3, 2, 1.....BLAST OFF!!

When I heard about the oil fields of North Dakota, I imagined a terrain, much like one of an uninhabitable planet. Mars for example came to mind. I thought of men in big trucks with mud all over their tires, spitting chew down the side of their cab as they drove to the big tall towers on the horizon. I thought of greasy roads and trailer houses full of tired guys that ate nails for dinner. I wasn't completely wrong, but I'll tell you, I never expected little town on the prairie.

Yes, we are on another road-trip-adventure-camp-out-Hollon thing. Travis got a job working on an oil drilling rig and we came along for all of the fun...and because we don't like to be split up like orphans. We had a nearly perfect road trip here. We didn't leave at 4am and push the little girls to the breaking point. We didn't eat junk food and throw the baby candy to shut her up.

We left at 9:30am and got some last minute shopping and gassing up done at the lovely Riggins One Stop. Then we made our way up the road pulling our house behind us. (Tenesee, the 2 yr old, kept twisting around in her car seat just to make sure we didn't forget it!)

We stopped at Lolo Hot Springs and took a dip in the pool...aaahhhh! Just perfect for the road tripper's bottom we all get. We ate strawberries, oranges, walnuts, sandwiches on nine grain bread, and pretzels.

We drove across Montana that first day and stayed the night in a rest stop outside of Bozeman, and it IS just like I imagined: high mountain desert, dotted with herds of impressive, perfect, text book looking cattle with blue, blue mountains in the distance.

On the second morning, after some oatmeal, we headed to the Museum of the Rocky Mountains. It was full of dinosaurs! The bones of “Big Mike,” the T-Rex, are on display as they actually found them near Angela Montana. After, having them cast and reassembled on a life size model, they put them back on a relief of mud/plaster and made an archeological dig site replica.
We were most impressed with the bones and models of the earth in it's many former “ages.”

Tenesee was most frightened by the models in actual size. Strange feathered meat eating creatures attacking a huge long neck, complete with fake blood. The room was darkened and filled with moaning dinosaur noises. Our little girl had some huge eyes locked on those models, just to make sure they didn't move. I had to reach past the sign that said, “Don't Touch!” and knock on the hollow plaster, just to ensure her that we wouldn't be eaten alive. (I resisted the urge to scream and act like it was biting my hand!)

After visiting the upstairs level of the museum, where they have a whole section dedicated to kids, we drove until dinner and camped on the border of Montana and North Dakota. We hiked in the big round, red rocks and watched a happy dog stretching out his legs after hours of waiting. The granite was old and weathered and the pine trees were tall and strong. The kids threw rocks and climbed trees and I chased the chubby, clumsy 2 yr old away from the edge of certain death. We found a cactus and a little cave.

Then we woke up and drove the rest of the way to our destination: Arnegard, North Dakota.
Old homesteads dotted the sides of the highway. Ghostly broken windows of old sagging farm shacks were buried in the tall prarie grass. We tried to imagine what had brought them there and what had made them leave. I'm guessing 40 below winters, but hey, that's me! The little town of Arnegard is a mix between New Meadows and Grangeville, minus about 90% of the people and there are no mountains in the distance. “Main Street” has a post office and a bar. And the store?...well, you can get Doritos, Marlboro’s, and a corn dog.

But, it's quaint and we have a beautiful grassy lot to park our camper on. Most of the RV parks around this area are built on mud and packed with roughnecks and dirty trucks. They also cost around $1,000/month!!! That's like a house payment! 6 months ago they were charging $250/month, but with all the drillers coming in they decided to butcher the fat hog.

So, how did we get our little piece of park? Well, before Travis left to come and get us, he asked a gal where the old locals drank their coffee. She told him they all gathered at the City Hall. So he drove the 7 miles and walked into the building, took his hat off, and sat down with a bunch of old ranchers. Some of the same ones that may just cuss the development happening around them, with the overflow of oil drillers wanting to make a buck.

“Hi, my name is Travis Hollon and I'm from Riggins, Idaho. I'm looking for a little piece of ground to park my camper on so I can bring my little family over here while I work during the week. Do you know of anyone-”

He barely finished his sentence when this nice gentleman and his wife said, “We've got a lot, right around the corner. You can come and look at it, if you like.” So they drove down the “main street” (with no paint lines on it) and sure enough it was perfect. He offered to pay them to hold it for us, but they wouldn't hear of it. I just love yes people that trust in a hand shake. It's a good reminder of how to really love your “neighbors.”

There are so many “no” people in this world, that when I meet a “yes” person it reminds me, every time, of why I want to be one. Being a Mom, I have to say “NO” about every 5th word that comes out of my mouth. This is necessary and then habitual. Good to check every once in awhile and see how much is needed and how much is automatic.

So here we are in good 'ole North Dakota. After the first day I found out why there is so much mud and green grass. RAIN! It came down hard and wild and cold. The little propane heater was blowing like crazy and Mama was cookin' up every warm thing I could just to keep us all cozy. After the rain came the wind and we stayed in and watched the trees blow and read our books. That's when I found out why mud puddles in North Dakota can dry within a matter of hours.

But, this morning I woke up to clear blue skies and I announced the end of the school year, to many shouts and cheers! So we went on a picnic at the park complete with lemonade and mandarin oranges. We met kids and moms and grampas and got pink cheeks from all of the sun and enjoyed life.

There are more slides and play houses from every era, than you've ever seen, at this small town memorial park. This thing has been dedicated and rededicated and you can tell that whatever happens in Arnegard, happens at Nelson Park. They even have the original slides that look like they were welded in shop class, and I'm sure have been outlawed in most states. The GOOD slides that take your breath away. The kind of slides that we played on 30 years ago...back when we ran with scissors and our parents smoked to our health in the car, with the windows rolled up, while we bounced around because seat belts hadn't been invented yet.






















So yes, we miss home. Yes, we miss family and friends. Yes, it's all strange and new and scary and exciting and I can just feel the stories brewing! Mommy's mantra today is to remember what it's like being the new kid....and what it's like watching the new kid flounder while your sitting with your homies. Offer the new kid a coke and say “hey,” because chances are that kid is just like you!