For Harley riders, all roads lead to South Dakota this week. I just met a couple from Australia who had shipped their bike over and were headed towards the Black Hills.
I’ve never been to the party*, and I’m not sure I want to go, but it sounds like an amazing experience. I was hoping that a Doper or two might have a story to share.
*But I do have an official “Sturgis 2000” fridge magnet, and I know someone who appeared as a “special celebrity guest” (she was in, shall we say, the video industry)
My family vacationed in the Black Hills several times when I was young. I think we were there for the Rally on a couple of occasions. I remember a constant hummm of motorcycles day and night. I also remember seeing many things that were quite spectacular to a 12-year-old boy’s eyes, i.e. boobies.
My folks just left Sturgis! We all know a couple who lives there about four months out of the year, and own a house in town. They’ll take friends as guests anytime except for the rally week.
Thats when they make enough money renting out rooms to pay for all house related expenses the whole year round. There’s a dorm-like set up in the basement that’s marginally less expensive, and single private rooms upstairs that go for more. Some years ago on of their regular clients, a rich doctor, asked them how much they would ask to have a room available anytime he wanted it, an “in perpetuity” arrangement, or at least for as long as they’re able to handle paying guests. They named a figure that I’m sure was at least in the five figures, and the doc paid without a quiver. When they asked him how he knew they wouldn’t. say, sell the house and leave him high and dry, he said he knew them well enough to trust them.
The couple also provide meals, for the guests, breakfast and supper at least, buffet style. It’s a lot of work that week, but it pays, as I said, all utilities, taxes and maintenance on the place.
My grandparents used to own a hunting lodge just inside the Wyoming border. I worked at the lodge for a few summers, and have been to the rally a few times.
It’s pretty much a festival for the worst trash I’ve ever seen, and then poseurs who want you to think they’re bad MF’ers even though they trailered their bikes there.
It also attracts a lot of regular middle-class riders who aren’t badass, rich, or poseurs, but who just like to ride motorcycles. My parents used to go every year with one of the (many!) motorcycle clubs they belonged to. Dad was a Honda man, not a Harley man. They rode up there, and didn’t trailer (though they had a trailer that would hook onto the back of the motorcycle that folded up into a nifty sleeping tent).
Mom died (unfortunately of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident), and years later, when dad remarried, his new wife forbid him to ride anymore. I’ll bet he misses going to Sturgis.
We went in 1996. Had a great time. We were living in California at the time so we did trailer the bike. Our kids were still young (9 & 10), so we drove to Utah, dropped them off with my sister, then drove the rest of the way to Sturgis. We had a mini-van, and we took the two back seats out in Utah and put a mattress in the back to sleep on at the rally. We stayed at one of the nearby campground (Glencoe) – they had very nice shower and bathroom facilities, plus a store and restaraunt.
We only went in to the rally itself twice – once to buy me some leathers (at the time, I didn’t have any) and once to take in the sights. Mostly we rode. We put 1500 miles on the bike during the 5 days we were there. We rode the Badlands and Custer State Park, went to Mt. Rushmore & the Crazy Horse memorial & Deadwood & Wall Drug. Our longest ride, we went to Montana, to the Little Bighorn Battlefield monument.
We had a great time. Someday we’ll go again – we have friends who are there now, but my husband’s job this year didn’t allow for it. Maybe next year!