Thursday, I took a field trip to the center of the nation.
Don’t worry, it wasn’t far. Only about an hour from home. That stop was the beginning of a seven-hour day that would take me on a giant loop through the northern Black Hills, from Belle Fourche to Spearfish to Lead and Deadwood before finally returning home—all in the name of work.
Last summer, I came up with an idea for a photo series involving mystery spots around the region for one of our online publications. It kinda became my baby. Every Monday I posted a cryptic photo with a subtle clue; those were shared on social media and we encouraged people to guess the spot. Then on Friday, I’d post the answer, supplying a little background/history. Here’s a sample post and reveal.
The series was a lot of fun, but honestly, I was winging it. Scrambling for places to feature, unsure where to go next. Sometimes, I wouldn’t know on Sunday what I was going to post on Monday. I relied on phone camera photos a couple of times.
After encouragement from my coworkers, I decided to do a new series this summer. I’m renaming it Mystery Monday and planning it out in advance. Not only that, but I’m going to develop content clusters around each post. These are interlinked web pages built around a singular topic and connected to several related but more narrowly focused pages, all in an effort to position yourself as a subject authority and therefore improve your SEO rankings.
Yesterday’s venture involved prep work for this project. Armed with my Nikon, I hit the road at 9:00. My first stop was the aforementioned Geographic Center of the Nation monument in Belle Fourche, which—spoiler alert!—will be one of the mystery spots. I’ll build supporting content, such as the agricultural history of Belle Fourche, how former Deadwood lawman Seth Bullock convinced the railroad to build a depot in town, and so forth and so on.
I had never visited the monument before, and it totally exceeded expectations. How cool is it that the very center of the U.S. is practically in my backyard?! Plus, it was great to get out of the house for a day. I’ve been cooped up for four weeks now with little variety.
I’m really excited about the project, and I managed to visit and photograph five separate locations all over the northern Hills. I don’t want to give them all away, but another highlight was the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery in Spearfish.
Again, I’ve never been. Which is kind of amazing! It’s more than just a fish hatchery; it’s a collection of historic homes, museums, sculptures, a railroad car, and a boat, all spread over acres of immaculately landscaped grounds.
Tara was a little disappointed I got to see these sights without her, but I promised we would do a repeat of this exact adventure together next time. It was all work-related, I assured her.
(And yes, I do have the coolest job ever.)
I still had places to go and sights to see, so I didn’t linger anyway. Plus, all the buildings were closed and tours suspended during this pandemic.
Stupid pandemic.
I soon forgot about the virus as I made my way through Spearfish Canyon on the way to Lead and Deadwood. Had the moonroof open, rock ‘n roll blaring, and watched some impressive storm clouds building.
By the time I reached Lead, it was raining, hailing, and snowing. All at once. As much as I love snow, I’m always excited when thunderstorm season fires up around here. Driving home on the interstate, there was lightning flashing to the south. Right after I spotted it, Tara texted me to let me know she heard thunder.
“I know,” I told her. “I’m watching the storm move over you right now.”
Monday’s my birthday. I almost always take a PTO day but had resigned myself to just working this year. Well, I un-resigned myself once I saw the forecast (sunshine and 70s) and Tara mentioned spending the day in the backyard. I’m planning an early hike in the Black Hills, then we’ll spend the afternoon out back day drinking, playing corn hole, and grilling steaks.
It appears we might actually hit 80° next week, too. I’m thinking we might finally be done with snow for the season. Wouldn’t bet my life on it, though.
Or even $10…
Mark My Words 
Leave a reply to When Stalking Pays Off – Swinged Cat Cancel reply