We've been in Watford City for one week now, getting used to the way things work here. The locals are very nice, especially considering that their quiet little town has been invaded by thousands of oil workers. Some of these guys are quite surly, maybe because they've been using the sleeper of their semi-tractor as a house for months.
The first stop for most oil workers is Williston, about 55 miles north of here. We went there a few weeks ago on our first trip and spent the night (along with hundreds of other nomads) in the Walmart parking lot. How surreal to see people sleeping in everything from compact cars to huge motorhomes in temperatures well below freezing. Inside the store it was even stranger. The shelves were half to three quarters empty, merchandise scattered on the floor, and only about four checkstands open with long, long lines of hollow-eyed, zombie-like workers along with some normal but weary locals. We gathered a few provisions and scurried back to our camper, where we locked the door on the madness outside.
I was sure there were good things about this place, but for now our warm cocoon atop our pickup was enough.
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