Sturgis - Needles Highway

Tight quarters on Needles

Well, any motorcycle enthusiast that has studied the roads around the Black Hills knows Needles and Iron Mountain roads.  Coming out here was a once in a lifetime chance to ride those roads and there was no way I was going to miss those.  Well, I missed one of them, but not both!  Guess you can't do it all in a single trip to Sturgis.

We chose Needles to ride.  We were alone away from the pack and had an hour or so to kill (poor choice of words when riding this road) so we decided to give it a shot.  It is a fairly technical road, especially when it is crowded.  I would not say it is as technical as The Dragon in Deals Gap or the Diamondback in Little Switzerland, but it still offers an adrenaline pumping ride even at the low speed limit (35mph).

One Lane Tunnels

The highlight of both of the roads are the one lane tunnels carved into the mountain.  They are rough, and they are not policed.  So you just stop, wait for an opening and go.  It was an awesome sound to sit and listen to so many bikes come through the tunnels, each rev'ing their engines!  The best part of needles is at the top.  Well, I am not sure Rhonda would agree it was the best.  This is where there are tight rock walled turns that will make you pull your arms and legs in (like that would help).  There are times when you can see 3 levels of road below you that you will eventually be on after a few tight hairpin turns that leave barely enough room to navigate with the large number of bikes parked in each turn.

Needles is not for the faint of heart.  It is not hard, and to be honest the slow speeds made it more difficult in my opinion as the bike was not as stable and I constantly had to monitor the speed of the bike in front of me.  But none the less, the views are spectacular and the ride had more personality than any other mountain road i have done.  I wish I could have done Iron Mountain Road, but there simply was not enough hours in the last day.  Maybe next time.  But I am glad I got to experience one of the roads!

Sturgis - Crazy Horse Memorial and Custer

Crazy Horse Monument

One of the sights Rhonda and I were interested in seeing was the Crazy Horse Memorial.  We had seen a documentary on the history and the plans and when we had a chance to see it in person, we weren't about to miss it.

The ride to Crazy Horse winds down (from Spearfish) through Deadwood and Hill City toward Custer.  We had ridden that route a couple times, but the ride on Friday was the best weather we had while we were in Spearfish and it was much more enjoyable than the last rain filled trip through there.

Driving up to the memorial, it is obvious there is something going on, but it is also obvious that there is a lot more work to be done.  The monument is already magnificent even with just the head nearly complete.  I can only imagine what it will look like when it is complete.  I am not sure I will ever get to see that happen in my lifetime however.  The progress has been slow over the past years, and there is still a lot to be done.

We came in from the north, but I would recommend that you ride up from the south at least once when you are there.  From that direction, the monument is facing straight out toward the road and you get a good look at it from the front.  But even from the side, it is awesome.  There were huge pieces of machinery working the site and they looked like kids toys in a sandbox compare to the overall size of the monument.  Rhonda fed a fixed set of binoculars a couple quarters and we god a better view of the detail in the face.  Sadly, we were 30 minutes late to see the 1000 pound explosion they set off earlier!

There is a huge complex along with the monument.  A lot of Indian crafts and a museum displaying a lot of historical items as well as a couple beautiful Indian motorcycles.

The Planned Monument (with us)

The Crazy Horse Monument is a must see.  If for no other reason it will give you a perspective on the effort that goes into creating these landmarks and give you a better appreciation for Mt. Rushmore.

Past Crazy Horse is the small town of Custer.  We stopped there and waited for the other bikes and took a quick walking tour of the town.  It has some unique buildings, and there are some really neat shops in the town that have some items you will not see in other parts of the country.  There was a General Store that had all the equipment you need to pan for gold!  I thought about getting that and starting a new profession, but I assume it is tough work.  So Rhonda told me to keep my day job!  There is also a shop with a lot of wildlife items such as antlers, skins and skulls.  It was neat to see some things that while they are in a more current setting, were items that the sold in this town in the Old West days!  Make sure you check out the many different painted buffalos around town as well!

