Sturgis 2006

Plan, Plan, Plan
A mantra that I should have imprinted on my mind long before traveling to the Mecca of Motorcycling.

It was a beautiful Tuesday. Should the big guy have known that his rectum would be stretched by price gouging? Oh hell yeah! Here I was ready to go to Sturgis and without a clue as to where he was going to stay. Online I went and and to my disappointment (my stupidity) the cheapest room I was able to find was in Keystone at $178.00 a night. Did not matter, FLFLHTC had decided he was going and to hell with the cost.

Now Sturgis is less than 850 miles away from current residence. Therefore a one day trip is a possibility but not a pleasant thought, even on an Ultra.

After getting a late start and then hitting a one hour delay in getting through Madison WI, it became very obvious that this was going to be a two day journey. Mitchell SD became my sleepover point. Now Mitchell is a very pleasant little town that is home to the Corn Palace (see 2006 Road Trip) and Cabela's (more on that later).

I must say that the weather was absolutely perfect the whole trip. Even though it was August I spent quite a few miles dressed in leather

Day Two found me in Keystone SD. For those of you not familiar with the area, this is the most logical place for riding the Black Hills in my opinion as it sits in the middle of Deadwood, Lead, Custer and Rapid City with easy side trips to Custer State Park, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the best road scenery this side of (can't really compare it to anything else.)

Rushmore as always is very awesome and regal. There is a view from the road that allows you to bypass the outrageous in my opinion parking lot fee of $8.00 for a motorcycle. I have been called cheap before in my time but I for one am sick of the concept that if you ride a motorcycle you have money and it is perfectly acceptable to gouge. This goes for the whole Rally. The room mentioned previously goes for about $70 otherwise and this is only because of the proximity to several attractions and not the quality of the inn. After all what makes this rally special is the sights and the riding  otherwise you see  one rally you've pretty much seen them all. This year I decided to see what was on the other side of the mountain and upon leaving the parking lot I turned left and found a very unexpected surprise. It brings you the closest to Washington and gives a great profile of our first President.   

Crazy Horse in my mind is still the most awesome undertaking. Especially when you think about the hardships involved. Some say they only want to visit every few years to see the progress being made. In my thinking this is losing what the whole concept of the monument is about. Never forget your dreams.  

Custer State Park boasts some of the most beautiful scenery around..   Needles Highway turned out to be a great ride. Yes this was my first time on the road even though being in the area several times before. Coming from Florida who could imagine traveling a road that at times  requires flagmen at both ends of a one lane tunnel so narrow that 2 bikes could not pass safely. At the end of Needles Hwy I hooked up with another rider (Enya) who knew of another great road that I had not traveled on. Iron Mountain Road.She stated that this road had 2 turnstiles in it. Not wanting to appear as stupid as I sometimes am, I just nodded my head feigning complete understanding of what she was talking about. Off we went. The turnstiles turned out to be 2-360 degree circles that drop about 25 feet in what would otherwise be a very dangerous decline. On a bike is it is a great feeling and should be had by everyone. This road also has several one lane tunnels on it. One of which offers a wonderful of Rushmore from several miles away. 

Deadwood to me was much of a disappointment as the city has such a fabulous history and at other times of the year (see again 2006 Road Trip) is a true delight but during the Motor Rally simply becomes another large biker shopping mall with many watering holes. For those interested in the city's colorful history I strongly suggest going at a different time of the year. It is truly one of my favorite places to go.

By Friday I was fed up with the crowds and high prices and decided to head west. No I did not even go into Sturgis itself. Before leaving Rapid City it was time to stop at Bear Country USA . This is quite an experience and should be included in any trip to the area. It does bring you up close and personal to some truly wonderful (from a safe distance) animals. There is sign at the entrance stating no motorcycles allowed in the park. Now I must admit that seeing this type of signs usually elicits a very pissed off response from this motorcycle activist. I thought at first it was because the noise from straight pipes would be frightening to the animals. I could not have been more wrong. These animals understand that they have nothing to fear from humans in the park. The humans are traveling right in the middle of bears and are the ones who need protecting. A motorcyclist going through would simply be suicide.

