For a week now the roads have been filling with more and more motorcycles and the air is filled with lots of noise. There are approximately 600,000 bikes in this area for the 71st Sturgis Rally. It is quite an event.
Hill City is about an hour away and today our camp host neighbor (Sharon) offered to take us in her Mustang to check it all out. Actually it was my idea, and she reluctantly said yes with the stipulation that John would drive. Jimmy came along too.
Sharon has been a camp host in this area for about 10 years. She says most locals do not go out during the rally due to all the traffic but she was a good sport and came along.
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| Jimmy liked the convertible too (lots of great smells) |
The roads were filled with motorcycles touring the area. The Black Hills scenery is a motorcyclists paradise. This rally brings in a lot of money to the local community and for the most part the bikers are very friendly.
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| Our friend Sharon |
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| Deadwood |
This type of motorcycle (below) is becoming more popular but it does not seem right to me. Reminds me too much of a tricycle.
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| Entering Sturgis |
As we arrived into town the decibels got much louder. There were lots of vendors and even some bikini car washes. It reminded us a lot of the Indy 500 crowd. The crowd was pretty tame but remember our visit was during the day. :)
Main Street is where most of the motorcyclists park their bikes and check out all the action. I paid $5 to climb up a tall ladder to get these amazing pictures of all the bikes. Click on the pictures to enlarge.
Afterwards we headed to Spearfish Canyon to have a nice picnic lunch (thanks Sharon) in the city park. Seeing the canyon from a convertible is a wonderful experience. It just takes your breath away looking up at the canyon walls, water falls, and blue skies.
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| Dances With Wolves film site |
It was a great, fun filled trip and even reluctant Sharon was glad she came along for the ride.
