Days 7 and 8.

Day 7. Wednesday the 10th.

John and I went into Sturgis to do our shopping. We walked up and down the streets, shopped, and people watched. We walked over to the Post Office and mailed our purchases home. We took a short break in the Civic Center, and we met a couple of guys from New Zealand. They had shipped their bikes from home to the west coast, then they flew in and picked them up. They rode all the way to the rally, and found camping on a little old lady's front lawn, just a block from rally headquarters. They were going to tour the USA on their 5 week vacation.

At 1200 we met Lee and Gabi, Lyle, Larrie and Garth, for lunch at the Loud American Roadhouse.

Lee and Gabi

After lunch, John and I went back to the campground. We went back to Sturgis just before sundown, because I wanted to try and get a few night life pictures.

The "top" is painted to match the pants.

It was a very slow night. The temps have been a lot cooler this year compared to past years.


Day 8. Thursday the 11th.

This morning John and I packed up and headed west. We're still not sure where we're going, but it will be somewhere west.
We left Belle Fourche and headed west on SD-34. In Aladdin, WY we dropped down onto I-90 from WY-111.
We stopped for gas in Gillette. That's when John noticed that his front tire had a really bad cupping problem. He decided to go back an exit to the Harley-Davidson dealer we'd just passed. We walked into the the service area and John spoke to the service writer. The dealership wanted almost $400.00 to mount a new Dunlop D-408f on his bike. John told them he'd have to think about it. I got out my netbook and Googled his old tire, D-407f. I found out about a recall on that tire. So John called his dealer in Rice Lake, WI. Their service manager told him about a service bulletin, M1258C. John went back into the service department and the writer looked up the bulletin and they ended up replacing his tire for free. We were back on the road about 3 and a half hours later.
We got off I-90 at Buffalo, and crossed over the Big Horn Mountain on hwy 16. I had been over the Big Horns before, but on hwy 14. I think that 16 is a much more scenic highway and is perfect for a motorcycle. There are nice 50 MPH sweepers and even a few 25 MPH tight hairpin curves.
I tried to get some pictures on the west side, but I was shooting into the setting sun.

We had really good dinner at the Ten Sleep Saloon. I had the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and John had the beef roladen with mini dumplings and brown gravy. Both the food and the waitress were GREAT!

We stopped for the night in Worland, WY at the Days Inn.

Day 6.Tuesday the 9th.

Last night we had a plan... We were going to get up with the sun, shower, eat breakfast at the campground as soon as it was available, and head south. It was a good idea, in theory, but the weather wasn't cooperating. This morning the sky was overcast and we could see rain to the west and south, and it was headed our way. We sat around in camp until the weather improved.
We got on I-90 and got off in Rapid City. From there, we took 79 down to Hot Springs. None of us could remember ever going to Hot Springs during the rally. We stopped for lunch in a combination pawn shop/cafe. The food was good, the portions were large and the prices were low.

After lunch, we gassed up and started north on 385. We stopped at Whitaker Jewelers. We have stopped there every year since I started coming in '99. They used to have stores in Hill City, but last year they moved south, just out of Hot Springs. They have a small shop and live totally off-grid. Preston showed John and me his solar collector set up and his battery bank. Both John and I expressed interest in his system. Preston's advice was to read as much as possible before planning or buying anything. John bought a necklace for his niece.
We followed 385 north through Custer, and Hill City. We went east on Sheridan Lake Road. All the way up, we were either just ahead of or just behind the rain. We only had a little sprinkle all day.
We stopped at the T.G.I.Fridays in Rapid City to meet up with Terresah. She was John and Lyle's waitress way back in '97, and was still waitressing as a college student, at the Valley Cafe in Spearfish when I started coming out here in '99. We have met up with her almost every year since. She is the mother of the child I never had... (there's a G rated story behind that from 2000) We celebrated Lyle's birthday. Terresah got some of the other help to come out and sing Happy Birthday to him.

Lyle getting his birthday dessert.

Garth, me, Terresah, Lyle, Larrie, and John.

We got back to camp around 1830. I don't think the temp ever got over 70 all day.

I spotted this alongside the road. Is it a South Dakota riding lawnmower?

Days 3 4 and 5

Day 3, Saturday the 6th.

