STURGIS! - THE GRANDADDY OF THEM ALL!
Let's see - how to describe today. Well, it started in the capital, Pierre, then we rode about 200 miles west dodging rain showers along the way and now we're in Sturgis. That's right! STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA on the first day of the largest motorcycle rally in the world! It's so big that the closest room we could find for the night was 30 miles away in Rapid City (which is an oxymoron by the way!). BUT WAIT! - it's not just a room, it's a dorm room at National American University - WITH BUNK BEDS! It's costing us $150 a night to stay in a dorm, in bunk beds, 30 miles from Sturgis! And better yet! - Stacy (like always) wants to be on top!
Sleeping arrangements aside, the Sturgis Rally is overwhelming. 500,000 people in a town with an permanent population of only 6,500! The noise of bike engines is overwhelming, the traffic backs up for miles and the bars and restaraunts have lines as long as.... well let's just say they're long. The people that live here charge $5 bucks just to park your bike on their lawn. We were fortunate and found a place on the street for free, but then finding our bike in the masses again was a major task. Bikes on the street are lined up sooooo close together that if you bump one it's like a string of dominos. Just ask Stacy.
We were parked in a row of about 300 bikes that stretched for blocks. One minor bumb from Stacy and man was it an awesome sight. The noise of metal on metal on asphalt was deafening, but unfortunately someone saw her do the "bump" and told the cops. When they arrived on the scene they handcuffed her (which she liked!), they arrested her (which she didn't like!) and then they mysteriously dropped all charges after she had a "private" meeting with the Chief of Police (while still handcuffed). After dinner we hopped on our bike (which hadn't fallen over) and rode the 30 miles back to Rapid City and our dorm room. The good news is that it's just a block away from dive bar called the "Hall Inn" where we spent the night drinking $4 pitchers, cheating at darts and telling lies to sailers with one eye. Tomorrow we think we'll hang around, but you never know...
Sleeping arrangements aside, the Sturgis Rally is overwhelming. 500,000 people in a town with an permanent population of only 6,500! The noise of bike engines is overwhelming, the traffic backs up for miles and the bars and restaraunts have lines as long as.... well let's just say they're long. The people that live here charge $5 bucks just to park your bike on their lawn. We were fortunate and found a place on the street for free, but then finding our bike in the masses again was a major task. Bikes on the street are lined up sooooo close together that if you bump one it's like a string of dominos. Just ask Stacy.
We were parked in a row of about 300 bikes that stretched for blocks. One minor bumb from Stacy and man was it an awesome sight. The noise of metal on metal on asphalt was deafening, but unfortunately someone saw her do the "bump" and told the cops. When they arrived on the scene they handcuffed her (which she liked!), they arrested her (which she didn't like!) and then they mysteriously dropped all charges after she had a "private" meeting with the Chief of Police (while still handcuffed). After dinner we hopped on our bike (which hadn't fallen over) and rode the 30 miles back to Rapid City and our dorm room. The good news is that it's just a block away from dive bar called the "Hall Inn" where we spent the night drinking $4 pitchers, cheating at darts and telling lies to sailers with one eye. Tomorrow we think we'll hang around, but you never know...
Stacy always wants to be on top! We only patronize the classiest of establishments!
Finding our bike was easy - It's black with chrome! All she's saying is that the charges were dropped!
Finding our bike was easy - It's black with chrome! All she's saying is that the charges were dropped!
Good news, sports fans!! The block that Kevin and Stacy placed on my email address kept me away for a while, but luckily I'm dating a computer geek who was able to override their puny defenses. I'm back!!
So, the two of you actually made it to Sturgis, that's great. Too bad I bet Ron and Wendy that the part they removed from your bike would lay you up 20 miles out of town...just long enough for the inter-state manhunt to catch you. It's just pure, blind, dumb luck that every cop, security guard and campus patrolman who manages to get their hands on you is a buffoon. Well, I wouldn't try to lock me out of the comments again, since I used my hiatus to booby trap your house "Home Alone" style. Just a nice little suprise for your return
By the way, Stacy, nice picture. Did you get that from the top of the stripper pole??
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Kevin & Stacy,
It figures you would plan your trip around the biggest motorcycle gathering in the world. What timing...you arrived the day it began...what a coincidence! I remember your last visit to Sturgis produced some incredible stories that involved a lot of people and a lot of beer!
Parlor on,
Randall & Helen
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