August 12, 2010 ~ Thursday
4:42pm CT
103.1 degrees ~ Clear
These are 2 of the bartenders from the One Eyed Jack Saloon – they were a hoot. And yes, you guessed it, as adventure would have it I gave in to the Sturgis “excursion”. Initially, I was totally dreading it because of the heat, the crowds, the noise, the chaos, & the perception I personally had (based on previous tales & pix from the guys) but………………..we had a blast!! The event was a controlled chaos & the town truly had a method to their madness. If you can be impressed with an event like this, I guess I am saying “I was” (not saying that I like the primitive accommodations most of the bikers use but at least there are princess-like choices if planned properly in advance should I ever give in & go again). Haven’t I been saying on this trip to “expect the unexpected”? Guess I had to take a dose of my own medicine, ey?
While driving towards Sturgis yesterday, we were a little concerned with accommodations given the magnitude of this rally & the fact that it was their 70th anniversary. But, we got lucky & found a campground about 20 miles west of town in Spearfish. Because all the sites with full hookups were already taken, we had to stay in the “overflow” parking area which turned out to be a HUGE, level, freshly mowed field with a great view of farmland & mountains. We were ecstatic!! The alternative could have been a muddy lot behind Bubba’s Wrecker Barn or the Walmart parking lot. We had quite a few other neighbors around us & excitement was in the air. The field was actually a blessing as it absorbed most of the noise in the area (which Nicky loved because he gets so nervous around loud things).
We quickly set up camp, rustled up what little biker-looking threads we had, jumped into the Jeeper & went into town. Mind you, driving a Jeep in motorcycle territory was a tough pill for Chip to swallow but he remained a trooper. We had to park quite a ways from the festivities because we were driving a ”4-wheeler” which forced us to do more walking than planned (which I totally justified as our reason to drink a couple extra beers that night – yes, flush the body of toxins through exercise). Since this was my first time at the rally & we only had 1 short night to experience this annual mack daddy of all rallies, I wanted to savor the experience in one fell swoop (like any typical Leo blooded tourist with camera in tow). Checked out the vendors, did inspections of all the popular biker bars & walked almost every square inch of that tiny little town. We even ended up going to the Bret Michael’s concert (he was great) at the Full Throttle Saloon on the outskirts of town. Let me tell you, the parking experience for the concert was an event in itself; we’ll save that story for another time.
Left Sturgis this morning with every intention of “non-stop driving” but got down the highway & kept seeing continuous billboard advertisements for a place called Wall Drug Store in Wall, SD. After miles & miles & miles of these signs we became curious & decided to stop in & check it out. Wall is a quaint, small, western town that considers itself the gateway into the Badlands National Park area. It was packed with lots of other curiosity seekers such as ourselves (suckers). There was every type of person there imaginable; you name it. Because the town was biker friendly, there were a lot of rally riders there, too. And, as the unexpected would have it, we really enjoyed our stop at Wall Drug Store. It was a complex in itself & had essentially everything for a fun stop; café’s, kids play area, great western artwork, a variety of shops, saloon, chapel, etc. Had lunch, did some window shopping, then hit the road……….again.
Well, about to wrap up yet another travel day. We crossed into the CT zone earlier & are not far from Sioux Falls, SD. Getting ready to find a campground for the night where we’ll be grilling pork chops & having a huge salad; can’t wait!! Ya’ll, I think I remember “whining” about the cooler, wetter conditions we have experienced along the way. Well, I take back those complaints now because it’s REALLY hot here.
XOXOXOX to you All,
Cathy & the Gang
4:42pm CT
103.1 degrees ~ Clear
These are 2 of the bartenders from the One Eyed Jack Saloon – they were a hoot. And yes, you guessed it, as adventure would have it I gave in to the Sturgis “excursion”. Initially, I was totally dreading it because of the heat, the crowds, the noise, the chaos, & the perception I personally had (based on previous tales & pix from the guys) but………………..we had a blast!! The event was a controlled chaos & the town truly had a method to their madness. If you can be impressed with an event like this, I guess I am saying “I was” (not saying that I like the primitive accommodations most of the bikers use but at least there are princess-like choices if planned properly in advance should I ever give in & go again). Haven’t I been saying on this trip to “expect the unexpected”? Guess I had to take a dose of my own medicine, ey?
While driving towards Sturgis yesterday, we were a little concerned with accommodations given the magnitude of this rally & the fact that it was their 70th anniversary. But, we got lucky & found a campground about 20 miles west of town in Spearfish. Because all the sites with full hookups were already taken, we had to stay in the “overflow” parking area which turned out to be a HUGE, level, freshly mowed field with a great view of farmland & mountains. We were ecstatic!! The alternative could have been a muddy lot behind Bubba’s Wrecker Barn or the Walmart parking lot. We had quite a few other neighbors around us & excitement was in the air. The field was actually a blessing as it absorbed most of the noise in the area (which Nicky loved because he gets so nervous around loud things).
We quickly set up camp, rustled up what little biker-looking threads we had, jumped into the Jeeper & went into town. Mind you, driving a Jeep in motorcycle territory was a tough pill for Chip to swallow but he remained a trooper. We had to park quite a ways from the festivities because we were driving a ”4-wheeler” which forced us to do more walking than planned (which I totally justified as our reason to drink a couple extra beers that night – yes, flush the body of toxins through exercise). Since this was my first time at the rally & we only had 1 short night to experience this annual mack daddy of all rallies, I wanted to savor the experience in one fell swoop (like any typical Leo blooded tourist with camera in tow). Checked out the vendors, did inspections of all the popular biker bars & walked almost every square inch of that tiny little town. We even ended up going to the Bret Michael’s concert (he was great) at the Full Throttle Saloon on the outskirts of town. Let me tell you, the parking experience for the concert was an event in itself; we’ll save that story for another time.
Left Sturgis this morning with every intention of “non-stop driving” but got down the highway & kept seeing continuous billboard advertisements for a place called Wall Drug Store in Wall, SD. After miles & miles & miles of these signs we became curious & decided to stop in & check it out. Wall is a quaint, small, western town that considers itself the gateway into the Badlands National Park area. It was packed with lots of other curiosity seekers such as ourselves (suckers). There was every type of person there imaginable; you name it. Because the town was biker friendly, there were a lot of rally riders there, too. And, as the unexpected would have it, we really enjoyed our stop at Wall Drug Store. It was a complex in itself & had essentially everything for a fun stop; café’s, kids play area, great western artwork, a variety of shops, saloon, chapel, etc. Had lunch, did some window shopping, then hit the road……….again.
Well, about to wrap up yet another travel day. We crossed into the CT zone earlier & are not far from Sioux Falls, SD. Getting ready to find a campground for the night where we’ll be grilling pork chops & having a huge salad; can’t wait!! Ya’ll, I think I remember “whining” about the cooler, wetter conditions we have experienced along the way. Well, I take back those complaints now because it’s REALLY hot here.
XOXOXOX to you All,
Cathy & the Gang
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