I’m in South Dakota, which I’ve never been able to figure if it is in the west or the midwest. Technically it is “Midwest”, but it is far enough north to be considered “West.” But that makes no sense…except it does.

It is like an oxymoron, a type of phrase I’ve been thinking about since I passed Little Bighorn, the site of Custer’s last stand. There is a themed custard stand there and they have reenactments of the battle, you know, for the kids.

I’ve never understood reenacting blood fests like Gettysburg, the gunfight at the OK Corral, Little Bighorn,  etc and turning then into a madcap, family-friendly event that is fun for all ages! (Except grandpa…he might have been there to witness the real thing and still has nightmares).

It is not fair of me to single out the Custer thing without showing that the folks in Montana don’t have depth to their entertainment and culture.

You don’t have to be nuts to attend, but you should have some balls.

Upon leaving Montana, I cut through Wyoming, intent on making a run at Devil’s Tower, but The EM-50 Phantom Rambler started acting up so I turned east.

Instead I went for the smack dab center of the country…

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right…

If that sign was at all legible in this pic you would be able to read that Belle Fourche, SD overtook Smiths Center, Kansas as the geographic center of these here United States after the inclusion of Alaska and Hawaii to the union.

The sign goes on to say that the real exact center is 20 miles north of here, but there is nothing there really. It is just a field. And, they already had a visitors center on this spot so they dug a hole and planted the sign so spend some money in town…dicks.

With Trixie on my mind, I ramble on.