Welcome to BakkenForth

This blog is the outgrowth of a story assignment I pitched and later fulfilled for Sandpoint Magazine, a twice yearly publication in Sandpoint, Idaho, aka "America's Most Beautiful Small Town."  

For the print article and a host of other local features, visit www.sandpointonline.com.

Historically and unfortunately, all the beauty in the world has not always helped to financial support a significant number of residents who live in and love the community of 7,500 in the Panhandle of Idaho.  

Over the past several decades, tourism, manufacturing/merchandising companies and small businesses have replaced logging and agriculture as the main income producers in Sandpoint and the surrounding communities.  

Like so many areas in the country, the recession of 2008 and beyond struck a severe blow to the earning ability and pocketbooks of many residents in North Idaho, especially laborers. 

In the midst of this, a new technology called fracking opened the door for a huge North Dakota oil boom in a 200,000 square mile area called the Bakken.  In addition to North Dakota, the Bakken covers parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Montana.

That breakthrough led to phenomenal employment opportunities for workers with oil companies from all over the country.  The subsequent population boom sparked the need for infrastructure, housing construction, etc. 

This opportunity for employment has led to an ongoing migration of locals to North Dakota over the past few years.  

The stories below reflect several dimensions---the good, the bad and the ugly---of picking up, leaving home, making sacrifices and working away from family in hopes of supporting that family, just paying the bills or even improving one's lifestyle. 

I view this blog as a "work in progress," partially because I still have some photos/videos to post, and I hope to fix some of the gremlins that often appear between the blogger clipboard and the published page.  

For example, you may see that some headlines that look rather strange; those glitches often happen with blogging because it's hardly a perfect science.

In addition, I still have more material from other locals working in North Dakota as well as from published sources that I'd like to add.  

I think these people offer some wonderful insights into the North Dakota experience, and I thank them for taking the time to share their experiences with me.  I appreciate each of them for helping me with this story.

So please enjoy AND if you have a story about the North Dakota experience to share, please do.  

Submissions, which will be edited for grammar, mechanics, accuracy, etc.,  can be sent to me at potatohead89@hotmail.com. 

North Dakota Oil Field "Man" Camp -courtesy photo

 

Valerie with her belongings.  Courtesy Photo

Valerie Hester, 57

Business Consultant, et. al. 

Sagle, Idaho

Idaho has been my home for 48 years. I am a photographer, trap shooter and motorcyclist. I am a mother of two and grandmother of five.  I have my home in Sagle. My parents moved to Sandpoint when I was in fifth grade.

I owned and operated my own business for the past 35 years.   My career includes logging and hauling, bookkeeping, consulting and hotel owner in Republic, WA for nine years.  I’ve also worked as a realtor and operated a Certified Family Home (CFH) for three years. (taking care of my mom).

ND – March 2012 – August 2012    5 months

I have done business consulting, which involved simple accounting to full business reconstruction to internal audits.  I also consulted on several embezzlement cases.  

I am a published photographer and author for tourism promotion with over eight years of my work being published in the Washington State Visitors guide and other various WA local and regional tourism publications.  

I sold my hotel in 2009 and returned to my home in Sagle.  I started looking for work here in area.  I did a few consulting jobs.  I was hoping to find full time work.  But after a year I still had not found any work that would be long term.  I made it to the 3rd or 4^th interviews to be told I was over qualified.

While operating the CFH I found it was not enough income to make ends meet. I had heard the incredible stories about North Dakota---all the money you could make but that the life was harsh and definitely not the place for a woman.  I heard lots of warnings about rapes, murders, no places to live, harsh working and living environments.  

In preparation, I talked with as many people as I could who had actually been there.  Many were home on a break and were going back.  Others thought it was a waste of time and would not even consider returning.  

I weighed the information gleaned and believed there was some truth in the stories but would never know unless I went and checked it out for myself. Despite the warnings of well meaning friends I choose to make the journey and find out for myself what the conditions were really like.

I researched the oil field jobs and made some inquiries about the types of work available.  I applied online for several positions, but through that learned they wanted you to apply next in person to be seriously considered for their position.  

This was a process of several months.  I checked out the housing & RV sites. Daily I checked the job listings.  It all looked promising but a risk. It was still winter 2011 and I decided that the time to go would be in the spring when the work would be picking up and the weather would be better for traveling.  

During this decision process, through a friend, I got a connection for a consulting job in Sydney, MT., which is right on the ND border.  This job would be setting up an office for a crude hauling company.  

Two young guys from Coeur d’Alene had taken their trucks to the oil field to make their fortune, but needed help with paperwork and compliance regulations.  So they agreed to my price for coming out to get them set up. They arranged for the RV site which they paid for as part of our agreement. This was in February 2012.   This job would take about a month; from there I could check out the area and see what was available.

I got ready to go by not only packing personal belongings but my office into my 26’ camper, which I pulled with my F250.  

I had shared with a friend, Leone (Lee) Nickleson, who lived in western WA about going to ND.  She had been out of work for over 2 years.  I offered for her come with me.  I figured safety in traveling together.  She drove over to Sagle with her car stuffed and her little Chihuahua to join me on this adventure.   

Part of the preparation was to make sure we had enough money to get to ND and to pay for living expenses for 3 months.  We sold stuff to get the money for the trip. It is approx. 800 miles from Sandpoint to the ND border.  We would have to work to make enough money to return home.  It was a bit scary but also exciting to set out together on this new chapter in our lives.  

On March 26, 2012 we set off.  It snowed 6 feet the night before we left.  

First Site:

We arrived in Sydney, Mont., March 29.  Our campsite was a dry, dusty, rough barren farmer’s field that he had converted to camp site for oil workers.  

There were campers of every kind from vans to buses to man-camp trailers, which were basically long windowless trailers with six bunks to a bedroom, a common area.  The lack of windows was so they could sleep in dark during the day.  The people we met were very nice for the most part.  They were there for the same reason we were, hopefully to make enough money to get caught up with life so they could return home.

We spent the first two day setting up and resting from our journey.  Then we went exploring to check out the surrounding towns.  It was beautiful and barren (desolate sp?) all at the same time.  

The job I went for didn’t work out, so after two weeks, I got paid for what I did and moved on. I had learned enough about the area by then that I moved my camper to Watford City, ND. a nice farming community of about 1500 before the oil boom.  

RV places are plentiful but you have to do some research on what is offered and what is really there once you arrive.  Many of the RV places are just like the one we started in, where a the property owner converted some land to an RV site by putting in water, power and sewer hook ups, which will cost from $600 to $1000 or more a month, in advance.

 Most of these homegrown RV places are not listed and are only found out once you are there.  I had located a RV site next to the local Eagles for $800 a month.  It was basically a barren parking lot with 20 trailer sites, but it was only a mile out of town.

Once in Watford City, Lee and I set out looking for jobs.  It took us 1 ½ days to get full time employment, both of us starting at over $19. an hour plus full benefits.  

My Job:

I went to work as a dispatcher for an Oil Trucking company, located in Watford City and Lee, got a job in Williston, 45 miles to the north.   Because we had my camper we did not look for rentals until Lee got her job in Williston.  

The traffic there is very heavy and hazardous.  Trucks run 24/7, the truck tires are covered in oil mud which flies off as they go down the road, making the road surface gooey and slick.  There was continual road construction going on everywhere to try and catch up with the traffic increase.

Lee located a small one bedroom, one bath place and moved to Williston. It cost her $1200 a month---all utilities included, stove, frig and bunk bed. She has since moved to a nicer one bedroom cottage for the same price, is still at her original job with a nice raise.

The company I went to work for had RV sites out behind the business so I moved my trailer to my work site.  This was part of the benefit of working for the company, so I had no expense for the site.  

One thing about the RV site was all the dust and mud.  When it rains,  the mud turns to this sticky glue-like substance, which will literally pull your boots off. So you wore rubber farm boots to walk to work and changed into shoes at the office.  

Some days when the wind was blowing so hard I couldn’t stand up,  I drove across the parking lot to get to the front door.  

The wind blows constantly.  Not just this nice little breeze, you have to be sure and hold on to your door when you open it or the strength of the wind will pull it right out of your hands. Both of the door latches for holding the camper door where broken off from the wind.

Once when opening my truck door to lean inside and get something I forgot to hold the door, and it came back and hit me across the back of my knees.  I wasn’t sure if something wasn’t broken or that I was going to be able to stand up or walk for several minutes.  It didn’t matter how tightly you shut your windows and vents---the fine silt-like dust made its way inside.