Sturgis - Spearfish Canyon and Falls

Welcome to Wyoming

Today took a little longer to get started.  Not sure of it we are starting to get tired, or if it was just one of those days where you can't get the coffee to do it's trick.  Either way, we were a little late leaving.

Deciding what to do is always tough since there are so many great rides here in Sturgis, but deciding when the forecast calls for severe thunderstorms here in hail country makes it even more challenging.  So we decided to take the same route through Wyoming to start the day.  We had some other riders who had not made that run and riding it in the morning instead of the afternoon meant the sun would shine a little differently on the canyons and on Devils Tower.

Sundance for Coffee

We headed into Sundance to start the day.  We beat most of the crowd there, but we were by no means the first people in town.  I didn't even go into the HD store.  I think I am getting a little HD Store overload right now.  But taped in the window was a sign to buy a raffle ticket for a quilt.  I didn't need a quilt, but the wife is a quilt fan.  So the quilt was on display at the local espresso shop (I am a fan of espresso) so I thought I would be a good husband and suggest we go to to see the quilt!  Long story short, the quilt was raffled off and gone and I had five shots of espresso.  That helped.  Now, I was ready to ride.

Devils Tower Trading Post

We headed off to Devils Tower.  And as we approached we could see the light really made a difference in the look.  You could really see the character of the tower and all the canyons on the ride in.  It was a big difference over the shadowy view we had the afternoon before.  We even drove over to the Devils Tower Trading Post which gave us a great view of the tower and of the tourist trap shops.

We decided not to go walk around the base.  Not sure if that was the right decision or not.  I wanted to, but there was a lot to see other places so I was torn.  Anyway, we were off to Hulett to stop and be a part of their bike rally for a little while.

Hulett is a cool town.  I didn't realize until we stopped that they were having a bike week.  I thought it was one of the impromptu gatherings like at Hill City or Deadwood.  But I picked up a Hulett 2011 patch there so I guess it was official!  If you ever go to Sturgis, go to Hulett and make sure you check out  Rogues Gallery.  Tour the shop and get your picture made in the coffins or in the gallows around the side.  It was really fun to act like we were in the old west and play cowboys and indians for a while instead of biker dudes.  Big kids is all we are.

Spearfish Canyon facing north

We had to wait out a fairly severe storm that produced hail in some areas, but not Spearfish.  And after we were sure it passed, we headed into Spearfish Canyon for a run there.  Spearfish Canyon is very impressive.  The road runs north and south, and is lined by a steep canyon wall on the west side and creek and a canyon on the east side.  The speed limit on the entire route is 35mph which at first will seem a little slow, but it is perfect for taking in all the sights.  As well it is easier to dodge the rocks in the road that have fallen from the canyon wall.  Honestly.  I can't really describe how awesome the views are.  Rhonda videoed while we were riding and I will get that posted soon.  But at least there is a picture here that doesn't do it justice.

Spearfish Falls

A little farther down the road in the town of Savoy, there is a dirt path that takes you to Spearfish Falls.  We walked the path through the woods to a really nice waterfall.  It drops into a pool and you are so close the spray gets all over you (and the camera).  The water is pristine and sound is so soothing.  I could have sat there all evening just watching and listening.  We even saw trout swimming in the water!  Don't miss this if you ever go.  It was about a 35 minute walk down to the falls, but it is easy and really a beautiful walk.

Instead of completing the loop (it was getting late) we turned around at Cheyenne Crossing and headed back into the canyon riding the opposite way.  This was the right choice.  This route was totally different.  Riding north puts the creek on your side of the road and offers great views of both it and the canyon face.  A lot of times we were riding into a curve and it looked like we were just going to ride into the canyon wall.  I don't know how high it is, but the feel of riding in the canyon was something I have never experienced on a motorcycle.  The Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway reminds me of the Blue Ridge Parkway in some ways.  It is a slow pace with easy sweeping turns and it offers great views.  The difference is the Parkway offers the best views at the top looking out over the mountains and valleys.  Closed in between two canyon walls made the feel different.

