Trying to guess the weather is always risky. I tried to avoid storms yesterday, but the weather was pretty good. Left this morning and got soaked. It seems like a natural question is why I’m making the trip on the bike rather than driving and not worrying so much about the weather. There are several reasons, but the bottom line is connecting to the land and the environment. I’m pretty new to riding, but realized shortly after I started the need to be as aware of my surroundings as possible. In the public outreach segment of conservation, it’s commonly recognized that the American public is suffering from an environmental deficit. We’re becoming more and more detached from the natural world. When I ride I feel much more a part of the land through which I’m riding. (I wear full gear, so maybe I should say I feel less detached.) I like feeling cooler air in the low spots and being pushed by the wind at the crest of a hill. Even more so, I like needing to know what to prepare for. I don’t want to be able to be oblivious to my surroundings. I think we’ve spent too much time in air-conditioned houses and vehicles. I think it’s become easy to think we don’t need to worry about what happens outside. I think that’s a dangerous place to be. I don’t want to be there. And to avoid sounding righteous, I’ll readily admit that I just plain enjoy riding, too. It feels good.
The ride north through western South Dakota put me back into open country. As wide open as anything I’ve seen yet. I was starting to smile even though I still had squishy pants.
Just south of the North Dakota state line I noticed what looked like oil wells. I had intended to spend the night in Bowman, ND, but the motels were full. I kept going and found the same situation when I arrived as far north as Belfield, ND. When I asked why the motels were all full, they said because of the oil fields. I firmly believe that energy policy dictates environmental quality. The expansive prairies I’ve seen over the last 10 days or so could probably be mistaken for “big enough” and “safe.” There is no such thing as safe.
I just talked to my friend Tighe who lives in the Minot area. It sounds like the flooding has very real potential to get worse. I’ll probably have to adjust my schedule. Again.
I read recently that there's been a big oil boom in North Dakota - probably looked upon favorably by a state that's been losing residents for the last however many years. But it's creating other issues, like public health questions in the temporary towns (I read about this in a public health publication), along with the environmental questions you're raising.
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