I’m on plane from Salt Lake City to Phoenix. I spent late last night and this afternoon in a town called Belle Fourche, South Dakota. I’ve seen so much this weekend.

Last night we drove through Sturgis, a small town that is home to a the biggest biker rally in the country. For most of the year, the town is almost abandoned. But for three weeks, it’s the craziest place on earth. The population of the state actually doubles. But last night, the main street was lined with empty storefronts and an occasional tattoo parlor.

Our tour guide was the sheriff of Belle Fourche for most of his life. He was passionate about life and the stories of his state, so he made for a entertaining tour guide. As we drove through the towns, he pointed out houses where the Hell’s Angels would hideout. I heard all kinds of crazy stories. I’d tell the stories but they’d probably kill me.

This morning I took a walk around the town. South Dakota only has 750,000 people in the whole state. I was the only one on a Sunday morning walking through the town. It was a tired town, and not much was going on. But there was still a spirit of adventure.

This afternoon I spoke at a middle school rally for the Diocese of Spearfish. I thought that name was quirky–Spearfish–so I’d been curious to see what the area was like. I was disappointed that few if any residents actually spear fish. Bummer. But it was a good afternoon. I worked with 5th through 8th grade students. I’d never worked so closely with 5th and 6th grade, so I learned a lot.

I got a good glimpse of the South Dakota scenery on my drive back to the airport. I saw wild turkey, deer, prairies, the Badlands, Wyoming, and prairie dogs.

Now I am on the plane and headed home. I’ve given five talks in two days. I started in Arizona, then to Washington, Utah, and South Dakota. Now I figure we’re flying high above the mountains in Northern Arizona. I want to get home.