It was a great day.  Again, not so many miles on the bike (only ~175) but some great places to stop and take in all the Black Hills area has to offer.

Sturgis - Wyoming and Devils Tower

Riding to Devil's Tower

After the trip downtown, we were all itching for a ride.  The weather was perfect.  About 80 degrees and low humidity.  Perfect riding weather.

We needed some lunch and we are all getting a little tired of eating out.  Plus we needed to empty our bags and drop some stuff off at the house.  So we headed back to Spearfish form Sturgis and grabbed a sandwich and planned a trip over lunch.

The best loop we could find that would get us back before dark was a loop over through Wyoming past The Devils Tower and back.  About a 120 mile loop that none of really knew anything about.  I had seen the Devils Tower in the move Close Encounters, but until we planned this trip I had no idea it was real.  Honestly, Americans should know more about their own country.  That may be the best lesson I have learned on this trip.

The ride started out on I-90 from Spearfish down to Sundance.  I am tired of the interstate to be perfectly honest and so I wasn’t expecting much.  But about 10 miles outside of Spearfish we crossed over into Wyoming and the landscape changes.  It was unreal how different everything started to look.  The hills were harsh and rocky with cliffs and we could see a mountain range on the distance.  that ride into Sundance was anything but boring.  It was beautiful!

Burnout in Sundance

We dropped of the interstate in Sundance and headed for a Harley dealer there.  I had to have a shirt form Wyoming.  Like every other town, Sundance was packed for it’s mini-Sturgis rally.  Complete with a burnout stand in the middle of town.  The entire town smelled like burnt rubber and all you heard was an engine running wide open, a loud bang, some flopping of the tire as it shredded and a huge roar form the crown.  It was amazing to see.  Something that you hear about at a rally but we were watching!

We left Sundance and headed up to route 24 that would take us pas the Devils Tower.  The roads were windy and scenery spectacular.  Red canyons and cliffs and hillsides lined with different colors of rocks.  You felt like you were staring at a painting!  Finally as we topped the mountain we got our fist glimpse of Devils Tower.  It looked big from there but it tok us 20 minutes to finally pass the base!  It was massive.  How something like that ever got formed, I will never understand.  But it was amazing to see.

Hulett, Wyoming

We left there and winded thorough the mountains to a sleepy (again, not this week) town called Hulett.  Again, the population of Hulett had grwon by probably 10x with all the bikers having their own rally.  The shops looked like something out of a movie!  It was a blast to ride through!

We left and made our way back to Spearfish though more of the awesome Wyoming countryside. We stopped only once to get our picture by the “Welcome to Wyoming” sign.  When the kickstands were down back at the house, we all looked at each other and said “Best ride yet”.  If you are ever in Sturgis for the rally (or any other time for that matter) don’t miss this loop on a motorcycle or a car.  You will not be disappointed! 

Sturgis - Downtown

Downtown Sturgis

No trip to Sturgis for the rally would be complete without a trip downtown.  I will admit the actually rally and downtown Sturgis were not high on my list of things I wanted to do.  I knew we had to do it of course, but I was most interested in the riding and the sights to see around the area.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun we had wandering the streets and taking in the sights and sounds.

One tip if you are ever visiting Sturgis for the rally.  Unless you like sitting in wheel to wheel traffic constantly shutting off your engine due to the overheating of it and you I would strongly recommend you go early. It seems the biker crowd for the most part is a late rising crowd.  I won’t speculate on the reasons here, but just know that the earlier you go, the easier it will be to park and walk.

We got to town at 8:00 and parked across form the Harley Davidson dealer in a nice lot only charging us $5 to park there.  There weren’t so many folks there yet, but there were still enough to know that soon, the place was going to be packed.  

