Gary's view of Sturgis ... 07 

     What can be said about the biggest biker gathering in the West? Not much new, I suppose. For me, it’s kinda like the “Been there, done that, got the T-shirt” quote. I have been going to Sturgis off and on  since the mid 80’s, so there is nothing much too exciting to me. More people, new bars, more bikes on the road to deal with and higher prices for stuff I really don’t need anyway.

However, it is always very cool to see the reaction of someone who is seeing it all for the first time.  My friend Linda went along for the ride this year and was suitably in awe of not only all the scooters but even more appreciative of the beautiful scenery and rides that we did in the four days we were there. 

The riding and hanging out with friends are the primary reasons I return to Sturgis. Nothing beats touring around the Black Hills or the Badlands and then coming back to camp to drink and tell lies. My friends and I are pretty accomplished at both by now, so anyone new to the circle stays amused until well into the night (or day.)

This was the first year I have ridden through Nebraska on my way to Sturgis. I have always avoided it due to the mandatory helmet law. After this trip, I will probably make it the preferred route. It avoids Denver
and all the traffic and bullshit associated with it. I also didn’t
have to ride on even ONE Interstate highway. My preferred roads are the ones that are just barely asphalt. I would rather deal with tractors than endless streams of cars and eighteen-wheelers.

Heading east to Limon we caught highway 71 and just followed it pretty much up to Rapid City where we were going to stay. Since Linda had not ridden much we made it a two day trip with a stop in Scottsbluff overnight. If you ever need to stay in Scottsbluff, I HIGHLY recommend the Candlelight inn. They have great rooms (although kinda girly), a nice Happy Hour with FREE food. Swimming pool and exercise room (not sure what those are) as well as a great steakhouse next door. As we were wandering around looking for coffee the next morning we discovered that they also served a FREE full buffet breakfast too! All this for about 70 bucks. We’ll be back.

As we made our way out of Nebraska and into South Dakota, it was nice to get the lids off our heads. We stopped at the first Casino across the state line to secure the helmets to the bike and get a cold one. We were the only folks in the casino and Linda hit a slot machine for a few bucks. We talked to the proprietor for a bit only to discover that he was from Denver. He opened the casino/bar to finance his retirement. Way too much work for my lazy ass, but he seemed to be enjoying it.

Continuing north, we soon approached the Black Hills. Our destination was only an hour or two away. Have you ever noticed how hard it is NOT to speed when you get close to your journey’s end? I had to continually watch my speed. I was anxious to get into the Rapid City KOA and relax with my friends. Of course they were all out somewhere when we arrived as it was only two o’clock. We had no trouble finding our cabin as it was the one with the pink lacy curtains installed on the window. It’s a standing joke that SOMEONE has to get the fucking pink curtains. It was our turn this year.

There has been a small contingent of Colorado riders staying at this KOA for about 15-20 years. The cabins get decorated with lights or flamingoes or whatever tacky shit we can find. This year we were missing two good friends who won’t ever be with us again. Our good friends Uncle Buddy and Big Bob are both riding the heavens now. Both were FAR too young to be taken away from us old farts and there is a vacuum in the conversations that will never be replaced. God bless them.

Since nobody was around and we were hungry and thirsty, we headed across the highway to a local sports bar where Linda had the first of many Bloody Marys.  Arriving back at the campgrounds there were still no signs of life so we went into the air conditioned cabin and relaxed (read napped.) With high temperatures averaging 95-104 during our stay we were
grateful for the air conditioning. In the past it has been stifling in those cabins.

Gradually, our friends began trickling back to the KOA. Of course by then everyone was hungry again, so it’s off to the sports bar again for more food and adult beverages. The good thing about this bar is that it isn’t far from the campground so one doesn’t have far to drive to get back “home.” After way more greasy food than we needed (including fried chicken gizzards) we all headed back to the camp and some much needed catching up on news from everyone.

The next day it was off to the faces. Mt. Rushmore is always a must see. Something patriotic and moving about seeing the results of one mans dream. As usual, it was way too crowded for me, but it was great for Linda as she hadn’t seen the faces before. From there we headed a little farther south to the town of Custer and Custer State Park. This is one of my favorite rides with lots of free roaming buffalo, antelope and assorted critters to stare at. The scenery is outstanding and the roads have enough curves and tunnels to keep you alert. The Needles Highway cuts through the park and you have to ride through the “Narrows.” Another nice ride is a trip down Nemo Road. Good scenery and a nice road make this a good day ride. Especially if you stop at Treveno’s Leather. He has really great (although pricey) leather goods and a couple of old cars in the yard. It is very lush and green around the store and is a good place to get a break from the heat.

From there we rode on into the town of Deadwood. There is gambling and a real Old West atmosphere in this town. You can go see a somewhat cheesy recreation of Wild Bill’s murder scene, visit many famous bars and see where the ladies of the night worked. They also have some good deals on food at the buffets in many of the casinos. I liked Deadwood, but we couldn’t afford to stay around too long and Sturgis itself was beckoning.

Now don’t get me wrong, but the actual going to the town of Sturgis and hanging out on Main Street has never really appealed to me as I am not a real “people person.” I’d rather just hang with my friends and ride the beautiful roads around that part of the country. But we all know you have to make the trip into town at least once. Besides, Linda had never been before. So we rode into town and did the obligatory ride down
 Main Street and parked the bike there and walked around. I bought absolutely nothing except a bottle of beer for us and surprisingly Linda found a good deal on a leather jacket. We were ready to head back to Rapid City and our little air-conditioned cabin after just a few hours in the heat and crowds of Sturgis.

The day we left we rode south and toured the remainder of Custer State Park on the way home. We retraced our route home and even stayed at the Candlelight Inn again on the way home. All things considered, it was a great trip and we didn’t even get rained on!

Keep your knees in the breeze people.

You can contact this associate here snowbound@rumblenews.com
 

 

 

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