My job was to coordinate the oil hauling schedule.  The company had 76 trucks which each hauled 2 to 4 loads per day, 24/7.  Pumpers would call in their oil loads and we would schedule the trucks for pickup and delivery of the oil to off loading site, either to a pipeline or oil tankers at a rail site.  It was a very intense work place.  

The work load was grueling.  I worked rotating days with another dispatcher of four on, three off.  I was on call for the four days I was on.  Sometimes it wasn’t too bad,  but some weeks I rarely got to sleep through the night due to truck breakdowns or changes in the oil production flow.  

By the fourth day,  I was a walking zombie due to lack of sleep.  My first day off was sleep, then laundry and shopping and back to work.   I did manage to get in at least one day of exploring on my days off.

After a couple months I had discovered that this company was not very ethical so I began looking for other employment.  One morning the boss told me I was to lie about something, when I said I wouldn’t do it, handed him my keys and walked off the job; I had never just quit at a job before.  

But that is the way some operate.  I would now check the reputation of the business before I took another job, i.e., get promises made during an interview in writing.  If they don’t want to do it,  then move on. That was May 23, 2012.

Because the RV site was connected with my job,  I once again had to move my camper.  

Next camp site:

Val's view at the ranch

Part of the adventure of going somewhere new is meeting and learning about the people who have lived there.  I had met and made many new friends. Several I still stay in touch with.

Through these connections, one of the local ranchers was moving from the area but needed someone to look after his ranch house and feed his cats.  So he traded with me.  I got a nice RV site at no cost, and he got a caretaker.  His place was south of Watford City, overlooking the badlands of Roosevelt National Park.  

I took about a week’s break and then went to work, consulting with a gal who was starting a new restaurant.  I also took on a job at the Foxhills Golf and Country Club, helping with special events. 

Val with co-workers at golf course

I really liked working at the golf course.  I got to meet people from all over the country and hear their stories about how they came to be in ND and their dreams of getting back home.  That was the theme of most conversations  - of getting back home, eventually.  

My job was golf sales, bartending, special events – banquets, some cooking and working the golf tournaments.  Running the beverage cart around the course was always a fun time.

Home Visit July 2012:

I flew back to Idaho to visit my family and get my car so that I wasn’t spending so much money on gas.  I visited my family:  mom, son and grandkids.  We had a picnic at Garfield Bay and went swimming.  I stayed only for 2 days, then drove back to ND. In my little car, it only cost me $110 for gas and one day to get back.

August 2012

My mom was having some serious health issues, which needed to be dealt with.  I could not help her from ND. I chose to leave my job at the Golf Course, even though I was just offered a new position.  

I returned to Idaho Aug. 24, 2012.  I was in ND from March – August 2012.  So not very long, but I made good money and met wonderful people along the way. If need be,  I would return.

Thoughts:

The Watford City Eagles became my ‘home’ place.  That’s where I met a lot of the local folks and got to know more about what it was like before the boom. I joined the Ladies Auxiliary and even dealt Blackjack for a brief time to help out.

The Eagles is where I got to know the local ranchers and area people and made some great forever friends.  I met the mechanic who worked on my car, a gal who got me the connection with the job at the golf course (her brother was the manager), the rancher’s wife who invited me to the calf branding, the pipeline inspector who took me on a tour, the rancher who needed a caretaker.  And, the food there was good and reasonably priced.

While in ND, I did a lot of exploring on my time off and took lots of photographs.  The inspector for the pipeline took me out to see the process. It was fascinating to see how it took shape.  

My favorite experience was helping with the calf brandings.  I helped with two while I was there.  The first one I watched and took photos; the next, I got to tag the new calves and help sort the herd.  

That was so great to be included in part of the normal life of ND.  To talk with people not connected with the oil industry and learn about life on a ranch in ND.  We talked of babies, men, quilts, food and life.  

Oh my there are no cooks as good a farmer’s wife.  After the branding was complete we ate and had a few beers and swapped stories of the day.

  

At one of the brandings I was helping to load a rogue cow, and she did not want to go in the stock trailer.  Bob, the guy trying to get her through the chute, got head butted in the shoulder as she tried to jump the fence.  He got his shoulder dislocated.  

Once we managed to get her in the trailer, I was trying to hold the door shut, and she had turned around and was head butting the door.  I got my hand hurt trying to latch the trailer gate.  Another helper managed to get the latch done. Lord, help the rancher that owns that cow. She was a wild thing.

Challenges:  

Not feeling safe sometimes just walking downtown.  At first was worse than later after I became more familiar with the area.  At first I didn’t go anywhere alone, Lee and I went everywhere pretty much together.  We didn’t go downtown or even Wal-Mart alone.   Always with at least one other person more is better.

Yes, I carried – loaded and ready – Ruger 9mm-at first, later only if I was off exploring by myself. As I got to know the area and where I could go, I relaxed and did more exploring.  I did go to some events in town on my own, but there were lots of people around.  I never went up town at night by myself.

The dust and wind---I learned I didn’t like the ND wind.  At night the wind would blow so hard, I felt like I was on a boat.  The thunder storms were awesomely fierce at times.  Sometimes debris would hit the sides of the trailer.  

You couldn’t keep your windows or roof vents open during the storms; for even the slightest crack would allow the wind to get a hold and literally bend the windows or rip the vents from your trailer. One storm blew the rancher’s canoe into the next field about one-quarter mile away.

Cost of living:

Gas was about the same as here but the lines were long.  You learned which times of day were better to get fuel than others and you planned accordingly or you could spend over an hour just to fill up.

The prices were varied from groceries to eating out.  Some businesses were reasonable but due to the demand for merchandise things cost about twice what we may pay at home.  It was cost effective to drive to Minot to do any major shopping, about like driving to Spokane.

There were food wagons everywhere.  Some of the best and worst food you will ever eat.  But these were generally cheaper and faster than trying to eat at a restaurant.  You learned which ones to buy from.  When you did go out to eat at a sit-down place,  you had to plan that it was going to take at least 45 minutes to an hour to get your order---after you had waited at least that long to be seated.

Advice:

Just do it!  You choose.  You will not really know if you don’t go for yourself. But be prepared to spend more than you budgeted.

If you are going in a camper, RV spots are not what you are used to here.  You cannot spend the night in a local business parking lot.  Many locals will rent you a place in their yard, but to find those you have to know someone or get to know them after you get there.

Fresh produce is hard to come by and only last half a day at most grocers before it is sold out.  

In case you don’t like it, plan to have enough money set aside to come home or know that you will have to work until you have enough.

Meet the locals.  They will be your greatest resource and some of your best friends.  

Sept. 2012 – June 2013

Back in Idaho, I cared for my mom and dealt with her medical needs.  

Spring 2013- Mom was doing well so I was getting ready to return to ND since I still had not found employment in the area.  My plan was to leave after July 4, 2013.

I had stayed in touch with Lee, and in June I started packing to return to ND.  I had a place to stay and a lead on a couple jobs, starting at $20 an hr.

I had applied for and interviewed for several jobs here and not heard anything. One night while searching myself for what direction to go, I prayed, Lord, if you want me to stay here in Idaho I need a secure job with a livable wage.  If not, then I know I need to go back to ND.

On July 2, I received a call from one of the jobs for which I had interviewed three weeks prior.  I went to work July 8.  I am now working in Hayden Lake for Molpus Timberlands Management as their log accounting clerk.  I am enjoying my job very much and am glad I got to stay in Idaho.  

However, had I not gotten a job locally, I would be in ND working.  

When people ask me about whether they should go or not,  I just tell them to “go.”  What have you got to lose by checking it out? There are lots of opportunities there for every aspect of work experience.  Some better some not.

You have to do your research and make a plan.    Sometimes taking the first job that comes along at least gives you the connections you need for the next and better job.

Memories:

*My best memory will be the people, heart of the earth ND farmers and ranchers’ families dealing with their world changing and handling it the best they can - most with an “embrace it” attitude.

*The people from all over the United States, sharing their stories of life experience in ND.

*Calf-branding

*Roosevelt National Park

Mike with son Bryce.

Mike Landano, Selle, age 52

Production Chef

Williston Area Man Camp

November 2012-July 2013

I’ve lived in the Sandpoint area about eight-nine years.  Before that I worked as a chef at the Grand Canyon two years and in SE Florida as a chef at actor Michael Kane’s restaurant.

My grandfather had a restaurant in New York City since 1952.  I grew up from there, opening cans, making fresh pasta, working my way.  I received my education at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. 

My personal living conditions were okay.  It was like a Motel 8—a room with bunk beds.  Most workers had roommates, but I did not.  It’s a nice room with a 32-inch flat screen TV.  I had my own bathroom and laundry facilities.  I didn’t pay for it.

