For Sunday, 4 September 2011
In Williston, North Dakota, I woke up in plenty of time to clear the parking lot before normal shoppers came around. The car started fine. I went searching for auto repair shops or even auto parts stores that might be able to determine the seriousness of my Check Engine light.
On one of the side streets I found a photo opp. I like things and signs that potentially have a bit of a teaching lesson in them. The big buildings labeled “City Elevator” caught my eye. Let us all raise our cities to new higher levels. While taking a few photos, an older guy came out of his house with his dog. He mentioned that the elevator buildings were for sale. I’m not too interested at this point. He was helpful in pointing me in the right direction for an auto parts store open on Sundays.
I wandered about town a bit. The auto parts store wasn’t going to open until after noon. I was tempted to just move on down the road. But I stuck around town. Since I had some time to wait, I went for a very rare restaurant breakfast. Yeah, it was only McDonalds. But it was still a treat for me. But the bigger treat was that when I started the car again, the Check Engine light was off. All right!
I knew the schedule was tight to head west. But I decided to spend a little time at Theodore Roosevelt National Park nearby. On the way I tried to get some photos of the fields. At one point, I stopped on the shoulder going up a hill. The pictures were mediocre. While leaving, the Check Engine light came back on once again. Bummer! At least it had been off for 37 miles.
Fields we don't see in the suburbs
I was already close to the park, so I continued south. I got to see some interesting rock formations and a couple bison at the park.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park - North Unit
I saw a couple bison by the Visitors Center. I thought I'd see a bunch more. But those few seconds were it, for weeks....
Cannon Balls (sort of) that form from hard rock with soft soil around them. Occasionally they roll down.
Is it a whale looking left? Or maybe it is a bird looking right?
Sometimes the land sinks and slides a little sideways.
On the drive south of Williston, I got a taste of the current environment around there. There were all kinds of ad hoc “RV Parks”. It seemed anybody with a half acre or more, electricity, and running water was opening an RV park for extra income. There were little parks of RVs and tiny mobile housing for all the oil workers.
Temporary (months now) housing for workers at the oil wells and related businesses
I got back to town after noon to see if I could get the engine analyzed. The auto parts store no longer has an analyzer available for temporary use. It was broken/stolen/some story.
At 1:15 p.m. I finally left Williston. I was disappointed that my delay gained no information about the Check Engine light. So I headed west with many miles to cover.
I enjoyed the open areas of eastern Montana. It just feels “big” when you can see for miles without a bunch of building clutter. Because of the engine issues, I mostly behaved on the open roads. And the locals drove much slower than expected.
I did stop for one photo opportunity. It was harvest time at a large field. The farmer said it would take four days for them to finish just that one field with two combines. It was a fun break. And I got some potential stock photos for any harvest-related teaching later.
Montana wind turbine farm:
As I passed through Shelby, Montana, I thought of a creative young relative named Shelby. In the evening, I found an RV park in the small town of Cut Bank, Montana. The city had a couple auto dealerships, but none that would be open on the holiday weekend. At the campground, it was kind of noisy by the road and train tracks. But after a couple of short nights, I was plenty tired and slept pretty well. I was getting close to the Rockies.
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