Riding with Friends

This page is dedicated to all of our friends we have met along the way. Cathy and I have had a great time over the past five years with our “new” and “old” friends. We have found much in common with those that share the excitement of the 2-wheel world. It seems that no longer are there time schedules, worries about finances or health issues to address when you ride with friends.

This page will continue to grow with future ride pictures. To view the ones already uploaded simply hit on this link titled Rides and make sure you enter the password “chrome” to view them.

Sturgis Rally

Ah, Sturgis Bike Week (password "chrome") in August of 2006 was something that must be experienced sooner or later! Marc and I left from home on a Tuesday and rode to Sioux Falls, South Dakota the first day (560 miles). The Corn Palace was on our list of things to do on Wednesday, then The Badlands, Wall Drug and Rapid City Harley-Davidson all before checking into Black Hills University at Spearfish.

You can pay upwards of $200 or more per night to stay close to Sturgis during the Rally in a hotel with all the amenities or do what we did, stay at Spearfish University for a total of $80 per night in a dorm room. The campus offers a breakfast buffet every morning except on weekends for $5.25 (yes it’s all you can eat)! They also have an indoor pool and weight room (both of which were closed for remodeling). The Dorm hosts made coffee every morning and there was a big screen TV in the lobby. We met many riders from throughout the US at the University. When you split the costs, it was only $40 per night. Its college dorm living at it’s best! What more do you need?

We saw lots of sites during our time in South Dakota. Must sees include, Spearfish Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Needles Highway, the National Cemetery, Devil’s Tower (Wyoming), Sturgis itself, Full Throttle Saloon, Deadwood, and the list goes on.
My only regrets when looking back on our travels was that we didn’t get to Full Throttle Saloon earlier in the week and didn’t spend anytime with my friends from home and the east coast. I apologize for this Steve, Mark and Steve! We arrived back home on the following Tuesday after riding over 2400 miles! What a RUSH!

Daytona Rally

Back by popular demand are sites from past Daytona Bike Week (password "chrome") celebrations. Daytona is one of the largest Motorcycle Rallies along with Sturgis in South Dakota and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Daytona Bike Week is held in late February some years, but mainly in early March. For us in the Midwest, Daytona is just the ticket when helping to squash the blues of winter. For most of us, we are forced to either ship our rides or trailer them. In the past I have done both. Shipping is much faster as you contact a local shipper; I’ve used Haul Bikes now named, Daily Direct from the Milwaukee Area. Daily Direct will take your ride anywhere in the US you want to be. Of course there is a fee! The very first year I attended Daytona Bike Week (the year I picked up my 2000 Ultra in Orlando) the roundtrip fee was $450, which no doubt has raised due to gasoline increases. In 2004, when Cathy and I attended the Rally we shipped again with Daily Direct, then I purchased an open double trailer at Orlando Harley-Davidson. This trailer of ours, made by Rocket Trailers has been used to trailer bikes to Myrtle Beach in May of 2004 and Daytona in March of 2005.

Enjoy the photos and links to various websites as this blog continues to grow. Don’t forget to leave comments as time permits. It’s always good to hear from fellow riders throughout the country. As always, be safe!