STURGIS 2001
We left for Sturgis on July 27.
Four bikes, all experienced long distance riders. Experience is however no
substitute for common sense. Two dressers (my brother Tom and myself), a road king (Phil)
and a twin cam softtail (Paul)
The first day should have been a forewarning of the trip that laid ahead.
Leaving Jacksonville at noon the temp was already in the 90's. The first
day we traveled approx. 250 miles which turned out to be the shortest day of the
trip. Tom, my brother laid out a very interesting route which kept us off the
Interstates for most of the trip.
Accurate quotes of distances are impossible as I broke a speedometer cable shortly into the journey. My bike unfortunately had the most miles since an engine rebuild but considering the heat and speeds traveled performed quite well.
Our bodies however took the greatest beating. All that time in the sun left us very dehydrated in spite of consuming over a gallon of H2O daily. At around the 50 mile mark we made a habit of stopping for water.
Day two was a repeat of day one. At this time we all were considering the sanity of our decision to ride the bikes to South Dakota instead of trailering. The thing that kept me going besides stubbornness was that we were seeing some of the most scenic roads in the South. The Gulf Coast States are very scenic once you can get away from the heavily populated cities along the interstate. It was today that my bike decided to lose a rocker box bolt. Of course we didn't notice it until stopping a rest area at 4:05 pm. Mind you this was a Saturday in that famous city in Egypt that starts with Bum. The good news is that my brother was pulling a trailer and had every conceivable item known to man with him. Actually the best thing about stopping in that rest area was the incredibly attractive rider from France that we met. Sure wish I could have convinced her to ride with me instead of her husband. Oh well! Stopping for the night found us in some town (the names and routes become a blur after riding in the oppressive heat) that obviously was hurt by the nearby interstate. Such a shame as the town seemed to have a nice character. It was here that a very unfortunate incident happened. As we were pulling up to our motel room three ladies who were traveling to a reunion came out to look at the bikes. As I spoke to one, a thud was heard that sounded like shotput hitting the ground. The eldest of ladies had fallen and hit her head on their car bumper. I immediately prevented the ladies from assisting her back to her feet and had the manager summon for the EMT's. As luck would have it they were eating in the restaurant right next door. She never lost consciousness but I was concerned she may have broken her hip causing the fall. All ended well as she did not require further medical help.
Day three brought us though Branson MO. A very lovely town that I would like in the future to revisit. It also brought us past Leavenworth Federal that I only want to see from the gate. It is an incredibly foreboding structure that is best to be on the outside. None of us felt the need to get up close and personal at this facility.
Day four brought us into Mitchell SD where we stopped and ate. Another of the Midwest's small towns that leave you wondering why we live in larger cities that are so impersonal. After leaving Mitchell at about 3:00 pm we headed to Chamberlain SD somewhere about 60 miles away. It was this leg of the trip that I learned the meaning of winds. I thought that this Florida boy had seen some hellacious wind is his time. WRONG! All four of decided that this would be a great place to spend the night putting our arrival in Sturgis a Day later. As you head west on I-90 and arrive at Chamberlain you realize that this is truly small town living at its finest. A truly lovely town with friendly people, great fishing (according the motel manager) and cold beer. For those of you who know me, you know I can't handle alcohol very well and was very relaxed very quickly!
Day five took us to Wall Drug in Wall SD. My shifter decided to go south at this time. This is must see for anyone traveling through the state. After spending some time in Wall and buying a long sleeve shirt to keep the ever killing sun off, we headed into the Badlands. For those of you not familiar with the area, this is truly a breathtaking experience. The Badlands alone more than made up for any discomfort that we experienced during the ride. It is very easy to understand why John Wayne did not chase the Indians into the badlands. The badlands range from grassy prairies to some of the most hostile desolate regions you are like to ever see. we finally make it Sturgis and meet Looie from Connecticut. He is the Grand Poobah of the Royal Order of the South Dakota Buffalo and a real character. A great guy that we rode and ate dinner with while we were there. Hey Looie 'BUFFANGOAL'. Dinner and some gambling brought us to the Four Aces in Deadwood. They have a great staff and the food is very reasonable. This became our favorite eating place while in town. It didn't hurt either that the road between Sturgis and Deadwood is one of the most picturesque you will find in the Black Hills.
