I am writing this blog from notes I made earlier so even if the date is later, this blog is from August 10th.
Since we have decided to leave Sturgis tomorrow we decided that today was the last day we had to finishing any shopping for patches and T-shirts before we head out for points south & west. Rolling in to Sturgis at about 9:30 the temperature was already 77 degrees F. with the promise of another almost 100 F. day.
We parked across from the Indian Motorcycle display so we went over for a look. The star of 'American Pickers' was there doing a promo for Indian. He actually owns a 1902 Indian as well as a 1912 and 1913. He was quite animated about the bikes but then he was being paid to do it. Still, it seems that he really has a connection with the brand.
The star of 'American Pickers'
Harley-Davidson is having a roll in display of the bikes people own but don't show professionally so the tent was already beginning to fill up when we were in the lot. My favourite was a 1948 Harley with a sidecar. Earlier I saw a Harley that was as old as my dad. Today I saw one that was a year older than my and looked to be in much better condition. I am always amazed at the time and effort people will put in to their bikes to make them look perfect. I suppose it is a way of preserving their own history.
1948 H-D with sidecar.
Now that's a lady's bike!
One of the places was installing LED lights on several motorcycles and two of them had interesting license plates so I included them. There's a story behind them both but I'll leave that until later.
Wonder why?
Every picture tells a story but this one won't be told here.
Sign at the Knuckle Saloon
One advantage of getting to town earlier is that parking spots are available so we were able to park our bikes in the shade of the supermarket wall. Bikes kept coming into town in a steady stream and the rolling thunder that we have heard every day this week was again evident. I think that one of the first things that any Harley owner does when he/she gets her new bike is to ditch the stock pipes for after market ones. The decibel level is incredible on the road, in the campsite, and in town but it's a good sound.
The streets were crowded with people from almost every state and from many provinces of Canada if the license plates are any indicator. There are shops selling cheap leather vests, jackets, gloves, and whatever else can be made from leather. There is a wide variety of clothing here but the stores have essentially the same merchandise at the same prices.
Lemon Honda Gold Wing - Made in the shade.
The big thing is patches. Everyone has to get a 'Sturgis 2012' patch and if they didn't trailer their bike, they are entitled to wear the 'I Rode Mine - Sturgis 2012' patch. But there are many ofther statement patches, many of a quasi-patriotic nature, such as 'The Colors Don't Run', '9-11 - This Time It's Personal' and lots of military themed crests for the Marines, Army & Navy mainly along with patches for veterans of the various wars the US has been invlved in over the past forty years. Many people trailer their bikes here so a T-shirt that is often seen on the sidealks here simply states, 'Nice Trailer - Pussy'.
Garry had some patches sewn on his new vest as did I. I also picked up several Sturgis T-shirts, but that was the extent of my shopping. Garry bought more stuff but I don't recall exactly what he purchased.
A main street in Sturgis
By early afternoon it was getting quite humid and there was a huge black cloud to the west of Strugis in the Deadwood/Lead area. We were done in town so we headed to the campsite. The cloud continued to approach so we stuck around our tents and at about 3:45 the rain hit. Gently at first but shortly the wind picked up and the rain pounded down. We could hear thunder but it wasn't too close so not only did we hear rolling thunder in the morning, we also heard it in the afternoon! I was in my tent watching it sway and wondering if it was going to collapse in the gale. The storm lasted for about forty minutes and was over by 4:30 but it had caused some damage. One tent near ours was upended, several collapsed and at least two of them were blown right across the campground and no one knew where they came from. We heard that there was hail in Deadwood and later Jeremy said that he had heard it was three inches deep next to cars so I guess we were lucky to get away with wind & rain.
Before the storm we saw avery strange looking aircraft flying over. I think it's called a 'Guppy' but it is a transport aircraft and one of the stranger looking ones I've seen. I suspect that it was going to Ellsworth AFB which is east of Rapid City.
The 'Guppy'
Jeremy arrived back at the campsite with his motorcycle which he had left overnight in Rapid City for an engine upgrade to 103 cubic inches from 96. Next year he is planning on having the jugs replaced and the engine will be upgraded to a 110 c.i. displacement. With the Monster Rounds it sure does sound good!
After the storm the weather was again hot and sunny with clouds so I hiked over to the entrance to the grounds to take photos of the buffalo and the flag that hangs at the entrance. I went by way of the crossroads which is a place for vendors, entertainment, and bike repairs.
Huge replica of a Harley engine at the Crossroads
'Nuf said.
The Vietnam Memorial from a different perspective.
The 'Chip' sign up close.
The huge flag at the entrance to the 'Chip'
Sign, flag, and rider, the reason for it all.
Over the past few days we have heard the sound of automatic gunfire from quite a distance. If you wish you can fire ten rounds from a MA-2 (Ma Deuce) .50 caliber machine gun for $70. You can also fire an AK-47, a .30 caliber machine gun, handguns, and various submachine guns. They take their Second Amendment Rights seriously here, at least in South Dakota.
Gotta love the Second Amendment!
By about seven though the sky had again darkened and clouds filled the sky. We could see rain in the distance so I made certain that everything would be ready in case of another storm and just before 8 p.m. we got it. This time the rain really pounded down and the wind came up but it wasn't as strong as it was in the afternoon. However, the rain continued for several hours so we weren't able to get to the show at the Ampitheatre. We were able to hear Slash and the band he was with however, as the sound carried quite well over the distance to our part of the campsite.
Just before the storm.
The sign of things to come.
This was our last full day in Sturgis so we took it easy. We've seen a lot of what this area has to offer. The country varies from rolling plains to narrow canyons and mountains. When I think of the work of hundreds of thousands of people's lives it took to build everything here I'm amazed. The area has been settled by white people from the late 1870s and it already has a long history. It's great to be here but it will be good to move on tomorrow as well.
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