watford City, and the Ft. Berthold Reservation near New Town.
I left Bismarck very early on Saturday morning, reaching the Painted Canyon Overlook shortly after sunrise. Well, it was shortly after the time when the sun was scheduled to rise, but the canyon was enveloped in a thick haze due to large wild fires raging further west, primarily in Washington State. The rest of the day was not very productive photographically. I took a few close-range shots of landscape features, but large, panoramic vistas were not appealing. The haze, the heat (92 degrees F by mid-afternoon), and the depressing nature of the oil development around Williston and Watford City made me decide to return to Bismarck rather than camp out.
I stayed indoors and out of the heat on Sunday, heading back out early on Monday morning to visit locations on ND 22 between Dickinson and New Town. Haze was still an issue, but the temperatures were significantly cooler than Saturday and Sunday. This trip was not as productive as the first, at least in terms of number of images.
Areas of Special Interest included in this trip:
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit)
- Little Missouri River
- Little Missouri National Grasslands
- West Twin Butte
- Elkhorn Ranch (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
- Confluence of Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers
- Killdeer Mountain Battlefield
- Little Missouri State Park
- Lake Sakakawea
Separate posts for each of the locations including a few notes and photographs will follow over the next several days.
Oil and Water 