Smackdab Summer Solstice Run –*Kansas to North Dakota!

Tanshanomi, Thanks to your post last fall, My good friend Jerry and I will be Spydering the 2017 Smackdab later this month! We've got our room reservations for the night before and after, route planned from Faribault to Lebanon to Rugby and back NO INTERSTATES. We'll do 1,700 Miles from Noon Friday to our Sunday arrival back home.
We're looking forward to meeting all the hardy riders celebrating a summer solstice run from the center of the US to the center of North America!:yes:


I think there's at least one other Spyder Ryder doing this year's Smackdab.

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Originally Posted by DGoebel

Tanshanomi, Thanks to your post last fall, My good friend Jerry and I will be Spydering the 2017 Smackdab later this month! We've got our room reservations for the night before and after, route planned from Faribault to Lebanon to Rugby and back NO INTERSTATES. We'll do 1,700 Miles from Noon Friday to our Sunday arrival back home.
We're looking forward to meeting all the hardy riders celebrating a summer solstice run from the center of the US to the center of North America!:yes:


I think there's at least one other Spyder Ryder doing this year's Smackdab.

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David,

Yes, my records show you and another Can-Am rider. My wife and I will also be on our Spyders again this year, so there will be at least four of us!

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Originally Posted by DGoebel

Tanshanomi, Thanks to your post last fall, My good friend Jerry and I will be Spydering the 2017 Smackdab later this month! We've got our room reservations for the night before and after, route planned from Faribault to Lebanon to Rugby and back NO INTERSTATES. We'll do 1,700 Miles from Noon Friday to our Sunday arrival back home.
We're looking forward to meeting all the hardy riders celebrating a summer solstice run from the center of the US to the center of North America!:yes:


I think there's at least one other Spyder Ryder doing this year's Smackdab.

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David, was great spending time with you and Jerry! I'm glad you enjoyed the event and I am confident you made it home safe. Did you hit any bad weather on the return?

I am already planning for 2018 and will be my 1st time.

Online pre-registration should be available on the smackdab281.org website by January 15th. I will post again once you can register.

- Pete

Somebody forgot to post any 2017 ride pics. I heard there were more than a few that went.

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Originally Posted by Ryan12

Somebody forgot to post any 2017 ride pics. I heard there were more than a few that went.

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Now that the holidays are over, I am getting busy on updates and sending out a press release. I have a bunch of photos to post on the website within a few days.

The 4th Annual Smackdab Summer Solstice Run will be held on Saturday, June 23, this year.

RE-REGISTRATION FOR SMACKDAB 2018 IS NOW LIVE ON THE WEBSITE.
Online registration is still optional, but registering AT THE SMACKDAB WEBSITE (not just replying to this thread) prior to Memorial Day gets you your finisher’s patch for half price.

http://smackdab281.org/registration

I just added lots of pictures from last year's run. I will be updating the riders' instructions very soon, to accommodate some suggested changes from last year's participants. (An alternate validation scheme is in the works for those who don't want to meet at the monument in Rugby at dusk.)

Registered! and Very interested in the alternate validation scheme, Jerry and I want to do an Iron Butt 1500 as part of the Smackdab.

We thought about driving from Faribault to Lincoln, NE for a nights rest, then get up at 4AM, drive to Lebanon, arriving at dawn, driving the Smackdab to Rugby, ND as quickly as legally allowed and immediately driving back down 281 to Lincoln, NE (1525 miles), for as long a rest as needed to drive back home. We would travel Highway 281 both south to north, and north to south within 24hrs on our most comfortable Spyders.... and get an IBA Bun Burner 1500 GOLD or at least a Bun Burner 1500 if we had to do a protracted rest stop.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/st...=w1040-h763-no
Just curious, have any other riders (any other cyclists) done the Smackdab both directions in one day (24hrs)?

Oh man, that sounds like a grand adventure. I would love to do something like that, if I were 20 years younger. :thumbup:

Kathy and I just sighed up. Looks like fun!

