The Sturgis trip: Although nobody tells a trip story like JO’Co, I will make an attempt here. Pictures for a lot of what you will see here are at: Link to Sturgis trip pictures Cindy and I began our trip to Sturgis SD with a major decision: Ride or tow. If we ride, our time is cut short in Sturgis and could be made even shorter by bad weather between home and destination. If we had another three or four days, we would have ridden the trikes. We didn’t so they were loaded up on the 20ft trailer and the Jeep Grand Cherokee did all the work. We learned something during this trip. Do NOT trust a route planned by your GPS when “Shortest Distance” is used. At one point, near Wheatland Wyoming, we recognized that something wasn’t quite right. We only had 60 miles to go but it was showing over 2 hours left. That was the first and only clue that should have made us ask: WHY? We had been on this one road for about 20 miles with no other roads turning off that road. At that point, there was about 20 miles left and over 1 hour to destination. We then saw why… There was a sign showing “Open Range Ahead”. OK, no problem… just watch for buffalo, deer, antelope, etc. Then PROBLEM… paved road ends and washboard rock road starts. So, second decision… Back track 30 some odd miles and go a new direction or hope that the road gets better in a few more miles, We trudge forward on our committed route. A mile or two more and another sign: “Foot traffic only – Hunters, respect the wishes of the land owner”. SCREW THE LAND OWNER, only 15 miles left at this point. Still on a rock road but a little smoother, we continue. About two miles later, we are back on a paved road all the way to our hotel. A look at the GPS with a change to "Quickest" showed that there was an alternate route that was 5 miles longer and one hour less time... all on paved roads! Next day: Devil’s Tower. We wake up ready to roll the trikes off the trailer and rain drops hit our face. Weatherbug shows a storm just north of our position. Trailer disconnected and Jeep chosen for the Devil’s Tower trip. Never having been in this area of the country, neither of us knew what to expect. With the GPS set to “Quickest”, we head toward Devil’s Tower Wyoming. Once we arrive, the clowds part, the sun shines, and a beautiful day happens. We make the best of it with the Jeep wishing we had the trikes there. The first thing you notice as you enter the park is the 90 hole golf course to the left. Actually, it is a field that prairie dogs call home. Those critters are everywhere you look. Devil’s Tower itself is an awesome spectacle. Pictures do not do it justice. We return to Wheatland and attend a “Ranch Rodeo” at the fairgrounds. The rodeo was to benefit a new nursing home being built there. Never seen a Ranch Rodeo before. The events are common daily activities on a cattle ranch. They have teams that compete against each other. They must rope a calf and pull it to a branding station then simulate branding it. Next they have to rope a cow and milk it. This is a simulation of catching a cow to medicate it. The third and final task is to rope a calf and get it into a trailer in the middle of the arena. I uploaded a picture of one of the “cowboys”. They just don’t make ‘em like they used to. The next morning found us on the way to Custer South Dakota. This was our “home base” for the rides we would take in the black hills. We rode to Mt Rushmore and drove the Iron Mtn Road as soon as we arrived on Sunday. Iron Mtn Rd reminds me of The Tail of The Dragon in Tennessee/North Carolina. Making this run has given Cindy the confidence and experience to make her anxious to go tackle the Dragon on our next Tennessee trip. Monday 6-Aug, is Sturgis day. Our hotel being 79 mies away from Sturgis, we get up and walk out to the trikes at day break. Breakfast on the way was a small adventure. Finding a empty table anywhere is impossible. A wait of at least an hour is the norm. Some loooooooooow speed limits through several towns, plus an estimated 500,000 bikes in the area meant that we didn’t hit the entrance to Sturgis until around 10:00. Immediately we see a bikini bike wash on the right. Now I am all for helping the troubled youth of our country so I was happy to contribute to their success. 8) Most of Sturgis was a city wide location to sell you something. We decided to hit Full Throttle Saloon and we never left the rest of the day. A mass of humanity (I think) with a different sight every place you look. I could see myself being entrapped in this segment of society when I was a younger lad. Now I am simply amazed… make that amused by the spectacle. We met the owner of the place as we were leaving the Travis Tritt concert late that night. Very noce man… at least to his paying customers. We get out to the parking lot… dark… cold… ready to make the 79 mile trip back to the hotel. I open up the trunk of my trike, pull out my jacket, and find it soaking wet. The seals did not keep the water out from the car wash. I put the jacket back in the trunk and rode back in a short sleeve BDU camo shirt. I froze on that ride. Iron Mtn Rd and Needles Highway are great narrow twisty roads. Both have tunnels carved into the mountains and are recommended for bikes and relatively small cars. The Iron Mtn run has two tunnels that as you drive through them, Mt Rushmore is visible in the distance. The Needles Highway has three tunnels through the mountains that are narrower than the Iron Mtn run. We made these runs several times during the week. I have videos of both runs that I am editing as I have time and will post them to the same location as the above link later. One of the trips on Iron Mtn became a little interesting. A full grown buffalo decided to walk the centerline of the narrow two lane road. He walked right past us coming within two feet of our bikes as he passed us. We had no choice… there was nowhere to go. I got video of him as he was about 30 yards away. I realized that the GoPro was still running and turned it off. There is a red flashing LED on the front when it is running. I thought that might not be the best thing to have pointed at him as he moved closer. In all, we had a great time and are ready to go back again. Not sure we will do it during bike week though. We are thinking that we may stay half way between Rushmore and Yellowstone and travel to both on the trikes.
Good report, love the pictures. We have been in that part of the country three times and I would like to go again. If you have not been to Yellowstone you need to go there. It is such a huge park that you need several days just for there. I wouldn't recommend going in the middle of the summer though you will spend a lot of time sitting in traffic. Glad you had a good time.
Nice report Tom. Many of those photos reminded me of our trip last summer. We've been to Yellowstone a number of times including last summer. It's a must see. I'd recommend a stop in Jackson where my bro.-and-law and sister-in-law live. Nice places to eat and interesting shops.
Haven't made it to the BR in awhile, but that sounded like a great trip. Thanks for the report! Now I'm eargerly awaiting Stu's report esp his photo's of the French (topless) Beaches!! 8)
We arrived back home at the end of last week. Already planning the next trip to that area. Terry, I must be having a brain damaged moment. BR?
To, I'm a little late, but I want to thank you for your trip report. I have not been to that area of the country. I hope to travel there in the near future. I have increased incentive to do so after seeing your pictures.
Sid, Most of our vacations have been centered around the SouthEast. This one has opened our eyes to th benefit of not being around certain members of the family and doing things at our pace and timing.