Wednesday, day six, the four of us headed out to see 'old stone faces' Mount Rushmore (1, 2, 3,)Sorry Georgie boy for chopping off the top of head. It was here that we ran into some of my friends from Sarasota. After leaving Rushmore we headed off to Crazy Horse Memorial. To give you an understanding of the immensity of this monument, all four heads of Rushmore would fit on the face of Crazy Horse (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,) On our trek back to Sturgis we went through part of Custer State Park where got up close and personal with some of the local fauna. This one was at least in a field away from the road. The first one we passed was laying right next to the road. The rest of the day proved to be much more tame. Dinner that night found us at Art's barbeque in Rapid City. This has got to be the best southern style barbeque north of State Road 60 in Fl. We all know that anything north of that highway is smack dab in Yankeeland. A short trip up the road to Shotgun Willie's for some adult entertainment filled out the evening.
Thursday found us making a circuitous route through Wyoming to Devils Tower (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.) Showing my ignorance I made a comment about climbing the tower only to find out that fools actually do climb it. I passed on this opportunity for immortality. Onward to Hulette Wyoming where we stopped to cool off at Capt'n Ron's Rodeo Bar. Onward to continue our quest of adding North Dakota to our list of conquered states. This was not to be however as the road between Hulette and Belle Fourche SD was at that time the worst road on the hole trip. Only to be outdone by the excuse for a road to Pike Peak but later for that one. As you can tell from the picture Belle Fourche (1, 2,) is the geographical center of the United States. I have to admit though that the States of Wyoming and South Dakota must employ Hollywood talent scouts as recruiters for the highway depts. The girls working the stop signs were some of the prettiest I have ever seen. Our quest to add North Dakota will have to wait for another time. The heat and distance proved to be too much of an obstacle at this time.
Friday we departed for home. In retrospect we should have stayed at least one more day as all of this trip was the week before Bike Week and much of the entertainment was yet to come.
On the trip back we came through Wyoming and Colorado. Having been to Pike's Peak in 1989 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,) I convinced the crew that a ride to the top was in order. Paul decided he would stay at the base of the mountain and wait our return. He turned out to be the smartest one of the group. After waiting for about an hour to get in the park proper. They have to employ the slowest gate attendants anywhere in the US. I was then blessed with the pleasure of following a Lincoln from Louisiana who obviously did not like motorcycles in general or me in particular (I'm not sure which.) The road was in horrendous condition and probably should not even allow travel in some sections. Stopping at the lodge at just 11,000 feet proved to be a wise choice as my brother's bike was running very poorly at that altitude. I only use this as an excuse as the lady in the concession stand suggested that I have a seat and she would bring my food to me. She followed this up with "If you need it we have oxygen available." I guess my bout with pneumonia a few years ago (not to mention the extra weight I carry) took it's toll on my lung functioning. I didn't need it but while we were there a young boy did. On the way back down some fools were competing in the only good (?) section of the road in extreme LUGE. Not my chicken ass. They are in need of some psychiatric counseling. The Harley's had to stay in first gear the whole way down and still needed some braking in spots. One section had a 10% grade. We then spent the night in northern New Mexico. Southern Colorado and northern New Mexico have extremely beautiful scenery. Unfortunately I did not get any pictures in this area. Hopefully I can steal some from photographer Phil.
The rest of the trip home was uneventful except I find now that I blew a head gasket and have to tear the motor down.
Would I ride to Sturgis again?
Probably but some changes would have to take place. A scheduled day of lounging
in a hammock and more riding early in the morning to avoid the heat of the day.
And most preferable would be a starting point of Rapid City SD. Damn I love that
town.