Highlights of the day?  Well only a few of them can be posted in picture form here.  Some of what you have read or saw on TV was true, but for the most part everyone was  “normal”.  There was the occasional person who should have added a few more layers or at least less transparent ones.  And a few that looked like they took a couple weeks to ride in and would have done good to ride through a rain shower at some point.  But really it was as close to family friendly as a biker rally could be.

A friend of Rich's

We did see our first Hell’s Angels in person.  Something that everyone has heard about but I had never actually seen.  I have to tell you they were a little intimidating to me, but not so much to Rich.  He decided to see if he could get a picture with one.  He was nicely told him “No”, but at least he left the conversation in one piece.  I mean he had one of his new Sturgis shirts on and it would have been a shame to ruin it the first time he wore it.  

We saw a biker man and woman come in on bicycles.  We saw a lab that had a kennel mounted to a Gold Wing so he could travel with his master from Colorado.  We saw a couple riding a trike that had to be 80+.  We saw a lady at the S&S booth wearing nothing up top except 2 S&S stickers.  And more...  For another time.  It was the best people watching you could do.

We wandered all the booths and vendors, bought some shirts and had the very best corndog we have ever had in our life.  Honestly.  And I have had a lot of corndogs.  

A friend of Chris'

It was worth the visit.  Once for the trip.  We ended up staying for nearly 6 hours!  When we left it was almost impossible to walk down the street without bumping someone.  It was tough to talk due to the roar of the bikes.  It was, in a word, Sturgis.

Sturgis - Mt. Rushmore

Tuesday, 8/9

First I need to apologize for missing the “deadline” for posting my blog entry for Tuesday.  To be honest, after we got back I lost all the adrenaline I had been running on and crashed.  In the bed, not on the motorcycle thank goodness!  I was really wiped out after the day.  I will do my best not to let it happen again.

We started the day early with a trip back to Rapid City Harley Davidson.  We knew we needed to get there early since the day before when Rhonda and I visited alone it was so crowded we could hardly park in the sam zipcode as the dealership.  Rich’s bike was running a little strange and the oil pressure was a little low.  So we needed to get the Harley guys to check it out.  So we dropped the bike at service and looked around some.  I was fine because I found an espresso cart making the best coffee I have had since leaving Sweden and since my machine burned up.  But after downing 2 quint espresso’s I was ready to ride.

Rhonda and Chris at Pactola Lake

We met up with the others just south of Rapid City and headed out into the Black Hills toward Mt. Rushmore.  Of course there were several stops along the way.  As we topped the mountain it was like we had entered a new world.  The road got a little more twisty and the views were awesome.  I have ridden in the mountains of North Carolina, but these were different.  not really better or worse, but different.  Riding the Parkway offers occasional expansive views, but here there seemed to always be an amazing view of something.  We would around and found ourself in the sleepy (well not today) town of Hill City, about 4800 ft up in the Black Hills.

We spent quite a bit of time walking though the town and visiting the Harley Dealer here.  One of the most interesting things about Sturgis is the amount of things going on outside of the actual town of Sturgis.  Almost like a “mini-Sturgis” is going on in every town. And Hill City was no different.  The streets were lined with bikes on both sides and in the middle.  And the sidewalks and shops were parked with bikers, and the occasional tourist asking themselves why they didn’t plan their vacation a little better.

Hill City

As we left Hill City headed to Mt. Rushmore the weather was perfect.  But that was all about to change. Drops the size of golf balls started pelting us as we dropped off the mountain toward Keystone.  And then it was pouring.  The ride to Rushmore was slow going, but by the time we made it the rain had subsided and the sun was out.  