I took the North Dakota job because I had to pay my bills.   That’s the overwhelming situation.  I used the Internet for job searches for job searches--- about 85.  A headhunter found me.  I turned my resume into company. They gave me a phone interview while I was driving HWY 95 and hired me within 20 minutes.  I left two days later by Amtrak.  There were allways 10-15 guys waiting for that train.  

Once there, I went right into kitchen.  itt was a pretty good-sized kitchen, almost as big as my house.  The staff included a chef, a baker, some cooks, trundle cook who makes sandwiches, a dishwasher.  

As a chef,  we get involved in ordering, menu planning; whereas, the cooks are directed.  I try to do everything on the fly.  My time is spent working making fresh soup, lunch for 300-400 guys and I was totally responsible for feeding them hot sandwiches, vegetable, two hot entrée, a starch, veggie and bread.  The desserts were out there, but I was not responsible for them.

I started my hours before 4 a.m. and worked until 4 p.m.  Then,  they lost workers.  Most of the workers were transients.  Before I left,  I was working from 9-9 p.m. They weren’t the best planners.

With the “man camp” set-up,  the guys have single rooms.  They all work 12-hours shifts.  They have laundromats, a cleaning service and 24-hour food.  We had what they called a side bar with hamburgers, chicken, all the time, sandwiches and desserts---all serve-yourself.  There’s a gym with state-of-the-art equipment and an outside laundromat for the coveralls. The Internet was very filtered. 

The company [Nabors] owned the camp, and they had a kitchen camp.  There are about 30 or 40 man camps.  Every big company had at least one camp because the sites are scattered throughout the region.  Some guys drive up to two hours a day to get to work from camp.   Some drive 20 miles.

I’m a sociable animal, so I pretty much got to know most of the guys.  After 30 years in the restaurant business, you get very few compliments cuz you’re back in the kitchen.  These guys were grateful to us for keeping them food.  If they call, we’ll wait for them. It’s nice to hear the compliments. 

The working is easy, it’s pretty much brainless.  The menus are planned out for six weeks in advance and there was no pre-planning menus for lunch.  We used leftovers from dinner to utilize for lunch two days later.  Hour-wise, and sometimes the amounts, I try to cook without a lot of steps.  You make it as hard as you want to make it.  I know enough to make my job easy.

It’s usually six weeks on and two off, but my last was seven weeks on …..I need the work right now, and if I have the right situation, I’ll take it.   

Workers generally slept during their leisure time?  Slept.  When you work until 4 in the afternoon and would help with dinner, putting stuff away.  My 12-hour day I worked straight through. I tried to get out of the camp as much as I could.  It was just outside of Williston.  The camps are prohibitively expensive.

I saw a lot of gouging of the people who are there to work.  We’re up there making them money. 

Generally, it was like working in a crab bucket---always pulled down.  Everyone is worried about their job so there are a lot of head games.  One gets to the top,  and then the rest pull them down.  A lot of them eat their own. 

I tried to stay out of the environment. The mentality is straight prison mentality with the worker.  I saw more than once seasoned people----these guys would treat them like poop.  They sabotaged their meals.  A worker would write [like a request] on message boards, and guys would erase it.  Some of the guys I worked with had done 10-15 years in Angola State Prison.   They intimidated people.

The benefits of this working lifestyle:  we still have a house to live in.  I would like to be able to stay here,  but I have to find work.  I love the beauty, the quiet, the people---this is a beautiful area.

