I drove down US Highway 85 in North Dakota today. You wouldn't believe how many "hastily put together" RV parks I saw, complete with cardboard (or whatever they could get) sign that says "RV Park" and it's out in the middle of nowhere! And all you see are RV's, trailers, campers, all in a big parking lot on a field, out in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't tell if they actually had hookups. Yeah yeah, probably for the oil workers. Anyone on here doing that in North Dakota? JJ
Hi JJ, Yes, the oil patch has really heated up! Folks don't realize how darn cold it gets there in winter--and last year was exceptionally warm. Drive Safe!
Just came across ND on us-2, had a real hard time finding an available spot most everywhere along that route. Stopped in Wiliston, thought it was a large enough town to find a space...WRONG...@ Walmart they said try the street outside their lot, no parking on most streets in town. Ended up on the street across from a church that lets homeless folks stay in their lot. THE PITS!
If there had been any spots at campgrounds there you probably wouldn't have wanted to pay their fee for parking. The cost of everything has gone through the roof. A house that used to rent for $200-300 a month now costs over $2000 a month. Salaries are good but the cost of living is high. A friend lives in an RV in Williston and he is home about 10 hrs a week and spends the rest of the time working. They have been there over a year.
We drove up the western side of both South Dakota and North Dakota on our way into Canada and home to Maine. We saw the "thrown-together" type RV parks mentioned above. It is good that people have jobs, but the oil industry has certainly changed this part of the country.....and not in all ways for the better. We were warned about lack of RV spaces around Williston, as well as the heavy truck traffic, both of which proved to be true. I'd advise not venturing through this area without some preplanning and firm reservations. As it was, we ended up spending several nights at one of the worst, and dirtiest, RV parks we've ever stayed in (and, yes, I have reviewed it on this forum).
Does anybody know about the market for used RVs up there. I have a reasonably well-built 35' fiver that also has the polar package and an Onan LP-powered generator. Its market value is generally below what I still owe, but if I could pull it up there and get a good price I'd be interested in the possibility.
QUOTE(sightseer @ Aug 16 2012, 06:03 PM) [snapback]30634[/snapback] Just came across ND on us-2, had a real hard time finding an available spot most everywhere along that route. Stopped in Wiliston, thought it was a large enough town to find a space...WRONG...@ Walmart they said try the street outside their lot, no parking on most streets in town. Ended up on the street across from a church that lets homeless folks stay in their lot. THE PITS! In Williston, there is a State Park. Lewis and Clark. I stopped there on my way to the park I'm hosting at. The camp host at Lewis and Clark told me that the rangers at Lewis and Clark try very hard to keep the oil workers out so the park is available only to true vacationers.
QUOTE(jan-n-john @ Aug 17 2012, 02:56 PM) [snapback]30651[/snapback] Does anybody know about the market for used RVs up there. I have a reasonably well-built 35' fiver that also has the polar package and an Onan LP-powered generator. Its market value is generally below what I still owe, but if I could pull it up there and get a good price I'd be interested in the possibility. Jan/John: We spent 4/5 nights in this area, looking for my wife's grandparents' homestead. We were surrounded by oil workers in the campground, many of whom were in tents. I think salaries are pretty good up there and that there may be a solid market for a well insulated RV (especially if you could deliver....these guys work hard and don't seem to get a lot of time off). Williston and Crosby, ND, both should have weekly newspapers in which you could advertise your RV. We actually were staying just across the ND border in Oungre, Saskatchewan....try advertising in the Regina or Weyburn (sp?), SK, newspapers. Things are as active in southern SK as they in North Dakota. Good luck.
