Literally! It was 82 degrees F. when we rolled out of Gillette, WY, this morning. and it was only shortly after 8 a.am. And the temperature continued to climb as the day went on. On Lazelle Street in Sturgis at 5 p.m. it was 99 F. and it was cooling off! After dark it did get down to the low 70s so that was the silver lining. Wearing leather in the heat is a sure fire recipe for dehydaration. I have actually felt the sweat (the stuff that wasn't soaked up by my jeans) running down my legs. And the forecast is for more of the same. We met a guy from Ohio who said the mild weather was kind of nice! They've had over 30 days of 100+ weather and ponds & streams are drying up.
Today was a short ride - under 275 km. from Gillette, WY, to Sturgis, SD. One of the sights that should not be missed in this part of America is Devil's Tower. It reaches skyward more than 1300 feet above the surrounding terrain and can be seen for miles in all directions as you approach the National Park. Garry and I rode to the trading post because we didn't think it was worth the twenty dollars it costs to drive around the base of the formation. Still it is a most impressive piece of rock. I hesitate to think what would happen if one of the large pieces on the sides of the rock ever fell off. Apparently the last time this happened was more than 10 000 years ago.
Devil's Tower from four miles' distance
Up close and personal with the Devil's Tower
After leaving Devil's Tower, we rode the 9 miles into a small town called Hulett. There is an overflow festival there that started when a bar owner made a mess of ribs and had a party that lasted until the beer and ribs ran out. It's like a mini-mini-mini Sturgis with the main street lined with bikes. The highlight of that was a 1922 FD model H-D that is in perfect condition. It's quite amazing to think that this machine rolled out the factory door in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at about the same time my father was born. Both are 90 years old and still running quite well.
1922 FD model Harley-Davidson
Main Street, Hulett, WY
The spirit of Hulett!
The road from Hulett to Aladdin is beautiful. It snakes through the high plains and the exposed river banks and hillsides are the most vivid red. Even the soil here is a deep orangey red. It is so striking that it is difficult to keep your eyes on the road.
Aladdin is a 115 year-old mercantile store with a gas pump that advertises a population of five. They have a Liar's Bench which includes just about anyone who sits on it. Garry wouldn't, but he's a banker and they always tell the truth.
I put a pic like this on last year but it is still kind of neat.
Me on the Liar's Bench although I would never tell a lie!
After leaving Aladdin we rode back to I-90 and ran the last 38 miles to Sturgis at about 75 mph arriving at about 2 p.m. from 75 mph to stop and go traffic in 100F + heat while sitting over a very hot 96 cubic inch engine isn't one of life's more pleasant experiences. It took almost half an hour to ride the mile through Sturgis with stop signs every block and traffic lights every third block or so. And if you think one Harley is loud, think of what several hundred sound like. It is a constant low rumble that never stops.
We arrived at the campground before 3 p.m. and Garry walked to the main entrance to check in. While I was was waiting for him I thought I recognized two people. I crossed to road and asked, and sure enough, it was Ron and Larry-o, the two guys I had camped with at Elk Creek Campground last year. They were back from southern Illinois for year 17 or 18 at Sturgis. It was great to see them. Five minutes either way and I would have missed them. Talk about coincidences!
The campground is a barren field with no services at all so you have to bring everything with you so we rode back into Sturgis to check it out & stop at the supermarket. Garry found a leather vest that he really liked so he bought it as well as some patches to sew on it. He had that done and now looks like he belongs in Sturgis.
'59 Chevy motorcycle.
This is Sturgis!
We saw lots of puppies in Sturgis. One of them was even running around on a counter top looking for attention. It's pretty hard not to look at puppies this cute!
Puppies!
Why I love Sturgis!
Before heading back to the Chip I bought a 12 pack of Diet Mountain Dew, 24 bottles of water and two bottles of Gatorade. Garry and I packed them into our panniers but when I tried to start my bike it was a no go. Two people tried to push start me but my bike won't do that. One of the girls scrounged up a battery charger so I was able to remove my sea,t plug it in, and wait until there was enough of a charge to start Big Red. Finally, I started it, and we headed back.
By the time we got back we had seen several people pulled over by police. Not only were the Montana and Wyoming State patrols having a big payday from bikers, so were the Sturgis Police. Everyone is making the Big Score this week.
There is a incredible number of people here. There are tents and RVs as far as the eye can see. And this is a big celebration of what some people consider it is to American. There are flags everywhere. At the entrance there is a huge flag hanging from a crane and a whole field of perhaps two hundred flags at the entrance. People wear flags on their do-rags and have them on their bikes.
Flag at the entrance to the 'Chip'.
We walked about a kilometre to the Ampitheatre to hear Loverboy and Journey. Both bands were incredible, playing songs I have only heard on the radio, some of them thirty years ago. At the intermission Paulie Jr., the son of Paul Sr. of OC Choppers fame brought a new bike onto the stage. It was dedicated by Geico to the five US Armed Services. There was more chest thumping jingoism and the obligatory homage to the bravery of the men and women of the armed forces who are protecting the freedom to ride motorcycles to Sturgis in groups or solo. NO kidding. I couldn't make this stuff up!
Loverboy
Journey
We left at about 11:00 p.m. because both of us were still feeling the effects of the earlier dehydration we had experienced. It had cooled down enough so that it was quite tolerable with the gentle breeze we had blowing through our tents, so we wrapped up an eventful the day to the constant roar of Harleys well into the morning hours.
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