Once you work four or five weeks and you know you’re getting to a week or two, those days drag.  Bryce and Christie and I talk four or five times a day.  It’s really rough on the women.  When I’m done in the afternoon I want to sleep.   At home, life goes on and it kinda rolls on.  

 ~~~~~~

Christie Anstine Landano, 39

Receptionist Pend Oreille Veterinary Service

I moved to Sandpoint in 2006 and started working at Pend Oreille Vet Service in April 2011.  I am a receptionist (client relations).  We rent a small farm in Selle, where I do my best to keep the lawn mowed and watered in the summer and make sure that the snow is plowed in the winter.

I have three children:  Braden (age 15) and Brock (age 13) who are Mike's step-children, and Bryce, who is Mike's biological son (age 4).  Braden and Brock have handled Mike's absence fairly well and have stepped up to the plate to help me with household chores and have tried to help with Bryce when possible.  

Bryce, however, has been greatly impacted by his daddy’s absence.  He cries and asks for Mike multiple times each day.  He’s told me that Daddy doesn’t live with us anymore, and he does not understand why Mike must work in North Dakota to make money--he does not like “money” at this point.  

One of the worst things I’ve had to deal with is mornings. Bryce often dreams about his dad, and when he finally wakes up and realizes that Daddy is not here, he sobs and can't be consoled, sometimes for hours.  My heart breaks on a daily basis.  

I have been very careful not to unload a huge amount of extra chores on Braden and Brock since Mike has been gone. It is my personal opinion that it is not their responsibility to act as “man of the house”.  However, both of them have been very emotionally supportive. I’ve been so lost and lonely without my husband, and they have tried to pick up some of the slack while Mike has been gone.  

For example, I've had two flat tires recently, and Braden has changed them. He also recently replaced a broken headlight in my car (something I don't know how to do).  

Brock fixed a broken switch on my vacuum cleaner and a few weeks ago helped me look for my dog in the middle of the night in the dark Selle Valley. We finally found my geriatric Doberman about 2:30 a.m. unable to get out of a 6-7 foot deep sink-hole on the outskirts of our property.  Both boys have taken turns watching their little brother while I do yard/house work or when I need to take a quick trip the store, which I greatly appreciate.     

After Mike started working in North Dakota, we were finally able to pay our bills and also afford gas and food to boot.  We were not affluent by any means, and still lived paycheck to paycheck, but we didn’t have any shut-off notices for our power and no one from Waste Management came to impound our trash can (seriously this did happen to us).  

I wouldn’t say, however, that I really “enjoyed” myself while Michael was gone.  One of the reasons I love where I live is that I get to spend me free time with my family. Although I love my kids with all of my heart and soul, I was extremely lonely without Michael and often found myself thinking, “Wow, I should tell Mike this” or “I wish Mike was here to enjoy this moment” or “I could really use Mike to lift this couch or shovel this snow.”

I asked myself many many times if having him away was worth being able to pay the bills, and I could never solidly make up my mind.

 

Craig Harris, 62

Kitchen Cabinet Sales

Huntwood Industries

I have worked for Huntwood Industries,  a cabinet manufacturer in Spokane, for 14 years. Prior to this job, I worked at Alpine Motors for 30 years.    

 I drive back and forth to Bismarck, which is a 14 hour trip. Last year I drove  to Minot area.  I deal with customers who have sold land to the oil companies and moved on to Bismarck where life is a bit more normal and stable, family-wise, etc.  While in Bismarck, I Live in our travel trailer.

As an outside sales rep, I do kitchen and bathroom, home cabinet sales and design work, for kitchens, bars and bathroom---basically home cabinetry.  My brother Jeff worked for this company before he passed away.

Two years ago, Huntwood and I got together and asked if I would develop some business over there, and I told them no.  Business was slow. Later, I called them back and started in November, 2011. 

They [the company] suggest areas for you,  and you go develop the business.  I parked the 23-foot trailer in Minot and started calling contractors, talking to them about cabinets.  It went really well; there’s so much business there that it’s just unbelievable.  I ended up going to Bismarck about year ago. 

The whole northern corridor to North Dakota is an ugly,  nasty oil field . . . it’s horrible.  The housing there was real low-end, poorly built, cheap, cheap and that was not what I like doing. 

In Bismarck, the difference is in the clientele. They’re building entry-level homes in North, while Bismarck is more the mid-level and higher-end custom homes. Bismarck is the nicest area and much nicer living environment.  In Minot, the living environment is due to so many folks, so much going on, a lot of crime and a lot of unwanted people [with no working skills].  

I’m the only guy there for Huntwood.  It’s similar to covering an area like Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls.  Mandan is a smaller community near Bismarck.  Compared to what I was doing.  Up north I was putting 1,500 miles in a week.

How many hours a week?  I covered Sandpoint, Priest Lake, Bonners Ferry.  I’m doing both because it’s slow enough here I can still deal with.  Over there, seven days a week, it’s impossible there’s so much going on there.  I have to work every minute I’m there.  It’s crazy.  If you have some type of a skill you can go to work there in a heartbeat.

How long will you drive back and forth this year?  At this point, I’ll go back once every month or so for a few days , fall and winter.  I need to slow down.  It’s money driven.  I want to get retired.  It’s expensive.  KOA Campground in Bismarck for $700 a month.   

Trying to rent something, it’s not unusual at all for prices of a motel room you can be talking $1,500 a month.  Everything is expensive.  Every McDonalds, employees needed, signing bonuses.   Thirty percent more expenses generally.  You can park a trailer in a KOA for $300-$350 a month.  It’s in a nice area, run by nice folks,

That’s business is not oil driven like everything else.  Hub city of ND….lot of young wealthy people moving in to Bismarck.  The place where people want to move to and live.  Oh my god, what a mess that is.  Traffic is just horrific.   It seems to me that people are moving in because that’s the place to live.  Oil is not far away.

Your description of what you’ve seen and experienced since taking on this role?  It’s a mess.. . what got to me was areas that they were building so many apartments, duplexes, four plexes.   

Buildings built with no power.  Infrastructure is suffering horribly.  No paving, no curbs.   Over there,  they’re not even framed.  Piles of roof trusses lying everywhere.  It rains, then there’s a field mud everywhere.  Go into winter and it gets really cold.   

The wind blows all the time.  I hated the wind. It never quit blowing.  The infrastructure is not there to handle what’s going on.  Done houses that can’t be moved into.  Houses a month old, finally getting hooked up. 

Trailers parked everywhere.  Farmers might have 15-20 trailers parked.  Making a fortune on that.  How many trialees at everywhere.

Between Williston and Minot, big bright orange candles burning 360 degrees, burning off that excess methane.  Some tall stacks, some just tips.

In general, everyone over there is really friendly.  I was shocked.  The economy is better but most they don’t like what’s going on with the oil companies.  They know there’s nothing they.

When I come home, I appreciate everything.  Getting back into the mountains, the trees, the lake, the water.   No wind!  So much nicer here.  So much easier and laid-back.  Over there,  it’s 24-7; it’s traffic and people going all the time.  Everything is spinning a hundred miles an hour

Mandan and Bismark  1,100 building permits in 2013.   

It’s such a long trip, part of why I’m not feeling good [at time of interview . . . my last trip was] straight over and straight back.  Stayed one day.  Did two hours of work on the trailer.  That’s part of the expense of it---$600 in fuel, lose at least two days and by the time you recover, you lose three.

I am glad I did it.  I’m drawing back on what I’m going to do in the future.  The experience of it---the experience of working in a different area was really interesting.  I realized that money is not everything; it made me appreciate our area like I never had before.

Coe Jensen (left) driving Percherons with owner Gary Finney.

Coe Jensen, 34

Excavation Worker 

I think my mom said I was about a year or so old when we moved from Salt Lake to Sandpoint. I went to Sandpoint Junior Academy until the seventh grade, when I did home school.

I’m 34 and single.  I’m what you would call a jack-of-all trades.  I’ve worked logging and farming.  I train horses. I’ve worked in landscaping.  I’ve been in the military, working on helicopters and a whole lot of other stuff.  I was a trained Chinook helicopter mechanic in the National Guard for six years, but I also worked and flew on Blackhawks while in Iraq in 2007-08. 

In North Dakota, I work for Bill Krick with Northwest Grading Inc., of Hayden, Idaho.  We do mainly dirt work, like install water and sewer lines. We also build roads, clear and level site for buildings. I got tired of not being able to find a good paying steady job,  and when a friend told me his company was hiring I jumped on it.

There are seven guys in the company, and six are from Sandpoint. I work in the Williston area. I work three weeks or more on with a week or more off.

In North Dakota, I work in and around Williston. Our camp is about two miles west of there. We live in camper trailers that are here--for free. The food is whatever we want buy and make ourselves, which means it’s just good enough to stay alive. My diet is mostly canned chili or anything like that that is easy to make and quick. 

The pay is about the same as over there, but we work way more hours per week, and that means I make way more in the long run. A slow week for us is around 80 hours, which means lots of overtime. We all carpool with one of the company rigs, and the boss pays for the gas.

I've been with the company a little over a month now and have made close to six grand before taxes. I plan on staying over here until I can buy a place and be debt free again.

This place is very flat for the most part. There no trees really and mostly farms. It’s not easy to live [a somewhat normal life] here due to the work hours, so a person would have to be willing to work lots and sleep little. About 60 percent or more don't make it over here. Most of the time we work, eat, and then sleep. If we get off early, it’s to do laundry or some shopping for food.

My daily tasks change from day to day. Sometimes I’m just using a shovel,  and sometimes I’m in a excavator or maybe a dump truck. The work isn’t all that hard over all.  It’s more the long hours that could be hard on a person. I grew up working hard and working long hours.

Facebook thoughts from Coe, after heading back to work and prior to one of his trips home from North Dakota.  

Aug. 6:  48 hrs and I'll be back in ND, I so can't wait to get back to work. The sooner I get started the sooner I can get back over to see everyone all over again!  

 Aug. 10:  Another day of life “getting deep” as my boss likes to say! Well, that was until the rain came. Lol

