Center of the Nation Series day 2: North Dakota

Day 2: Bowman, North Dakota

We had to drive for about 40 minutes this morning... and we almost got lost right at the end. But we found the start in plenty of time. 

Today we were running at Bowman Hadley Lake, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. 

A few announcements: someone was running their 100th marathon, and the two cabooses (last place finishers) were also celebrated. And then, run. 

Today we had to run six laps, so we decided to run the first three and walk from there. The course had one longish hill ("hill-ish") but was otherwise pretty gentle. 

Today wasn't too hard -- it was fun to cheer on our fellow runners, and start to get to know them. Oh, and today I met Sunshine ... though I think we didn't have a second Sunny today. 

After the race -- when we didn't know we would have a shower afterward -- we drove through Belle Fourche and decided to just see if the Americinn would allow us to check in... at 11:30 a.m.  Spoiler alert: THEY DID! So we got into our room and had much needed showers. 

Then we headed to Wall Drug, starting with a side trip to Sturgis. 

Then to Wall Drug for a late lunch and some goofing around. 

plankasaurus rex, take 2

Then a trip through the Badlands Loop. 

We also tried to visit the Minuteman Missile site, but it was closed. 

Then back to Belle Fourche, where we stopped in at the Cowboy Back Bar, tried to order Chinese food but missed it by minutes, and ended up with "West-Mex" from Taco Johns. 

Tomorrow: day three at the Center of the Nation!