2019, Day 1: The Real-Real Center of the States

FAKE NEWS ALERT!

Turns out that the Geographical Center of the United States is really...not. According to a local, it's off in some field. Well, you don't go to all that work to find the middle ground for nothing, once you find it, you gotta FIND IT. Still, I feel like maybe something's off, so I did a little bit of research and some very-accurate mapping of my own:

This doesn't look like the center to me, but what do I know? I'm no cartographer, and we all know that Alaska has a deal with the bigshots at the Maps Office to exaggerate it to the ladies. Somebody probably just eyeballed it.

Meanwhile, dad got more exact than I did and went longitudinally:

From Dad:

"It turns out that Belle Fourche is not actually the geographic center of the nation--it's just the closest town to it. The real center is about 20 miles north and west of town. We drove 8 miles off the highway on a dirt road to the "true center." There was a sign, a stack of rocks, and a US flag about 50 yards off the road in a pasture--nothing fancy like the monument in town... "

Just think about it. Somebody drove 8 miles on a dirt road to leave you some photographic probably-fake flowers and a flag for your photoshoot at the real, and real-real center of the States. When was the last time you did something nice for your community?

Mom thinks that the flag out in the middle of the pasture was the Real-Real Center of the United States. I think she's on to something.

And, as Douglas Adams would say, "Oh THAT center of the United States." Maybe we should put a restaurant there.

"That side trip, road construction, and a time zone change cost us some time today. I was only able to ride 20 miles in 1 1/2 hours, from Lakota almost to Niagara."

And then there was this, which may be helpful, or it may just be intentionally confusing. Buffalo Bill, or Biffalo Buff?

Still, dad made it on the road today by about 6:30 PM and got a little riding in. A good warmup to get the muscles stretched for the coming week. Dad, I hope you took a foam roller and some ice packs. At least North Dakota seems to have about as much incline as it has personality.

What did dad say to North Dakota as he crossed into Minnesota? Bi-Son.