Aug. 13:  We work had for 3 or more weeks, so i can come home and play even harder for a week! Lol

Aug. 13:  15 ft down in a ditch laying sewer pipe and loving life!

Aug. 14:  I spend 3 weeks or more now in north Dakota and home for a week. So i guess you could say i don't have time to do much, but work and sleep. Lol

Aug. 18:  Tomorrow is the half way point to being able to do some camping and a whole lot of fishing! Then its back here for a long trip, i hear its for 6 weeks.

Aug. 21: So I haven't shaven since I left Sandpoint and part of me says I should shave, but I’ve kinda grown attached to it. I’m about as shaggy as I’ve ever been now

Aug. 22: Six days and a wake, the count down has started! 

Larry Neu, 62

Heavy Equipment Operator

  

I looked on the experience as a means of stretching myself . . .  getting out of my comfort zone.

Mention “North Dakota,” and I think of  a lot of big wide open horizons and wind.  I didn’t mind it all that bad.  I worked a fall, winter and the next spring----it is fascinating. 

Talk about a study in people.  I have been to Alaska.  What a melting pot of the country . . . everyone can drive to ND.  Alaska was harder to get to.

General observations:  Various stages of broke to money.  Everyone is a big dealer.  I’ve never seen such a collection of carpetbaggers in my life.  I think WOW.  It was interesting.  It’s really fast moving, even the drill rigs.  You might see 15 between you and the horizon.  It’s moving all the time.

Boy you see the big money and the big players.  So many aspects to it.  Traffic around Williston is 50 percent is trucks. Fifty percent is white pickups.

A dining area:  Rice and Spice. There was standing room only.  They never even had time to clean the place. In those lousy boomtowns you anticipate standing in line to get something.  Everything is based on lines.

I took equipment back there.  I had plans to take several pieces.  I was glad I had only taken an excavator back there.  I worked on a couple of man camps and did some underground work getting ready for housing.

I just made some phone calls and ran into some folks I knew were back there.  It’s hard to get your money out back there.  Any time you get involved with the oil companies, you may wait six months to get your money.   It gets more and more diluted as it goes further

You pay $4,500 a month for a cubicle, hot showers, three meals a day. It’s normally very good quality food.  Great chefs.  Saw the same thing in Alaska.  That’s’ one of the draws.

For fun.  There were interesting things to do. I just did some exploring, Yellowstone plugs into the Missouri.  There’s lots of history.  Generally ran around and looked the country over.  Along the Missouri River I saw so much in the way of frontier stuff.

You couldn’t buy a job here [Sandpoint] . . . so having been in Alaska,   Bob Puckett and I went three years ago on an exploration trip.  Bob is working for a drilling company and figures on retiring. 

We had lots of ideas, sat on it for six months.  I went that fall and stayed through the winter.  Bob came a year later and was able to get right on.  Bob’s been down that trail so many times.  He had 25 years on the pipeline.

I was there for five-six months.  Then, a few people called for road building.  I’d rather take a whipping than stay away from home.  I’m now building roads locally; it’s what I love to do. 

What I saw was typical boom town stuff.  So many drugs.  The drugs are horrendous back there.  In one case, a small roustabout company needed people.  They had 40 applicants who took the “pee test,” and not one person passed.  The crime rate has gotten bad.  I feel bad for the native North Dakotans.  This descended on them like a bunch of locusts.  It’s pretty ugly. 

It used to be that way in Fairbanks.  It’s no place for a family or a family man.  It could be done (family) but it’s a lot of work.

I came to the conclusion that money is not everything. I’ve been a heavy equipment contractor for 40 years.  Sandpoint is where I want to be.  This is home.

The Experience Overall:   It’s kind of like extending your range because you get to travel.  I had more fun driving the back roads from here to Williston.   It was fun to go on those back roads.  You might go 15-18 miles,  and everyone waves.  I love those great huge prairie vistas.  I enjoyed looking the country over, and I liked HWY 200. 

The Mort's keys to a new home.

Shaun and Savannah Mort
Making the Best of ND

Shaun and I met in high school in Post Falls but didn’t actually connect until we ran into each other one evening in downtown Sandpoint. He is originally from Post Falls.

We have been married six years this November and have four kids. I never envisioned us being apart, but I also never really thought about it. I guess I always assumed that we would live life the way we started, physically together.

He builds locations for oil rigs (and many other things). He’s an equipment operator. The company he works for is fabulous! They have been so great to our family. He loves his job but of course misses his family life when he’s away.

He has been working there for 2 1/2 years. He is a hard worker, a real man making sacrifices for his family, and I am so grateful! When he’s there he works, period---all day every day, unless the weather takes a turn for the worse and they are left rained out.

Living conditions are great. We go visit him when we can and stay where he lives there. He lives in a small town.  It’s great! Everyone knows everyone, and they are all very friendly. He usually drives to and from home but occasionally takes the train.

[When he’s in North Dakota], we communicate multiple times a day via telephone.When he’s home we all feel a little more complete, he jumps right in with housework, cooking, and the kids. He’s a very dedicated man! There is not much transition time when he comes home, which leaves room for the transition time when he leaves.

They wake up to him gone, and the day seems a little gloomy! But, all of my little people are very helpful . . .  always! The hardest part is that when he is home we get out of routine and that’s difficult for us all----especially me

We are so grateful for his employment in ND. It’s really helped us make steps forward financially, and we are planning to have him home in the spring! It’s just a season of life and lots of sacrifices from everyone. He can’t wait to home every night, spend more time with us. He is the ultimate husband and father! And we can’t wait to have him home!

He doesn’t have a real set schedule because he tried to come home for holidays, birthdays, school events so sometimes that means he’s gone fir a longer period of time or sometimes just a few weeks.

That’s how flexible his work is with us. Isn’t that amazing? I’ve heard a lot of horrible things about ND and the work environment, but to me, we have not experienced that! When we go visit, we feel very comfortable hanging out downtown, in the grocery stores, etc.

I sometimes wonder if people make it out to be worse than it is . . . but I suppose that’s their experience, right?

 

Photos from Johnny Mayville 
Former Oil Rig Worker

This pic was taken first thing in the morning. "Bleeding off the well" is one of the first tasks needed to be done every morning when the crew of a Workover rig shows up, which is the term for releasing any pressure that has built up over night or over the period of time the well has been shut in. Gases from miles down in the earth built up to high pressures when closed in. It can either be outward pressure or suction ("blowing or sucking").

This is a pic of me being hoisted up on a winch line with the key to open the high pressure valve on the Power Swivel hanging up above. I'm a little over halfway to where I'm headed in the pic. I would say I'm about 40 ft up in the pic and still have 15 ft to go to reach the valve on the Power Swivel.

 

Yes Marianne, I was totally goofing around in this. Pretty much risking it all just to have some fun and say I rode the pumping unit. This well was fully functioning and producing oil. As I was driving by I decided to pull in and jump onto it as it was on the upstroke. I rode the stroke all the way up and back down. Even though I couldn't get in trouble now, if I would have been caught it might have been illegal.

Everything I put in quotations is correct oilfield terminology.

In the picture where I am jumping on, where my foot is about to touch is called the "Wellhead."

The whole contraption is called the "Pumping Unit."  The "horse's head" is connected to the "Walking Beam" which at the back end is connected to the "Counter Weights" that go around in a circle.

I am holding on to the "Bridal, " which is connected to the "Horses Head."

How it works: The Horse Head is connected to a one in "Rod String" that is around 2 miles long(meaning 2 miles into the earth) with a pump on the bottom end. As the pumping unit strokes up and down the oil is pumped out. The string of Rods weighs around 18,000 to 20,000 pounds depending on the depth of the well.  The weight of the Rod String is what causes the Pumping unit to stroke down and when the counter weights  in the back fall that produces the up stroke. The counter weights are built to weigh the same as the rod string.

More Terminology:

There are Drill Rigs and Workover Rigs. I worked on the workover rig. The drill rig drills the well and the Workover rig comes in after and completes the well to get it producing oil.

When you start on a Workover Rig,  your first position is a "Floorhand". Then you move up to "Derrickhand, " which works at high elevations. The last position on a workover rig is the "Operator."  The Operator runs the major controls of the rig and has every ones lives in his hands.

I worked on the Workover Rig for two years. In my two years,  I moved up from floorhand to derrickhand and on to "relief operator," which is operator in training.

I always knew that I didn't want to make a lifelong career out of rig work though. The last eight months I lived in ND I decided to get out of the oilfield and start my own tile business. ND is the land of opportunity, and it is possible for anyone to go over there and start a new life and be successful at what ever they set their minds to. 

My tile business was very successful but I still knew ND wasn't the place I wanted to live forever. My advice for any one that goes over there is to always be looking toward the future and planning what you want your next step in life to be. Not many people really want to go over there to live there forever but it is a great stepping stone to be able to change your life and getting closer to living your dreams.

Sam Moon at ND work site.

Sam Moon, 27,

Equipment Maintenance/Troubleshooter

First Interview:  November, 2011

To start off, I prayed for a job like this. Bills were piling up at the door,and my precious job in Sandpoint wasn’t paying them. I originally started hearing about the work out here about the same time as everyone else in town, but dismissed the opportunity as too good to be true.

In some ways it was, in others surprisingly not. A friend of my mom’s, Kelly---if you remember her---had two sons working in the oil fields,  so Mom asked her to come talk to me about it and fill me in on the hiring process.

After a lengthy discussion, I decided that it was the job for me. Good pay, good benefits, and a straight week off to spend with my family. I quickly filled out the application and faxed it along win my resume to the headquarters in Ray, N.D.

Two weeks and a little bit of constant nagging later I was called over here for a pre-employment drug test and physical, which I passed on both without any issues. I the. Drove home and waited to be called back to be placed on a drilling rig.

