Sturgis Rally 2008

Sturgis 2008 is all but a memory as I sit down Sunday afternoon to write this blog of a venture that added close to 2500 miles to my odometer. CDogg and I headed to South Dakota seven days ago at 4:00 AM and by 4:50 we found ourselves battling horizontal rains, straight line winds and numerous bolts of lighting. We were forced to hunker down just north of Madison for an unexpected early breakfast. About 45 minutes later we were suited in raingear and headed to our overnight stop in Mitchell, South Dakota. Other than fuel stops and one stop in Albert Lea, Minnesota at the Harley-Davison dealership we drove straight to Days Inn. We got to Mitchell earlier than planned and made a quick run to the Corn Palace to see what this year’s theme was. To my surprise it was about Heroes. There was a mural on law enforcement, the military, Teachers and those working in the Healthcare Professions. What no fire fighters?! Mitchell also is home to Klock Werks who make the Flare Windshield. After approximately 530 miles we both deserved some cold refreshments, especially since we knew no more riding was going to take place that day.

Tuesday we left as soon as we saw we had spent the same night with the Hells Angels. Actually, they were polite and easy to talk to. They had joined together for what they called a group meeting? When we got to Chamberlain we exited I-90 and headed north on Highway 50 along the Missouri River to Highway 34 then 14 and eventually back to I-90. If you head to Sturgis, do yourself a favor and take this route. It was very scenic and it follows the Missouri River all the way. Once back on I-90 we headed to the Badlands. As you exit Cactus Flat, make sure you stop at the BP Service Station. We did this in 2006 and planned on doing it again this year. Buffalo Burgers, chips and a soda was $5! You get plenty to eat while still having souvenir money left for the Rally! This is a great time to socialize with other biking enthusiasts. We met two couples from Eastern Iowa, Duane, his wife and another couple. Their photos can be seen later in this article by clicking on the PHOTO link and then typing "chrome" as the password. We hope to see them again, possibly on our 6th Annual Mystery Ride in September. The Badlands Park Pass went up to $10 from $5 in 2006. None-the-less, it is a must see and ride adventure! If you are “iffy” on your Iron Horse because of all the curves, then the Badlands, Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road, the Canyons, Pigtails, well let’s just say, South Dakota is not for you. After the Badlands, we stopped in Wall to shop and get ice cream. Do yourself a favor, if you are hunting for a deal, Wall Drug is the place to spend some money. The bargains are better than anywhere else during the Rally.

Once we left Wall Drug we headed north to Black Hills Harley-Davidson in Rapid City. This is where I met Steve from Wizard Custom Painting and later dropped a few hundred bucks to have my Harley personalized. Marc and I also purchased EZUP Center Stands for the big touring bikes. Yeah, I spent much more than I had planned, but then again it’s Sturgis and I have a whole year to save! Later Tuesday evening the clouds moved in and as we left Rapid City we knew once again we would need to find shelter from the storm. The weather report called for golf ball size hail, two inches of rain and strong winds. We exited I-90 on the west end of Sturgis and held up at McDonalds for over an hour eating and drinking lots of coffee. On our ride to Spearfish afterwards, the sunset was simply brilliant. We checked into Black Hills University at Spearfish, for $80 per night, you get a dorm room that measures 15x15, hot showers, an air-conditioned lobby with 52” HD Flat Screen TV, coffee every morning and for just $6 all you can eat breakfast! We stayed here in 2006 and said back then that we would do it again!

Wednesday morning we headed to Spearfish Canyon, then Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road and the Pigtails. You need to bring your “A” Game for this ride. I saw many riders braking late into turns, obviously going too fast into them. After this we needed a break to relax as the ride was tiring. Rapid City Civic Center hosts the HOG Hospitality stop every year and here you can get your “free” event pin if you are a HOG Member. Since Marc in a new member, he needed to experience this for the first time of many more to come. We grabbed lunch at the Civic Center, nothing really note worthy though.

Thursday, we headed back to Black Hills HD for the custom painting, then to Piedmont for the Top 50 Custom Bike Show. Ridley also showed their Custom “automatic” transmission bikes. There was even a bike builder from Watertown, WI! We had met a State Trooper on Tuesday named “JD” who had told us about his Uncle owning a bar north of Sturgis on Highway 79. JD said every year his Uncle roasts 14 or more hogs and offers a free barbeque lunch for the bikers! We had to drive through downtown Sturgis to get to Drag Pipe Saloon, so this was one time we went through Sturgis, the only other time was when we came back through after lunch! On our way to Drag Pipe Saloon we passed Bear Butte (El. 4422), this site was as amazing as Devils Tower in WY. After lunch we stopped at Full Throttle Saloon which is east of Sturgis and south of Bear Butte. Full Throttle is a venue you just gotta see. There are at least 10 places to buy drinks, if you are one of the less fortunate one’s that didn’t get free drinks from the many bar-maids.

Friday we decided to take I-90 to Rapid City, and then the Black Hills back roads of Icebox, Boulder, Vanocker and Nemo Canyons. This provided to some a challenge of 96 miles of twisting turns. The roads led from Rapid City to Deadwood. We spent about three hours in Deadwood simply watching people. Plan on getting there before 10 AM, at that time the Main Street opens for motorcycle parking anywhere the curb is painted “yellow” but only on the west side. We found a bench and parked our backsides there for the duration, except when we got up to grab lunch at Bully’s. Bully’s is an old casino, hotel and restaurant that provides free coffee and ice water. Lunch consisted of a polish sausage, brat or hotdog, chips and soda for $3! As you can see, if you shop for a bargain for lunch, you can find one. When we left Deadwood, we headed west to Lead and onto Spearfish Canyon for a ride going to opposite way from what was experienced on Wednesday. It was a totally different feeling! You must do the Canyon in each direction. Since our laundry was done Thursday evening, when we got back we packed, headed to Spearfish’s Sports Bar one more time and then went to see “The Dark Night”.

Saturday morning we got started by 5:00 AM and drove as far as Chamberlain for breakfast at McDonalds. It was a 4 ½ hour ride and once there, we were in Central Standard Time, so it was now 10:30 AM. Our evening reservations were at Albert Lea, MN at a Super 8 on Main Street. We arrived in Albert Lea at 3:20 and decided because the weather had been perfect, to ride all the way back to Watertown. We arrived back in Watertown at 10:12 PM Saturday evening after traveling 848+ miles in 16 hours! I wouldn’t recommend it as it was a very long day. Here's to the many rider's we met along the way, thanks for making the memories! To Duane, his wife and their friends from Iowa, make sure you checkout Shutterfly for your pics! Join us if you can for the September 27 & 28 "Mystery Ride" our 6th Annual! Enjoy the PHOTOS and remember to type “chrome” as the password for the Shutterfly photos. Remember to leave your comments within the blog site! It's always great hearing from others! Stay safe, ride free and sober.