Deadwood, SD >> Sturgis, SD and surrounding area 620 miles ridden/23 hours
Before heading into Sturgis and mingling with the crowds, I decided to explore the Black Hills. In one day I experienced some of the best riding and saw some of the best sights in America – the Crazy Horse Memorial, Needles Highway and Custer State Park (where, of course, the bison were abundant on Wildlife Loop Road Drive; after my experience in BC, I knew better than to doubt!) – and the area has so much more to offer.
The sheer number of bikes on the roads is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before or could have imagined. Everywhere you look: more and more motorcycles. Given the state of the roads and the natural splendor through which they run, it’s only surprising this part of America isn’t a bigger tourist destination.
It’s also amazing that a mini metropolis pops up out of nowhere for a few weeks each year, then vanishes, taking everything with it like an outgoing tide. At various points along the way, I heard locals grumble about congestion and noise, completely neglecting the fact that they’re all profiting from the situation: every house along the main roads in Sturgis had rented out its driveway, front and back yards, as well as any spare bedrooms. For them, this opportunity is unlike anything else that presents itself; you’d think they’d appreciate this annual windfall.
Having scouted the surrounding environs, it was now time to delve into the belly of the beast, so I pointed my bike toward downtown Sturgis. Eventually I ended up at the Michael Lichter photo exhibit at the Buffalo Chip and thought of all the fun he had capturing some of the most iconic images in the motorcycling world; exploring America on two wheels with some of the most outspoken personalities in the industry. It was the stuff of legends.
Ducking out of the exhibit hall into a field of thousands of strangers, I was amazed to bump into Chris Maida, the (now former) editor of American Iron Magazine, whom I hadn’t seen in a few years. As if this wasn’t coincidental enough, when he and I wrapped up our conversation and I texted Alan to see where he was, I discovered I was right around the corner from where his Winnebago was parked! Fate had certainly steered me well today.
Backstage at the Buffalo Chip with Alan was a completely different scene than the campground I was staying at… For starters, space was not an issue: RVs were parked neatly to form a communal social area, which everyone’s motorcycles flanked. And before that evening’s Motley Crue concert just a few dozen feet away, Alan whipped up a home-cooked meal for about 20 of his industry friends.
This trip just gets more insane every day.
This morning when I pulled into my campsite after spending the night on the first bed I’d seen in nearly a month, my neighbor checked in with me. “We started to get concerned when you didn’t come back last night,” he said. It’s good to know people are looking out for you; there’s a strong sense of community here. He was a Texan whose Rune was almost as quiet as a Goldwing – despite the flashy exhaust – and had been coming to Sturgis for years with his wife, who has her own bike. Nice couple.
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So far, so good… Last night I was able to meet up with my friend Alan from Boston, and he hooked me up with a VIP and backstage pass for one of the concert venues that’s good for the week. Also, we had dinner at his Winnebago (parked backstage, if you can believe it) — scallops and sirloin! — Alan and his friends really know how to live it up! After last night’s concert, we chatted with some people, including the owner of the venue, for whom Alan makes some clothes. Next year will be their 30th at Sturgis, so by now, the Buffalo Chip is something of an institution.
Rode some unbelievable roads yesterday — primarily the Needles Highway — and now clearly understand why this is the biggest rally in America… Even the “normal” roads are fun to ride! Unfortunately, got stuck behind someone doing 20mph, so the whole trip took about six hours — quite a bit longer than I’d anticipated, and as a result I’m a bit sunburned.
Doing laundry today, prob take a nap this afternoon (slept on the couch in Alan’s Winnebago last night and left @ 6.30a), maybe go into Deadwood and then the main drag of Sturgis later in the afternoon. There’s a rally/ride for Victory motorcycle owners from Deadwood to Sturgis at either 2 or 3p (a friend of Alan’s is a Victory dealer in FL) and I’m trying to figure out whether to head in before or after that. Probably ride with those guys tomorrow or Sat, then back up to Minot for a new rear tire on Monday, then see if I can make it into Edmonton that night.
This was definitely the right decision. Hope things are going well with everyone!
After more exploring the backroads of the Badlands the next day, I strolled the downtown Sturgis strip to soak up all the attractions there, then made it to the Buffalo Chip in time to connect with Alan and his friends before that night’s Ozzy Osbourne concert. We were shooting the breeze, and when I described my spill on the Dalton Highway, without missing a beat, Alan’s friend Richard interjected: “Your bike does kind of remind me of Frankenstein.” Well played, sir!
For context: The stock mirror I picked up in Fairbanks didn’t match my aftermarket mirror at all, so one might say the bike was looking a bit more slapdash than usual. It was only once I was back in Minot that I realized I actually needed to replace the metric-to-American mount converter, not the mirror. D’oh! And with that revelation, the bike became slightly less ramshackle.
“If it works in a Van de Graff generator, it must work in the real world”
- The nerdiest quote of the trip (at least so far), discussing the possibility of getting struck by lightning while riding a bike.
BTW, Ozzy was awesome.
I skipped this morning’s group ride to Devil’s Tower. Feeling sick as a dog and the bike dumped a cup of oil when I fired it up. Went to the Honda shop in Spearfish and they suggested I keep pouring oil into it until I could replace all the seals, none of which they had in stock. (As long as the drip rate is less than the fill rate, the bike should be all right.)
Called ahead to Pure Honda in Minot to have them order parts and will be there an extra day at least; they couldn’t place an order today and with rush delivery, they’ll arrive on Tuesday sometime.
Met up with Alan, Richard, Ruth and Suzy later in the day and went for an afternoon cruise along some less-traveled roads Alan was familiar with. It was another epic day of riding and soaking up the scenery… None of this ever gets boring; there’s something new to discover around every turn.
On the way back to Sturgis and the Buffalo Chip, we got caught in bursts of rain; water droplets felt like bee stings on exposed skin. While some took shelter under a bridge overpass, I cut the day short and barged back to the campground.
The forecast calls for more rain and it looks like the heat wave is over: Highs only in the 70s from here on out, falling into the 50s at night. I’m leaving for Minot tomorrow morning after a final swing through the vendor booths for t-shirts and souvenirs. Overall, an awesome time. Best riding of the trip so far.