I was up with the sun, showered and ready to rock by 0630. We didn't get going until 0830. The 5 of us, me, John, Garth, Lyle and Larrie, drove the 26 miles from Belle Fourche to the VFW in Sturgis for breakfast. After breakfast, John and I rode down Vanocker Canyon to Johnson Siding. Then down to Hill City. We tried to photograph the 1880 train, but it wasn't running. We had lunch in Hill City at Rico's. They have great home-made Mexican food.

Day 4. Sunday the 7th.

Another breakfast at the VFW in Sturgis. This time with Lee and Gabi, and Tom and Carla. After breakfast we were supposed to take a group ride. John and I got separated from the others. We were going to go out Vanocker Canyon. John and I headed out to the canyon, but couldn't find the others. We drove part way down and waited but never saw them. We turned around and headed towards Belle Fourche.
John and I ended up going out 34 to Hulett, WY. Then up WY-112 to Alzada, MT.

This was an interesting thing to see in the middle of nowhere..

Just an experiment with the camera. Click it for a larger view.

We stopped for a pop at the Stoneville Saloon. The weather didn't look very good down towards our campground in Belle Fourche, but we went that way anyway. A few miles down the road in Colony we ran into a heavy rain. We rode through it, a few more miles down the road. Just before getting to Belle Fourche it started to rain again.
We stopped for an early dinner at the American West restaurant. We sat down and ordered, and then it really started to rain. 10 Minutes later it let up, but turned to hail. Pea and marble size at first. The manager/owner came over to us and told us to drive our bikes around to the back door and park them in their basement on the dance floor in the banquet room. So John and I ran out and got the bikes to the back door. We got back to our table and when we looked out the hail was golf ball to almost tennis ball size. By the time we finished dinner, the storm was passed us the sun was shining. A huge Thank You to the American West restaurant in Belle Fourche for your thoughtfulness.
That night, after dark, we had another storm pass through camp. That one was just thunder, lightening, and heavy rain.

Day 5. Monday the 8th.

John and I had breakfast at Taco John's. Then we stopped at the laundromat at washed clothes. It was a pretty sad place, half the machines were out of order. We went back to camp and met up with Lyle, Larrie and Garth.
We went for a group ride down Spearfish Canyon. We stopped at Roughlock Falls and walked down to view the falls.

Larrie, Lyle, John, Garth.

We stopped at the little town of Rochford.

Then back onto 85, and into Spearfish. We ate dinner at Sanford's. After dinner it was back to camp to relax.

Day 1 and 2 of the 13th Anual Sturgis Trip

I left home a little later than the 0630 I wanted to leave by. I drove to St. Paul and met John. We were under way by 0730. John led me through a twisted maze of back streets through St. Paul and Minneapolis, out to hwy 394. 394 became 12, and we followed it out to Wilmar, MN. In Wilmar, we took MN hwy 40 to the SD border. We took a series of SD  hwys and county roads all the way to US 212. We followed 212 to Belle Fourche, SD. We had very nice riding weather all day. Even a nice tail wind the last 100 miles.

We set up camp at Wyatt's Hideaway Campground. Wyatt's is the best camping I've found in my 13 years of coming to the rally.

Garth's stuff was here when we got here, but he wasn't around. He showed up about a half an hour later. He had been to Walmart to get a new tent. One of his tent poles broke while he was setting it up, so he had gone to get a new tent.

We set up our tents and it wasn't long before everyone was asleep.



DAY 2.

We didn't do much today. We rode into town for breakfast, came back to camp and rested. We didn't go anywhere else until after Larie and Lyle showed up around 1615. After they set up camp, we went to the Belle Inn for supper.

The weather looked threatening, but it blew past with only a sprinkle.

Tomorrow we'll go for a ride and I'll take more pictures.

Oh Crap

So, in 4 days, I'm supposed to be headed out for Belle Fourche, SD again. What happens..... an emergency root canal! Oh just great. Just what I needed  wanted to do.  I spent Sunday morning and afternoon on the couch with heat and cold packs in a "Vicodin haze". Thank God I had some leftover meds. I thought my head was going to explode.

This moring, I had root canal work done. Tomorrow, I go back for the permanent filling.

.