Les, we'll see you there (likely long before then as well),
Little Blue, we're only 60, but there were many riders on 80 some bikes that were much older than us. It's an adventure! Bucket list kind of check off item.<G> C'mon out and join the ryde, weather permitting it's a beautiful day!
Last year we took our time, had nice lunch and a long dinner, plenty of stops (we're riding 998 powered spyders so fuel every 150 miles) and leaving Lebanon at dawn, arrived at the Rugby monument by 8:15 with plenty of light left.

This press release is available for distribution as a PDF file: Smackdab-Press-Rel_2018-02.pdf

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fourth Annual Smackdab Summer Solstice Run Expected To Be Largest Yet

LEBANON, KS — Saturday, June 23, 2018 will mark the fourth annual Smackdab Summer Solstice Run, a one-day, 675-mile motorcycle tour held between dawn and dusk on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice. The ride starts between dawn and sunrise at the monument marking the Geographic Center of the 48 Contiguous States, just outside Lebanon, Kansas. Riders head north toward a similar monument marking the Geographic Center of North America in Rugby, North Dakota, and must arrive by dusk. The event is not a group ride. Participants ride individually, travel at their own pace, and stop whenever and wherever they like. There is no registration fee; the only expense is the optional purchase of an embroidered patch, which is offered to verified finishers at cost.

The Smackdab Summer Solstice Run is the brainchild of Peter Zilliox, a motorcyclist from Kansas City. “It’s a very grass-roots, unstructured thing,” Zilliox said. “I originally conceived of the trip as something to do with my wife and a riding buddy of ours. The three of us had previously explored a lot of rural Kansas by motorcycle, and I was looking for a new adventure. But it was a quirky enough idea that I posted an invitation on an online riders’ forum, and a dozen others joined us for that first run in 2015. So, I had some finisher’s patches made up for everyone. Several prospective riders who couldn’t make the inaugural trip expressed an interest in continuing it as an annual event. The next year, a totally new crop of riders completed the trip, and then participation really skyrocketed in 2017.”

A total of 87 riders—eighty motorcyclists plus seven co-riders—completed the most recent Smackdab Summer Solstice Run last June. This year, participation is expected to be even greater. “Most of our growth has been through word-of-mouth and social media,” Zilliox said. “I’m amazed how many people have expressed interest in this year’s event. Online registration went live on January 10th, and less than a month later we already have more than 30 riders signed up.”

The ride starts twelve miles south of the Kansas–Nebraska border, just off US Highway 281. The solstice allows over sixteen hours to ride the 675 miles across Nebraska and South Dakota, then through most of North Dakota. The route follows Highway 281 north for 95 percent of the trip, until it turns west on US Highway 2 for the final 34 miles into Rugby, North Dakota, which is within 50 miles of the Canadian border. Just before dusk, finishers gather at the monument in Rugby to swap stories of the road and share a great sense of accomplishment.
“All types of bikes make the ride, even as small as 250 cc’s,” Zilliox said. “From Harley dressers to adventure bikes to trikes—any motorcyclist is welcome to show up and ride. It’s just an excuse to spend a day exploring some new territory on a bike, meet other bikers, and have a bit of adventure.”

For more information and photos, or to register, visit the Smackdab website at http://smackdab281.org

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For the folks that want to hit another geographic point after the Smack-dab ride, the geographic center of the entire United States is just 22 miles north of Belle Fourch SD.
Not to far from the end of the Smack-dab ride. It's a little hard to find as it's off the Old US Hwy. 85 and across a ranchers fence. Lonely and Windy but a bucket list never the less.

I believe Belle Fourche is in South Dakota.

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Originally Posted by smoof

I believe Belle Fourche is in South Dakota.

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I meant to type SD but hit ND. I spent 5 months in Gillette WY building a Restaurant and rode nearly every weekend, all over the Blackhills and Bighorns. We are goung to the Deadwood Rally this summer to ride again.

Full-Size JPEG Version: http://smackdab281.org/Smackdab2018-poster.jpg
PDF Version: http://smackdab281.org/Smackdab2018-poster.pdf

Can anyone provide some insights on the Smackdab route? I know the road is pretty straight forward but I was wondering about must stops along the way. Scenery pull-outs, marvelous diners or restaurants along the way, unique shops to browse when a break is needed and any must stop for gas locations ( I read where things are little dry in parts of North Dakota).