I ended up spending the night in Cody Wyoming. This is the home of Buffalo Bill. Can't say much for the town as my destination was Yellowstone and therefore only spent the night and did not partake of the town itself. It was me, Keystone Light and quickly lights out. I can say that $10.00 for a quart of Syn 3 did not make too happy though. Oh well I should have planned better. Upon reaching Yellowstone I got quite a shock, $20 entrance fee for motorcycles and the ranger stated to be careful the first eight miles due to construction. It was $20 well spent. The sights are incredible (after the first eight miles and you can finally stop wrestling the big HD around on what seems like an obstacle course of ruts loose gravel and rocks in the road) with everything from rivers to mountains to grassy areas and all things in  between. I simply never get over the rudeness of the general public. While watching Old Faithful do her thing, awesome to say the least, the two bimboes next to me on one side never even looked up. too busy in their little insignificant conversation. Two more on the other side only remarking that this wasn't the biggest eruption that they had seen Old Faithful perform. Who knows, who cares. It seemed very impressive to this novice of hydrothermal splendor.   
Another of the checklist of things to see and do in this great land. I regret that I did not take the time to explore the Grand Tetons as this was in the opposite direction that I wanted to go. During the whole trip missing the Tetons and not photographing the most beautiful sunset that I have ever seen, (while on the way to Cody), were the most regrettable. For A Florida boy I have seen my share of beautiful sunsets, but the combination of the mountains, clouds and total lack of population made it simply gorgeous. Yellowstone is also famous for its wildlife. Elk, deer, moose, rabbit and such. Buffalo also come to mind. Boy do they come to mind. Sitting on a bike watching a herd of buffalo grazing on the side of the ride is another of life's wonderful experiences . Watching a bull buffalo taking a mate is also a wonderful experience. Coming to the realization that the most dangerous time to be near a wild animal is in mating season and you're sitting on a motorcycle in the middle of a traffic jam unable to move however is not. Next time I'll just buy the video! Anyway it was getting late and I thought that Bozeman Montana would be a good place to lay my head for the night. After finding my way out of the park, I headed into West Yellowstone, WY got gas and directions from a very enthusiastic clerk who said that US 191 would take me there and the road was great on a bike going along the Gunnison River. I headed out only to turn around 20 miles later due to what became a very nasty storm. Already starting to get cold, riding through the rain at night on unknown roadway with animals that I would have trouble seeing did not really appeal to me. I spent the night in West Yellowstone. The next day I decided to do laundry. While there I came to the realization that Idaho was only eight miles west. I had previously given up on hitting Idaho thinking that I had to take I-90 to get there which would have been over 200 miles. Therefore after a quick side trip to the potato state it was back to US 191, the Gunnison River and into Montana. While traveling through Montana I can not stress too highly the importance of frequent fuel stops. Imagine my dismay when riding to see my fuel light come on. Not too stressful, I knew I could go another 20 miles without a problem and stopped at a station about that distance away. I did not even pay attention when a lady left the station. I spent a minute or so just stretching before attempting to pump my much needed petrol. It was then then that the direness of the situation fully hit me. The LADY was the cashier and had placed a sign in the window that she would not be back until 7:00 am the following day.  Starting to lose my placid demeanor I asked some kids on bicycles in the area where the next gas station was. Over 20 more miles and off the interstate by several more I finally found my supply of fossil fuel. Understand that a Harley tour bike has a 5 gallon tank, figure in the fact that you can never get the last few ounces out of the bottom of the tank it is a much relieved rider who pumps in 4.85 gallons. Oh yeah the next station, had this one been closed was 25 miles away. 40 miles per gallon, you do the math. After spending the night in Miles City Montana I was going to come to come back on I-94 through North Dakota and Teddy Roosevelt National Park but opted to instead take State Road 59 and into Broadus MT and then US 212 to Belle Fourche SD before continuing to I-90 and back home. Except for the interrupted ride and more plentiful services available the state roads and US highways is more desirable. People tend to be nicer, taking more time and not rushing you to get to the next customer. More people will offer a friendly wave in the middle of nowhere than in a busy city. Just nicer, I like that. That night found me shopping at Cabela's in Mitchell SD. I finally found a blowgun. Something that none of the sporting goods stores in my area seem to carry. After a nice soak in the hot tub at the Super 8 it was off my house.

Now while traveling this route before several times I had thought about stopping in Austin MN but never did. thinking that the local tourist trap was just too hokey for my taste. This time I finally did. this is the home of Hormel Foods and therefore the Spam Museum.  If anyone would have told me that the Spam Museum was a cool place I would have never have believed them. It is. I recommend it to everyone.

After a trip of just over 3000 miles it was good to back in my own sleep number (95) bed.

I just had to include this one. I just have a thing for a Boss Hoss on nitro.

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