A few days later the kids were at Gramma’s,  and Mairenn and I were heading back to North Dakota. We decided to sleep in the car over night, since the drive is so long, so we pulled off at an historical location marker on the Blackfeet Reservation.

Upon reading the sign, we quickly drove a little further to the next city off the reservation. The sign told a brief history of the Blackfeet Indian tribe.  Apparently they were the most brutal tribe in the area, starting tribal wars just for the sake of fighting.

When we finally arrived at the office I said “good bye” to my wife, and she drove back home, leaving me in this (for lack of a better term) cesspool of degeneracy.

My first thought was "Oh, God, what have I gotten myself into this time?” Everything was so overwhelming at first. 

There are so many people running everywhere here, and none of them look like they even remotely have a destination. The best way to describe the roads is organized chaos. Have you ever seen a road that intersects itself? I have . . . twice.

As far as the job is concerned, it can be explained as a simple process to achieve a complicated result. The technical jargon for it is dewatering. Basically I pump water down the hole to break apart the soil and lubricate the drill bit (which weighs approximately 150 lbs). This water also has to carry all of the rocks, clay, coal, sand, etc. to the surface.

After separating the large solids from the liquids, I pump the water,  along with hydrochloric acid and a high density polymer,  through a centrifuge. This process pulls the suspended particles away from the water and dumps them out as a solid mass that looks similar to a 4-foot-high pile of hamburger. All of the solids are then scooped up with a backhoe and dumped into a reserve pit where it will be buried for the next millennia or so.

The job itself is fairly simple, as I have said, but the level of organization required to have everything able to perform it is a monumental feat in itself.
Anyway, that’s all I have time for right now.  Next time I’ll tell you about driving 70 mph on dirt roads and watching rough-necks get misty-eyed over home.

Second Interview:  August, 2013

Give me a general update on the job, your working conditions, location, living conditions and your general career progress.

When I last talked to you I was still somewhat new. Everything was exciting and fascinating. My views of the job have changed slightly since then, and I possess further knowledge of the processes involved.

I was given an opportunity at a promotion, and now I go around to the different rigs we have equipment and personnel on to service equipment and troubleshoot any problems that may arise.

Working out here is a challenge all times of the year, but never moreso than in the winter. It can get as low as minus 50 degrees with wind chill, and with the minimal infrastructure of a state that was not quite prepared for a major oil boom, the roads become sheets of ice buried under 12 inches of snow.

Getting around is not easy and can become quite dangerous, even in the best of conditions. N.O.V. Stresses defensive driving as a way of mitigating many accidents, but it seems that at least once a week you hear of or see an accident.  Many of these involve semi trucks rolling over or colliding with other vehicles. Of all of the hazards in the oilfield, traveling is the most dangerous.

My company provides housing for all of its employees, so thankfully we don't have to worry about finding something in a place where people are climbing over each other to get into an apartment for $2,000 a month. Rent is outrageous!

It's a dirty job, but it's a good one. I spend more on laundry detergent than I do on any other one item. But that’s okay.  My job certainly isn’t the messiest one, since part of it involves NOT making a mess. There is a big emphasis from the state and federal level to keep locations clean and spill free.  By emphasis I mean there are numerous laws and regulations in place to discourage companies from spilling drilling fluids on the ground.

How often do you come home? What method of transportation do you now use to travel to and from North Dakota?

My regular schedule is 14 days on and 7 days off, though I honestly can't remember exactly when the last time I left after 14 days. Most of the time I end up working five weeks, and occasionally eight weeks, before I go home, but that isn't typical for most other people that work the same rotation as me.

When I do go home, I usually drive. I've taken the train before, which is inexpensive most of the time, as well as convenient. It costs about as much to take the train as it does to drive, but the price can vary widely. The least I've ever paid was around $85, and the most expensive was around $230 in mid-December. It stops in Sandpoint, but I have to leave my car in North Dakota when I ride the train, since I need a vehicle to use out here.

The last time I took the train, I came back to work only to find that my car had been towed four hours before I got back! I guess I had parked outside the yellow lines in a “no-parking” zone along with seven other people. Fortunately for me, my cousin Evan who also worked out here at that time, was on the train with me and gave me a ride to the impound yard where it cost me $200 to get my car out. That was last winter, and I haven’t ridden the train since.

My promotion comes with one added benefit, though. I get a company truck and a fuel card drive when I’m out here, so I’m allowed to drive it home and back to work.

Does your family get to come and spend time with you, or do you always go home?

N.O.V. doesn’t provide family housing, so for my family to come out here to see me would require a hotel room, which can be very expensive and hard to find out here. Though, coincidentally enough, part of the reason I haven't responded to your email before now was because my wife and daughters were driving through on their way to visit my wife's family in Pennsylvania, and I took the day off to spend it with them.

How has the job helped you financially? How many hours do you put in a week?

In a regular work week, Sunday through Saturday, I can expect around 90-95 hours. A weekly schedule is 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, though as part of my new position, I am on call 24-hours. Night calls aren’t usually too bad: something broke and I have to go fix it.

But sometimes they can be downright disastrous. Last year [Christmas], I was talking to my wife.  Yes, I work holidays too, the oilfield operates 365 days a year, when someone busts in the room and tells me I have to go with them to help fix a huge problem. I won’t bore you with too much detail, but I can say that it was a balmy minus 20 that night, which was an improvement from the minus 30 the previous night.

Twelve hours and a serious case of jello arms later we fixed the problem. It was now morning, and all I wanted to do was go back to the house and sleep. When I woke up that evening, I was sick with a flu bug that took me out for two days. All I could think of when I got up was, “What a great way to spend Christmas!”

As far as financial stability goes, it’s strange. To go from barely scraping by some of the time and downright drowning the rest of it, to making in one quarter what you made in a year, the difference is shocking!

But if you're not careful, you can easily get sucked into that lifestyle, depending on that money. An oil boom is just like any other commodities work. When the price goes down, rigs start laying down, and people start getting laid off. If you have a mortgage, two car loans, and dance lessons for your daughter, you're going have some serious regrets.

Thankfully I never jumped in it that far. I only like to sit on the dock and kick my legs around once in a while. My family’s quality of life has gone up significantly. We’re able to afford vacations and trips to visit family.  We can get heavier foods at the grocery store, and most importantly,  my daughters don’t need to be in day care, since my wife is able to stay home with them.

Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while on the job, where they’re from, what they do, how long they’ve lasted, their general goals. At this point, what are your goals for the job and the business of commuting to and from North Dakota?

I’ve met so many people out here from all over the world, but the thing that surprised me the most was the number of people from North Idaho. Most of the people I work with on a daily basis are from the Sandpoint / Coeur d'Alene / Spokane areas. I found that there were actually people, working for the same company whom I had known since high school but had no clue they were working out here!

It was really cool to see that other people were in the same boat as I was. Many of the North Idaho locals working in North Dakota are from the logging industry. When the mills shut down and the saws stopped cutting, they came here to look for something new. I can respect that, if for no other reason than we are all in this together.

As for me, I told myself when I got this job that if I was going to commit to it, then I was going in it to win it. Oil is my career at this point, I don’t know how long this boom will last, but I do know that I’ll follow it on to the next town, state, or even country if need be.

What are some lessons you’ve learned about life, family, work and yourself while on this work adventure?

It really is an adventure, isn’t it? In my time here I’ve learned that as a provider for my family, I have to make sacrifices for my family that I would otherwise rather not have to make. The hardest part about working away from home is just that---being away from home. 

My wife and I talked about it a lot before I even applied.  We knew that when I started I would be away more often than I would be at home. We decided that it was a sacrifice we both had to make. It’s hard for us, but even harder for the girls. They don’t understand why their dad has to go away. They don’t yet have a concept of bills or that if we don’t have money, we don’t have food.

It was really hard the first year and still is to this day, especially now that the girls are getting older and understand that I’m leaving again. They don’t know when they’re going to see me again.  They don’t even know if they’ll ever see me again, and it breaks my heart every time they tell me not to go.

If I could, I wouldn’t.

Out here, it doesn't matter what you did before you got here. You’re here now, and everyone expects you to perform as well as or better than the next guy. Many people come here looking for work, and there are lots of jobs, thousands even. It’s not just in the field either. You can make $15 an hour working at McDonald's, or $17 an hour stocking shelves at Wal-Mart.

There are so many opportunities here that if someone can’t find a job, they’re not trying. Just the other day I was offered a job driving a wireline truck and conducting well drilling surveys. I politely refused as I already have a job that I’m committed to.

As a side note, commitment isn’t really a requirement for work out here either. Rigs hire people left and right; they don't care that someone has worked on five rigs in the last here years. There are so many positions available and not enough people to fill them. There is a transient culture out here.

If you don't like the company you are working for, quit and go to a different one! You can have a new job in a day. Just last night, in fact, two rig hands walked off the job because they didn’t like their boss. They are working on another rig right now. All they had to do was leave their old rig, drive to the their new rig, and start working. They’re getting more money, better working conditions, and a boss that they don’t dislike.

