Sturgis

Yup! It's that time of year again. Maybe you’ve noticed all of the motorcycles on the road the last couple of days. I’ve been hearing them go by the shop and it has been driving me nuts. Then it dawned on me…Sturgis. This time of year motorcyclists of all kinds head to Sturgis, SD for the biggest motorcycle rally on earth.

Although the rally doesn't officially start until Monday and will last through the weekend, many bikers have discovered, as I did, that showing up the week before or so is a good idea. We made that ride a couple of years ago and that’s what we did. During rally week as many as 500,000 bikers clog the roads, gas stations, restaurants, motels, campgrounds and scenic rides in the Black Hills. The week before is less congested with maybe only one or two hundred thousand motorcycles.

It’s gotten so big that the rally is no longer just contained in Sturgis, SD. All of the towns within a hundred mile radius will hold mini-rallies and draw several thousand bikes to each of their own events. We discovered that when we went. We opted to stay at the Rocket Motel in Custer, SD some 80 miles away and by the Friday before the rally was to officially start, the officials in Custer had blocked off a 5 or 6 block stretch of their downtown area for motorcycles only, and it was full when we rode out of town.

By arriving a week early, we were still able to get the feel of the big rally without all of the congestion since the vendors have all figured it out and were setting up already and business was brisk. Many of the traditional shop keepers in Sturgis go so far as to empty their store fronts and rent them out to temporary vendors. I’ve been told the store owners can make enough in rent for those two weeks to pay for their overhead for the entire year. I talked to one guy from New York who works all year making leather goods. He comes to Sturgis, rents one of the store fronts and makes enough to carry him for the rest of the year. It’s crazy.

I spent one whole day on Main Street just taking photographs of all the characters. I’ve done several paintings from the photos and they have been very popular. I suppose I’ll get back there one of these years just experience it again but for now, I’ve got my T-shirt and I can say I’ve been there, done that.

In the meantime I’ve got other places to go, people to see and things to do. Thanks for tuning in and stop by when you get a chance.