The Route
Very simple, just follow US-2W for 267 miles and stop at Cottonwood RV Campground in Glasgow, MT.
About the Day
The weather changed. The morning was cool and began with low, dark clouds. The day became mostly sunny with temperatures reaching the low 70's.
The time changed. We entered the mountain time zone at the Montana state line.
The highway changed. US-2 changed from a 4-lane, divided highway to a 2-lane highway just west of Williston, ND.
The terrain changed as we traveled west in North Dakota. Flat, cultivated fields transformed into rolling hills and grazing ranges.
The terrain began to change just west of Minot. |
Country church in western North Dakota |
Our fuel economy changed. We faced a 15-20 mph headwind all day. Towing performance dropped from 15.1 mpg to 12.2 mpg.
State economies changed. Most Bakken oil drilling and production occurs in North Dakota. Oil fields and supporting businesses seemed to disappear when we crossed into Montana.
We saw lots of open land, big pickup trucks, temporary oil field lodging (RV's, mobile homes, modular homes, crew quarters, and extended stay motels), oil wells, pipe and storage tanks.
Temporary oil crew lodging comes in many shapes. |
Oil rigs and storage tanks abound in North Dakota. |
Natural gas burn-off is visible for miles. |
Oil exploration and production support companies have sprung up all over. |
Sadly, we also saw lots of idle excavation equipment, vacant offices buildings, never used crew quarters and unused supplies ... all signs of a declining oil boom.
The Campground
Tonight's campground is relatively small. It's connected to Cottonwood Inn and Suites. We check in at the inn's registration desk and have use of their pool, hot tub, restaurant and lounge. The campground facilities are quite nice. We're on a windy plateau overlooking a train switching yard.
Site #7 |
View from our front door |
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