One more note on working conditions. Every rig is different:  different layouts, different management, different values. There are rigs that are built in the seventies, brand new rigs, and rigs that are only 10 or 15 years old. The drilling rig leases the rig to a drilling company like EOG (Enron Oil and Gas), Marathon Oil, Shell, Conoco, etc.

There are a few smaller oil companies too, but most of the oil is bought up by the big contenders. Rigs can be clean or dirty. A clean rig is a rig that is . . .  well . . . clean. There isn’t a bunch of extra stuff thrown around everywhere, they have strict no-spill policies, and they require liberal use of a power sprayer and a paint brush.

A dirty rig is almost the exact opposite, though there are fewer and fewer of them, as the state has been cracking down on these.

Right now, what do you see as the pluses and the minuses?

The biggest plus for me is the experience:  the fact that I’m career building right now, making connections, making impressions and learning new things every day.

Another plus is that I feel that I’m doing something that matters. I feel like by doing my job, I am bettering myself. I am doing a small part to help bring energy to our world and to bring money to our economy.

Oil is a huge deal in economics. Countries that export it make a lot of money, but the money isn’t just for the federal government. Right now, North Dakota has a financial surplus in the billions. All money they’ve made is off this oil boom.

Of course,  the money is a big plus. As I stated earlier, I make easily three times more money in a year here than I made working anywhere at home. That is not to say that there are no good paying jobs in North Idaho, just none that I was ever qualified to do.

 I started out here with only manufacturing experience, which has very little bearing in an oil field. You aren’t creating a product; you’re performing a service. That service is to help access the product, which was created millions of years ago by an inland sea. I was taken in and trained to operate backhoes, front end loaders, excavators, and bobcats. I was given the opportunity to learn something completely different from what I’ve ever done or even had the opportunity to do in previous jobs.

As far as minuses to working out here goes, there are a few. The time away from home is taxing, both on me as well as on my family.

The hours are long and the work is hard, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be a minus. I enjoy working hard, and accomplishing goals is always satisfying.

There are a lot of bugs here. Mosquitoes, dragonflies, ticks and spiders. There are also snakes, though I couldn’t say if they are poisonous or not. Every year around mid-July there seems to be some sort of dragonfly hatch or something.

Maybe that’s just when they start swarming, but I have never seen so many dragonflies in my life until I came out here. Literally, a hundred or more will swarm the rig sites; they must be attracted to the vibrations. The ground shakes when the rig is drilling, and you can almost feel the concussion of the giant pumps cycling fluid down hole and back up again.

How do you think your working in North Dakota has contributed to the economy back home? For instance, when you visit, do you spend money in the area? Are you able to pay your local bills better than you would have if you had stayed?

I feel like the local economy has benefitted greatly from the Bakken. Many people out here are working for their families, who still live at home. I would go as far as to say that most of the people I know from Sandpoint have families that still live and shop there. I know for myself we are able to shop places that we could never afford before.

It would not be too far-fetched to believe that other oil field families are doing the same thing. The thing to remember is that although I work in North Dakota, I still live in Sandpoint. I buy most of my necessities for work there. My wife buys all of our groceries there; we recreate there.

Low moments come and go. Some are lower than others. Many people that I talk to have similar moments in their relationship where they feel like they are losing touch with they families back home. I’ve talked to lots of people that have been divorced over their time away from home. I haven't had too many problems with that,  but I have had times where I thought if I could pack up and go home that day, I would do it and never look back.

But I soldiered on and made it this far. Even now, with two years of experience out here I still sometimes wake up at night feeling home sick, wanting nothing more than to just hear my wife’s voice or hug my children. 

We all hold onto something from home. I knew a guy that would not sleep with any other pillow than his own that his wife sprayed with her perfume. Another guy would talk to his wife when he woke up in the morning, and before he would go to bed every day, even though is would be 2 a.m.

And yet another guy that would pull out his phone every day and go through the same string of pictures of his kids and show anyone that looked even half interested in what he was looking at (this last one is me).

Bob and Susie at Elk Camp

Bob and Susie Puckett

A Well-Oiled Marriage

Interview Notes for the Pucketts---Bob:  I’m 63 years old, reside in Sagle and have been a local resident all of my life, with the exception of claiming Alaska residency the last 11 years when I worked in Valdez.  I’ve spent more time in Alaska [working 27 years on the Alaskan pipeline] than in Idaho. Susie copes quite well my being gone. She let me know a long time ago when I began working in Alaska,   

While working in North Dakota, I’m located in Williston proper. The residence, which was custom built after I started working for White Mountain Operating, is comprised of 8 to 10 small cubicles (for one), furnished with a bed, mini refrigerator, microwave, and freezer.

The living quarters are on the second floor. A hallway separates the cubicles from the main dining room/lounge area. This is like a “great” room. It features a large screen TV w/AV hook-ups, full-size kitchen w/cupboards and drawers,  long tables with chairs,  a computer area. The laundry room is located next to the great room. Through one large window is an inside view of the shop below.

I cook for myself and provide my own food. (The company pays me per diem for food and travel). I bring snacks from home (Costco:  ex. raw almonds, which Susie’s toasts, cranberries, grapefruit, beef jerky). I also shop downtown for extras like V-8 juice. Or, I will occasionally eat downtown, with a fellow worker, when I get tired of my own cooking. I like a good steak or burger once in awhile.

Williston has the following stores and restaurants:  Wal-Mart, Albertsons,  Applebees,  McDonald’s,  Taco Johns,  Subway (for my birthday, my kids get me gift cards here).   There is also an older establishment, Home of Economy, which reminds me of what Merwins used to be.   

Last employment and your career employment highlights----the specifics of what you’re trained to do and skills acquired through the years.

PEAK   2005 – 2009     Heavy equipment mechanic

Trans-Alaska Pipeline Marine Terminal   1978 – 2002 Heavy equipment mechanic/shop  foreman and master mechanic. I worked on everything from weed whackers to  D 9 dozers, w/boats thrown in.

Weaver Brothers Trucking, Fairbanks, AK   1975 – 1978   Heavy equipment mechanic for the largest trucking company in Alaska. They owned 100 trucks and leased another 100 in their heyday.

Pack River Lumber Co.  1973 – 1975 Great job at the time. I earned a lot. I worked with and for good people. My boss at the time, Glen Chronic, made it possible for me to take a leave of absence from my job to go check out the work in Alaska.

He would hold my job for me for 30 days, which was enough time for me to investigate job possibilities. If it didn’t work out, I could return to my job. I sold my pickup, which gave me the money to live on while I was looking for work. I found a job,  and the rest is history.

I know you worked on the Alaskan pipeline, so if you could provide me some detail about that experience---how long, where, what you did---and compare it to this North Dakota job.

While working on the Alaskan Pipeline, I worked on building the pipeline and later maintaining it. I retired from the Operating Engineers in 2002.

Oil wells were already drilled and established in Alaska.  One road led to the pipeline. It was much more structured throughout the pipeline network. The project was organized through one, prime contractor, Bechtel, and jobs were meted out to all the subcontractors.

As for North Dakota:  The WILD WEST! New wells being drilled. Everyone coming and going in every direction, willy nilly. Many roads/highways going into the North Dakota oil fields. One sees a lot of activity.  Not much housing was available when I arrived. Housing is getting better.

I remember your telling me a while back about the magnitude of this project compared to Alaska.  So, if you can elaborate on that, it would be great.

I think the Bakken is bigger than Alaska. Oil wells are on private ground,  and the Indian reservations rather than federal or state land, like Alaska. The oil royalties will be going to private individuals.

What situations in your life prompted you to take on this particular job? 

“I just wasn’t through yet. It’s one, last time and because I can still do it. Twist its tail one, last time. It’s the last big project of this magnitude and I can be a part of it. 

Larry Neu told me about a guy who was looking for a mechanic. Larry and I drove to Williston where he introduced me to Zane and Brad White (father/son). I had planned on handing out resumes while I was there and go back home and wait to see what developed. Larry was working for a private contractor at the time. He was staying at a man camp. I rented a room there for four days so I could pass out the resumes and talk to people.

Larry introduced me to Zane the next day.  Fifteen minutes later, I was hired as a heavy equipment mechanic by White Mountain Operating,  based out of Pinedale, Wyoming. It’s a surface drilling outfit.

There is no typical day. The hours vary, the pay is good, not at the highest (80 percent) but not the lowest.

Did you have prior skills or did you have to receive training?

No training, brought it with me.

How difficult is the work?

I find the work more stressful, more responsibility. When a rig is down, depending on what is wrong, it could mean a one fourth to half a million dollars in equipment riding on one’s performance. All the pressure is on the mechanic. You better be able to “pull a rabbit out of your hat.”

Insert from Susie Puckett---Marianne, here is an excerpt from and email Bob sent me August 14, 2012:

“Yesterday I worked on a project in the field that I didn't get fixed but I found a lot of things it could have been but wasn't, electrical problems can be like that sometimes. I had them hook up my McGiver bypass and it worked for now. There was no way to test what I had done till they started drilling and no way to stop drilling to trouble shoot some more. You know how I like to get it right the first time, that's just me.”

Do you work the year round or do you get laid off for a time?  If so, how long?

Yes, There have been no lay offs. I work two weeks on, two weeks off.

Describe the conditions---people you’ve worked with and surroundings.

The equipment is first class. I provide my own tools. The company provides me with a nice mechanic’s truck. The yard/shop area is not paved, which, depending on the weather, can get muddy or dusty pretty fast. Nice bunch of people. Most of the crew is young guys, with me being the oldest.

