So, why go there? Joanne Curry, Carol's friend from swimming, grew up there. We thought it would be fun to capture some memories for her while we were in the area. In addition, we camped near there and had a nice diner at Buckskin Grill in 2010. We were curious to see how it might have changed in 5 years.
The Route
We took I-94 east to Dickinson and went north on ND-22 to Killdeer.
Observations
New technology has made it feasible to recover oil from the region and has made quite a difference. The Bakken oil boom has brought tens of thousands of new jobs to the area. North Dakota currently has the highest employment rate in the U.S. We saw traffic, noise, dust, temporary housing, extended stay housing, drilling, pumping equipment and support services all over the area.
Route 22 is being widened to handle increased traffic between Dickinson and Killdeer.
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| We followed this truck much of the way. |
We arrived late on a Sunday afternoon. Killdeer wasn't as sleepy as we remembered. Many oil workers were out and about. The few bars and restaurants we saw were busy.
We tried the Buckskin Grill and initially thought it was closed.
The windows were dark and we couldn't see anyone moving around. Four workers walked by and right through the swinging doors into the bar. We tried it and found the place was really busy. The dining room was closed. The bar and grill hadn't changed.
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| They have an interesting menu. |
Carol had a grilled chicken sandwich and Dick had a Long Island Reuben. Both were delicious. Without asking, we ended up sitting one table away from where we sat in 2010 ... go figure.
We took a short drive through the town before leaving.
We arrived back in Medora after dark.
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| Views from the grill area |
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| The bar |
We took a short drive through the town before leaving.
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| The school may be familiar to Joanne. |
We arrived back in Medora after dark.
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| Sunset on the way home. |
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