3 - 7 August 2014
We left Fargo on Sunday, 3 August with the thought that we would make it to Sturgis that same day...that was until we stopped for lunch at a really good pizza place in Bismark, ND and then realized that there was a brewery in town as well.
As we were ready to leave the brewery it started pouring, so another delay in getting to Sturgis. Looking at the radar it looked like the storm was going to pass through pretty quickly...1 hour later we were still watching the rain fall from Laughing Sun's window (there are definitely worse places to be stuck). Finally the heavy rain ended, so with a bit of a drizzle falling, we donned our rain gear for the first time since we left Florida 8 days ago...not too bad of a run!
Finally, after 300 miles of riding on I-94 we were happy to get off the interstate and head south on US-85...little did we know what was in store for us. This road was made of concrete slabs with a gap between them that felt like we were running over a stick every few seconds. Plus, the road was in the middle of wide-opened ranges making it very windy. When cars, or even worse, trucks passed us head-on, we had to hold on tight and close our eyes because of the serious draft they made. Needless to say, as soon as we got to Bowman, ND, 60 miles down that horrendous road, we were ready to stop for the night.
The next morning the weather was much better and with only 135 miles to go to get to Sturgis we were off. A couple of hours later we made it to Days End Campground in Sturgis, South Dakota. We setup the tent and headed straight downtown to experience Sturgis.
As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words, so here are pictures of what Sturgis is like:
The next morning the weather was much better and with only 135 miles to go to get to Sturgis we were off. A couple of hours later we made it to Days End Campground in Sturgis, South Dakota. We setup the tent and headed straight downtown to experience Sturgis.
As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words, so here are pictures of what Sturgis is like:
The reason the Sturgis rally is better than any other rally's out there is that the area is AWESOME to ride around. The Black Hills of South Dakota is one of the most beautiful areas I have every ridden...even if it rained every day we went out riding. I did really poorly pulling off the road to take pictures of the "beautifulness" of this area, but I did stop for Mount Rushmore and Sitting Bull:
And of course we stopped for a few breweries.
After 3 days and 2 nights in Sturgis and the Black Hills area we decided to call it a day and head to our next destination of Denver to visit with family for a week or so. We headed back to Days End Campground for the last night under rainy skies. The dirt road that lead to our campsite left quite the mess on my bike and me!
Numbers Games
Total States Visited: 9 (New ones: South Dakota)
Total Breweries Visited: 4 (New one: Laughing Sun, Sick & Twisted, Knuckle)
Total Miles Ridden: 1,804
Total States Visited: 9 (New ones: South Dakota)
Total Breweries Visited: 4 (New one: Laughing Sun, Sick & Twisted, Knuckle)
Total Miles Ridden: 1,804