Another First Thursday at Dulono's Pizza.

John and I went to First Thursday again at Dulono's Pizza in Minneapolis. I didn't realize it until I was looking at the pictures I took, but every shot I took was of a red bike, except one.
The crowd was big, and there was a live band playing in one of the parking lots. We didn't stay too long. John wanted to get a few things done at home tonight before he leaves for Sioux Falls tomorrow.

Here's the pictures...
A sweet KZ-1000

I love the sound of a 3 cylinder 2 stroke.

Another...

A really cool Honda 550-4

Yamaha 350

CBX....

Another Honda 400-4

The last pic. A Honda 450, springer hard tail. The seat looks a little uncomfortable!

Day 17. The End!

I got up early Tuesday morning, packed and was ready for breakfast by 6:30. I was pretty excited to be going home. I missed Nancy and the boys (cats). 17 days away from home is a long time for me, for others 17 days is nothing.
I was on the road by 6:50, that's 7:50 central time. I gassed 3 times, and grabbed a quick lunch at the Taco John's in Luvern, MN. I finished the 541 mile day by 4:30.
I brought home a few things that I found for Nancy, a sample of beach sand from the Pacific, a huge pine cone, and a couple of crab shells. She was pleased!
Total miles on this trip 5780.9 through 9 states, with only day or two of light rain.
The only mechanical issue I had was the loss of one of the quick connect retainers on my luggage. I didn't notice that until I got home. A replacement and a spare have been ordered.

I also learned that my underwear of choice for a long trip is not the cotton briefs I usually wear everyday, but the stretchy, black, polyester boxers that look like bicycling shorts. Add a bit of Palmer's Bottom Butter, and an Aleve and I'm good to go!!

My bike needs a lot of service in the next few weeks. I need to do an oil change, clean the chain, change brake fluid, check the air filter, and give it a very good cleaning. It's looking pretty ratty!

Days 15 and 16.

I'm fine, I was just too tired last night to post anything. After I took a shower, I fell asleep without blogging.

Day 15.
Grangeville, Idaho to White Sulphur Springs, Montana.
I started the day knowing that I'd get to ride Hwy 12 over Lolo Pass. I was excited to ride that road again. I did it last year with John. You can read more about that day HERE. I was having a good time. I had shot a few pictures along Hwy 13 and even got a nice clear one of the "winding road next 99 miles" sign. I stopped to get another picture of the fast moving river, when I noticed the camera was telling me there was no memory card in it. CRAP! All the good pictures I thought I had! Oh well.
From Lolo, I went through Missoula, Helena, and stopped in White Sulphur Springs. I think I was asleep before 9:00 p.m.
I think the rivers along Hwys 13 and 12 are higher this year, than they were last year. There are a lot more areas of white water than I remember from last year. There were also a lot of small islands that had water running over them. There were 2 or 3 foot tall pine trees on those islands.

Another state sign.

There's still snow at Lolo Pass

I saw another one of these things just outside of White Sulphur Springs... any guesses???

Day 16.
White Sulphur Springs, Montana to Wall, South Dakota.
I slept so good last night, that I was up a packed and ready to go by 6:30. I had breakfast at a little place in town called Dori's Cafe. I had scrambled eggs with diced ham in them, toast and hash browns. It was very good. I was east bound by 7:00.
Just 20 miles out of town, I looked down at the gas gauge and looked up to see a deer standing on the left shoulder. He was facing left, looking off the road. I thought he'd just keep going and would be off the roadway, but no, he decided to turn around, and run back across my lane. I missed him by a foot, at the most. I took a short break on the side of the road, then made my way to Harlowtown for gas.
There were a TON of small gnat type bugs on the road. I had to pull in at almost every town and clean my face shield. I was trying to make good time, so most at most of the stops I didn't even get off the bike to clean the face shield.

Before I knew it, I was in Belle Fourche. I gassed up and was thinking about where to end the day. I felt good and it was still only 2:30. I had been thinking of the beef tips from American West restaurant for the last 100 miles. If it were closer to supper time I would've stopped. I drove through Sturgis and stopped in Rapid City. I knew there were a bunch of restaurants near exit 59. I chose the Golden Corral. I ended the day at the Super 8 in Wall.

I should be home before too late tomorrow.