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Originally Posted by Scotts8826

Can anyone provide some insights on the Smackdab route? I know the road is pretty straight forward but I was wondering about must stops along the way. Scenery pull-outs, marvelous diners or restaurants along the way, unique shops to browse when a break is needed and any must stop for gas locations ( I read where things are little dry in parts of North Dakota).

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The only really scenic geography would be around Fort Randall Dam, just inside South Dakota. There's some hills around there and the road twists a bit, and there's a scenic overlook by the dam.

http://smackdab281.org/wp-content/up...mmys-Curve.jpg

http://smackdab281.org/wp-content/up...43-720x540.jpg

As for gas stops, here's an interactive fuel map on Bing: Lebanon To Rugby
Just click on the little gas pump icon:



There are some 70-90 mile stretches between service stations in North Dakota, but if you fill up whenever you see open pumps, you'll be fine. Just adjust your schedule to leave time towards the end for a few extra stops. You shouldn't try to stretch your range between stops. Also, you might not always find 92 octane fuel, so filling up every half tank will keep your average octane level up. You should definitely stop to fill up in Carrigton, ND...and while you're there you can take a selfie with the Chieftain.

http://smackdab281.org/wp-content/up...57-720x540.jpg

There are no truly notable dining stops along the way. You'll be eating at places like the 281 Travel Center in Wolsey, SD. The food was unremarkable roadside diner fare, but the staff were really, really friendly and pleasant, even when some pretty weary bikers were filling every table and wanting to get back on the road quickly.

http://smackdab281.org/wp-content/up.../Wolsey-SD.jpg

One couple on the ride said they had a good meal at the Hakuna Matata restaurant in Edgeley, ND, but that's just one review, so I can't really endorse it myself.

For the most part, just be prepared for lots of this:

http://smackdab281.org/wp-content/up...awn-patrol.jpg

Thanks for sharing. I am still contemplating this ride. It can be a little more difficult finding information along this route since it is off the major Interstates. I'm used to planning and except for "just head north" there doesn't seem to be much other planning necessary.

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Originally Posted by Scotts8826

Thanks for sharing. I am still contemplating this ride. It can be a little more difficult finding information along this route since it is off the major Interstates. I'm used to planning and except for "just head north" there doesn't seem to be much other planning necessary.

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You can certainly arrange to ride with a couple of others. A couple of ad-hoc riding groups usually get assembled before departure. Last year, three guys who'd never met each other before the riders' meeting ended up doing the trip together.

I can not do it this year but hope to do it next year. If I do I will make a short stop just North of Hastings, Nebraska. Hope to see you in 2019, ryde safe.

Scotts, What he said We rode it last year, saw groups that stopped at every state border crossing to get group shots. The ride really is about doing it on the longest Saturday, starting in the middle and ending in the middle :D. Kind of a "Bucket list" type ride, like a Ride Around Kansas, (or Iowa) in a day...
C'Mon out and join us!

Can't this year. Thinking about it for next year
Chris

I spoke with the US Center Foundation and confirmed that camping WILL be available in Lebanon Park again this year. The park is located in the center of Lebanon on the south side of Kansas Ave, just west of Main Street. Bathrooms will available, but no showers. For those who don't want to have to get up any earlier and ride any more miles than necessary that day, this is about as close to the departure point as you can spend the night. For some, this might be the only option because motel rooms in the area are filling up fast. Camping in Lebanon is FREE, but I've set up a GoFundMe page for people who wish to make a donation to the city's non-profit foundation.

Camping in Rugby on Saturday night is available at the Pierce County Fairgrounds, just across town about 2 miles north of the monument. The Rugby Convention and Visitors Bureau would like a count of how many will be camping at the site, so riders who are interested in camping at the fairground; a note to info@smackdab281.org or a post in our Facebook group would be appreciated. Camping is also available within walking distance of the monument at the Oakwood Inn & Campground on US Hwy 2.