Today a poker run is scheduled. It starts at eleven and ends at ??? Who cares we're all on vacation! This was by far the longest poker run I had ever been on. We had a blast! It didn't end until seven p.m. with seven stops. As I understand it this run is in memory of a former Buffalo member who passed away a few years earlier. He would take off on a ride and stop at each one of these seven establishments. So each year in memory of this member, the tradition continues. What a group!

It was on this run that I stopped at the visitors center in Belle Fourche, South Dakota and inquired about the Center of the United States. Belle Fourche claims to be the city in the center but in reality is isn't. It's just the closest city to the center. Twenty eight miles North West by my calculations. Castle Rock, South Dakota claims to be the closest town. It's located seventeen miles East of the center.

Good thing I checked it out. I was given a brochure on the how's and why's of the center of the United States and shown an actual picture of the marker. As I continue my research on this subject, it turns out that road maps at one time were correct, however, when Hawaii was added as the fiftieth state, the center of the United States moved west. The road maps have yet to reflect this change. Or maybe, my assumption, it's because the governments surveyors marker identifying the center of the United States is on private property and the owner doesn't want people tramping all over. That seem to be a better reason in my mind. But yours truly was on a mission and I didn't spend this much time looking for it and not get some pictures of my own. I listen and pick up a few tidbits of where it might be, grabbed a brochure on it, and left. I need to get back to the poker run. Tomorrow I "will" locate it.

Today I'm going to locate the Center of the United States. I head out around eleven a.m. I'm just taking the long way out and around and enjoy the scenery. This is what Sturgis is all about. Short road trips through the Black Hills, into Wyoming to check out Devils Tower, back over to the Badlands and into Custer State Park. Not hanging out in the bars, getting wasted and seeing who can smoke their tire longer than the other guy. Tires are expensive today. Why would I want to go to a bar, put the front wheel up against a wall or another bikers front tire and smoke it? Breathing in the fumes and blow the tire, all to the cheers of the drunken crowd above? I rather smoke the tire out on the street leaving the other guy in the dust as I pull way ahead of him. I must be missing something here.

Anyway, I start heading West on I-90 towards Spearfish. I notice this very eery looking dark cloud with other clouds inside, actually under it. To give you an idea of this clouds appearance, let's do a comparison. The movie, Independence Day, when the alien spaceship came in over a city, how big and ominous it looked? That's how this cloud looked. Very eery looking.

I see a bridge about a mile up the road. I'll pull under there before it starts to rain. Today I left the riding suit back at camp. Just cruising with a T-Shirt today. Just in the nick of time too. As I park the bike the sky lets loose. Better pull way over. I know I'll be having some visitors real quick. Ok, so first it rains. Hard rain. A girl on a Sportster rides on by, fist in the air yelling as she continues on down the road into the rain. Seconds later the hail hits. Oh yeah, people in cars and on bikes were all trying to squeeze in under this bridge. Not so tough now are we honey? What a site.

Twenty five minutes later, with the rain stopped and the sun peeking out, I'm back on the road. One and half hours later, twenty eight miles North West of Belle Fourche, three hundred and sixty feet off the road, (I walked it off), in the middle of a farmers field is the official surveyors marker for the "Center of the United States". A metal fence post sticking out of a hole in concrete. Budget constraints I guess. Unlike the "Four Corners" marker where Arizona, New Mexcio, Utah and Colorado all come together. Now that committee had the money! Pictures taken, mission accomplished.

By the way, remember that brochure I was given at the visitors center yesterday? Well I read it during one of the poker run stops! Now with all of this technology we have today with computers and satellites tracking all of our moves, you would think that the center of our nation is established with the utmost precise accuracy by our geological people working for the government. Are you ready this? Someone, with scientists and geologists validating this technique, determined the center buy using a cut out of the United States, taking into consideration of the curvature of the earth, including the oceans, placed this cut out on a pivot point. When it was perfectly balanced, that pivot point was established as the center of the nation. Aren't you impressed? I still can't believe it myself.

Back at the campground, a ten dollar collection from all, and we are off to the store for groceries. Tonight the group is having a cookout. Steaks, beans, corn, bread and salad. Yes salad. Some of us need the roughage. And a nice cake to finish it off. Didn't say we had to suffer. The cake is to celebrate any member of the group who's birthday is closest to the day of the cookout. So here we are at the store. A Safeway Store to be exact. Well are we in for a surprise as we begin to shop. The meat section is just about empty. So is the dairy and produce section. It seems that the delivery truck broke down on the way up from Denver. I did not know how much of an impact one semi truck would have on a major grocery store. Something to think about next time you're shopping.

Back to camp and the cookout begins. No hungry souls left here tonight.

I've been in Sturgis for a few days so I guess I should head into town and check out some vendors, listen to their lies, pick up a few t-shirts and maybe meet a few celebrities. The best time to do this is the weekend before the Rally is Official. Less crowds. Most of the vendors are already set up. Arlen Ness, Big Dog, Titan, Iron Horse to name a few are just setting up. I'm not here to buy a bike so it doesn't bother me.

Not a bad day. Accomplished what I set out to do. As for the celebrity, it was Indian Larry. I'm not certain what the fascination was all about but the women were lined up to get their picture taken with him. So I got a shot of Larry on his chopper and one without. Maybe I'll get to talk to him next year. Weeks later, as fate would have it, Indian Larry the legend, is no more. He died while performing a stunt he had done for years in front of a crowd at a South Carolina bike show. Never put off tomorrow what you can do today.
You can check out his web site here.

Well that's it for me. I didn't get to see too much this year but I still had a great time. And there's always next year. Actually for me I can ride up here anytime during the summer. It's only seven hours away. Less congested too.

I'm all packed and heading over to the Buffalo's camp site for a final breakfast before we all part our separate ways. Handshakes all around, promises to be here next year and a few photos. I'm off.

Next stop before Denver is Rapid City. Heard a rumor that Harley had created a chopper. Maybe it's on display at the convention center. And while I'm there I might as well pick up my HOG pin. The new bikes were on display but I didn't see anything that came close to a chopper. Maybe the new paint on the Harley V-Rods confused some individuals. Who knows.

An hour later I'm heading South after a quick stop to take a few photos of the Crazy Horse Memorial, and back home to Denver. I am on the final leg of a great trip! In seven weeks I have traveled West to California, North to Alaska, via British Columbia and the Yukon. In Alaska, I traveled to Valdez, Anchorage, and Fairbanks. Then it was North on the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay, four hundred and fourteen miles on a hard packed dirt and gravel road, twice. Jumped into the Arctic Ocean. Stopped off at the North Pole and talk to Santa, traveled over the Top of the World Highway and crossed the Yukon River on a ferry boat. Took a swim at Liard Hot Springs in British Columbia, meeting interesting people all along the way. Crossed the Continental Divide 6 times and finally finishing up at the Sturgis Bike Rally in South Dakota.

Ten States, three Provinces and one Territory. What more could I ask for?

. . . another road trip to Alaska?

and the journeys continue . . .