How many other locals do you know working in North Dakota? 

I know some who have checked it out but went back home. It wasn’t for them. Russ Broehl (Bridgette Knowles) has stayed, working for White Mountain, only he is now in Wyoming. I heard that Gary Stevens is working in Williston. PEAK paving has a crew that began working there this past spring,  and they have Sandpoint people working there.

Tell about commuting---how often, how you commute, how much it costs.  Also, do you commute with other locals?

When I started the job I drove solo, back and forth, every two weeks. It was a 12-hour trip. Driving in the winter was not fun.

Then I discovered Amtrak!  The train takes 14 hours, two more hours than driving. The fares are very reasonable. I qualify for the senior discount. The average cost, one-way is $103 reg. with the senior discount, $88. In July I paid the most for round-trip, $317.

The fares are beginning to go down, with my most recent ticket totaling $208. The company pays for my travel every month. I don’t commute with anyone,  but I have met a lot of nice people. If you are traveling by yourself and you have dinner in the dining car, the conductor seats you at a table with other singles. I’ve met a lot of interesting people at dinner.

Explain what it’s like living between two homes, how it affects family, what you do while home, general stresses involved and any advantages.

It is part of the “No Fun” of work. It’s an adjustment. It never gets easy but we spend more real time together than most people do when they are working/living at home. When I’m home on R&R I’m uninhibited. I get to do whatever I want to do and have the capitol to do it. There is plenty I can do when I get home but I enjoy doing projects around the house.

Susie and I catch a movie once in a while. It’s fun to see my kids and grandkids while I’m home too----I attend a school or sports activity during the school year. This last hitch we camped at Sam Owen for a week. It is a family tradition.

I have a sleeping bag which I leave in Williston. I pack everything away and store it. I also do my laundry there so I don’t have to bring it home. My replacement moves in and does the same. It’s all routine now and works well.

Summarize a few of your overall impressions of what you see and experience on a daily basis while working.

WINTER: Tolerate!  It’s a lot more responsibility than my jobs in Alaska. There,  the job was spread out among many.

Stress:  The enormity of when the equipment goes down.  It is all on your shoulders. No down time; they want to keep the bit turning. If the bits turning, management is happy. So far I’ve managed to keep them happy because I’m still there!

What do workers generally do with their leisure time?  Sleep when they can. Meals downtown. A beer, once in a while.

What’s the most shocking aspect you’ve experienced since taking on this line of work in this environment?

The crazy hours, like wild mice! Geared for long hours. We have worked over 36 hours in one stretch. In Alaska I seldom worked more than a 16-hour period.

What experiences have you found involving inflation or gouging for services, housing or products?

I haven’t noticed any. I’m sure it goes on but not near as much as in Alaska.

Tell a little about the friends you’ve met since taking the job?  Where are they from?  What are their goals?

The people here are more acquaintances than friends at this point. There is no time to make friends. I have met a guy from Florida, one from Wyoming, and one from Billings. There is not time to cultivate friendships. One fellow went

bankrupt trying to get his feet under him. The one from Florida was near retirement, worked for a company for 30 plus years. Got into flipping houses and lost. Now,  he’s in Williston, trying to recover.

How long do you intend to do this? Two more years.

How has this situation benefited you and your family thus far?

It’s enabled me to have a good income, better than anything in Sandpoint area and still have six months off a year.

Would you term this experience an adventure combined with work or just an economic necessity?

An adventure combined with work. I am involved in the last, big boom. Timing was right for us.

How has this opportunity helped you to continue to enjoy your ability to live and enjoy living here in Bonner County?  Or, has it simply enhanced your opportunities to enjoy life?

Enhanced! A great job for six months out of the year that enables us to enjoy family time and the area.

What are the major challenges/difficulties for you personally? How often and how do you communicate with Susie?

Work does suck sometimes! I had to leave Susie after she had been injured in a fall last summer, which eventually led to a hip replacement in April. But we managed and family and friends to support her at home when I had to go back to work. We communicate all of the time via the Internet or cell. When I have down time,  I listen to music. I have a daily devotional booklet I read every night.

Is there anything inspirational about this work?  If so, what?

Trying to help the young guys cope with the loneliness, encourage them, and share the Word of God with them. I feel this gives them hope.

Anything you care to add?

We know of two families in the Sandpoint area who have lost a brother in the Williston area. That is the reality.

The oil fields offer great opportunities but it’s not for everyone. It takes a solid family unit and for me, faith in the Lord.

Susie Puckett 63

Sagle

Are you still employed or are you retired?  Refresh me on what you did for a career, for how long, for whom?

Retired, First teaching job 1972-73 at Lincoln Elementary, first grade, substitute teacher for many years, at the elementary level ,taught P.E. at Washington Elementary as a volunteer, taught gymnastics at Pend Oreille Gymnastics Center for Dee Boeck, dental assistant for Richard Neuder, 14 yrs., Bruce Johnson, 2 yrs., Rob Harrison, 1 1/2 yrs.

                

Children:  Tami, Tom, Melissa

If you are retired, what do you spend most of your time doing?

Taking care of grandkids, yard/garden work, Little Lambs School Board/Sunday School (Christ Our Redeemer), P.E.O., election judge, some volunteering, regular work outs w/PT, enjoy visiting with older friends. 

How long have you and Bob been married?  42 years

How much of that time has been spent with him working away from Sandpoint?

Sixty per cent

Tell me about the major adjustments you’ve had to make over the years and how it might be different with this new situation.

Balancing our time together. Spending time with the kids and now grandkids. This is why I never took on a full time job when Bob worked away. I think it is the same with this situation.

What were your thoughts when he took this job?  Did you two discuss the pros and cons or was it pretty apparent that he had his mind set on it?

We had discussed the oil boom in North Dakota, so it didn’t surprise me when he wanted to go check it out for himself. The year before, Larry and Bob drove over to the Williston area to see what was going on in the area---to see if the oil boom was true. They had heard of the activity that was taking place in that region.

They were gone for three or four days. It puzzled them why people didn’t recognize what a big deal this was! They could not figure out why the pipeline workers from Alaska weren’t over there. Then they remembered that they were the younger guys working on the Alaska pipeline back in the mid 1970s when they were 24 and 25. They realized they were the senior guys now and the others had either passed away or were too old to work. At that time, Bob was not really ready to go back to work.

One year later though, he was prepared to give this venture his full attention. Larry Neu was over in Williston at the time. He gave Bob some contacts, which turned out positive. He waited to leave after Christmas, January 12, 2012. He was gone five days. During that time we talked a lot on the phone about the situation over there. We made the decision together he should take the job. He drove home, gathered his things, and drove back to Williston five days later to begin the new job.

How long does he plan to work there?  65 

Give me some highlights of how your run your life with him gone, how long he’s gone and the adjustments for when he comes home.

Every two weeks when he is gone, I fill in my calendar with all I want to accomplish during that time. The two weeks he is home, I leave the calendar open, unless we have talked about some activity or event that is happening during that time. We keep it open for family time and projects he needs to attend to around the house.

He likes to leave the babysitting on the schedule. It’s fun for him to see the kids/grandkids and catch up with them. It’s his call. I’m careful with scheduling anything more unless we have discussed it ahead of time. We plug in camping and vacation times as soon as we know the dates. Most of the time it’s business as usual when he is home

How long is he gone each time on this job?

Since he started working for White Mountain Operating, it has been working 2 weeks on, two weeks off.

How do you communicate while he’s in North Dakota?

Phone, landline and cell (he doesn’t like to text but he has no choice but to use it in places he can’t call me. He thinks it’s very impersonal. He emails every morning, I message him at night. I call them our North Dakota Notes.

Do you worry about him?  Explain.

Yes, I do. He’s a long way from home. His job is a dangerous line of work. Anything can happen. In the beginning he drove 12 hours to and from the job. I didn’t like that, especially in winter. Then we discovered AMTRAK! Train travel adds a few more hours to the commute but it is worth it!

Have you enjoyed perks that have come from this work adventure for him?  If so, what?

The “perk” is the scheduled time off.

How do you deal with switching gears between his absence and his being home?

It’s a mindset. I’m so use to it. It never gets easy to see him off every two weeks but I have FAITH the Lord will take care of both of us while we are a part. I have my calendar filled with family, projects, and activities,

Have you visited him in North Dakota?  If so, explain and describe the experience.

No…I only know the place through Bob’s eyes as he describes an area he’s in or the drilling of an oil well. He has taken some photos of his surroundings as well.

Do you keep in touch with other local wives with spouses in North Dakota?  Explain.

Not on a regular basis. I have chatted with Russ’s wife, Bridgette, via Facebook but nothing important. She has four active boys to keep her busy while her hubby is away.

What is your advice to couples who have to live apart because of work?  Seems like you may have had some experience.

Make sure you both are on the same page. Communicate your concerns, the pros and cons of being apart. Discuss your options thoroughly. Don’t be afraid to question the negative aspects. If working away from home is what you feel you need to do than support one another as you embark on the adventure. Communicate! Give it a try, set up a timeline. At the end of the trial period, if it isn’t working, either spouse is not comfortable with the separation, than don’t continue. 

Anything you care to add or share about your situation?

I believe Bob has sacrificed the most through this journey. He has always put the family first.

A comment our brother-in-law, Mike Seitz, made about Bob when he first started working in North Dakota. He shook his head and called him the “working man’s man.”

I am looking forward to the day I have Bob home permanently!