Who We Are

We sold our home in June, 2007, and spent the next 7 1/2 years traveling full time in a Cross Roads Fifth Wheel. (We had been traveling during our summers for several years before going full time.) We loved the full-time lifestyle! Each summer we spent a month or two volunteering in State Parks, first in Indiana at McCormick's Creek State Park, near our family, then in later years as the grandchildren got older, at the Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico. We spent 6 months each winter at Cactus Gardens RV Resort in Yuma, AZ, where I worked mornings in the park office. The remaining months were spent on the road, seeing this great country of ours. Our favorite places are our National Parks. Anita loved photography and the freedom of digital photography, taking sometimes hundreds of photos in a day. We hiked as much as our legs will allow. We also really enjoyed square and round dancing as we travel across country, and meeting all the wonderful people who dance and/or travel.

But as in all things, there comes a time for change, and we decided it was time to create roots once more. In the fall of 2014, we purchased a home in Cactus Gardens, and in the spring of 2015, sold the 5th wheel. Anita also retired in the spring. We will continue to travel each summer, but for a shorter period of time. We hope to continue blogging about those trips, but it will obviously be on a more limited basis than in the past.

Please explore our past posts if you are interested in traveling this great country. You'll find an index in the left column. We hope you enjoy our blog, and appreciate all comments

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Geographical Center of the U.S.

Ever wonder where the exact geographical center of the U.S. is?  When looking at the nation as a whole, Alaska and Hawaii included, in 1959, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey announced the center was 20 miles north of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, in a cow pasture.  A red stake was driven into the ground at the determined point.

In 2007, it was agreed that it would be better to erect a monument in nearby Belle Fourche, where it would be more convenient to visitors, especially taking into consideration that the survey itself is acknowledged to be within a 10-20 mile area of the designated point.

Curious as to how they found the center?  I thought the description of a “center of gravity” method was interesting.  A little long to repeat here, if you are interested read the article about half way down this page online from the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce:  “Center of the Nation

The large granite monument is attractively displayed at the end of a walk past the state flags of the Union.P1050151center  

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And in case you wondered…. the name Belle Fourche comes from when the area was French owned. The French explorers, admiring the confluence of the Belle Fourche and Redwater Rivers with Hay Creek, named it “Beautiful Fork”.

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