Mt. Rushmore

Seeing Mt. Rushmore in person was awesome.  Just the thought of that being done blew my mind. The size and the detail were amazing.  And the area in front of the monument is piled with the rock that came off the side of the mountain.  Rhonda and I both stood there in awe and had to pinch ourselves just to believe we were actually there.  And that we had ridden a motorcycle to view it!  On our way out, we decided to check out the gift shop where we met and talked with Dick, one of the original drillers/carvers for Rushmore.  He explained to us how it was done and I realized only then that it was actually carved by hand with air tools.  It was really a great experience.  

We left Rushmore and headed toward Deadwood.  An ominous sounding name for a town.  Little did we know that the ride to Deadwood would be much more ominous than the town itself.  The skies opened up after about 10 miles.  Not a little rain, but a biblical type of rain.  One that would have shaken a local trying to drive the roads.  We fought the rain and the roads for a good 2 hours before we finally left the Black Hills to sunny skies just outside of Spearfish.  It was a tough ending to an otherwise wonderful day.  

We were all just happy to be back and after a quick trip to WalMart for supplies, we were ready to hit the bed.  Not so many riding miles today.  Probably just under 200.  But it was some of the toughest we have done on the trip.  And I will be happy not to have to ride the Black Hills in rain like that again this trip or any other in the future.

Sturgis - Arrival

Finally, the day came that we had been looking forward to most.  The day we arrived in Sturgis/Spearfish.

But arriving wasn't the only goal.  How often in your life do you get to drive across South Dakota on a Harley Davidson in near perfect weather? If you ask my wife, the answer would be twice.  Once on the way to Sturgis and once on the way home.  But truth be told, most people never get to experience this.  If there is one thing I learned on the way here, it is that there is no need to travel to Europe or Asia to see amazing sights.  The US is full of the most amazing landscapes in the world.  And today we had the chance to see some of that first hand.

Us at the Corn Palace

The trip started like the last couple days had been.  Riding vast open roads between huge fields of corn.  And fitting enough, our first trip was at the Corn Palace. This is a museum disguised as a tourist trap.  It looks like a huge palace and the entire outside is decorated with corn.  Corn cobs, ears of corn, corn stalks and corn cobs.  While we were standing there you could watch the birds come and take corn form the building and go into the road and eat it.  It was an interesting place and a good stop.

We left there and headed west across South Dakota.  As we rode, we saw the landscape shift from corn fields to grasslands.  The change was dramatic.  We started to see more farmland and cows, and less corn (for the first time in 3 days).

Sunflower Fields

One of the most unique sites were the huge fields of sunflowers.  Rhonda and I both commented that while we had always like to eat sunflower seeds, we never gave much thought to how they were grown and gotten the the stores.  But now, it was obvious.  Seeing the huge yellow fields of flowers all turned pointing at the sun was a really amazing site.

The terrain started to get a little more hilly as we made our way across.  There were few towns and even fewer gas stations and places to eat.  Each one we passed was full of bikes making their way to the rally.  As we got closer to needing some gas (really close actually) we saw an exit with a lone service station.  For you kids, a service station is a place you can buy gas and get your  car worked on.  See, you did learn something.  Anyway, we decided to stop.  And that was the location of "The Incident".

The incident was caused (we know now) by a huge amount of tractor trailer grease being spilled in the intersection where you turn to go to the station.  My mistake was thinking the large clumps were rocks.  So I dodged those not knowing there was more on the pavement that had been run over and speared out like butter.  Butter+Motorcycle+Turn=The Incident.  The front wheel turned completely to the left, slid and caught the pavement.  That caused the bike to lurch and immediately the floorboard on the left side drug, ripping my foot off the floorboard and sending it whirling back into Rhonda's leg.  The result? Rhonda has a nice bruise on her leg and I have either a broken toe or a sprained one.  But we kept the bike upright and went to calm down.

Start of the Badlands

Once we had regained some composure, we got back on the road and found a great diner for lunch.  I had a buffalo burger which was fitting for South Dakota I guess.  We moved on and the change in the landscape started to get more severe as we entered the badlands.  The huge rocky outcroppings look like something form a space movie more than something in South Dakota.  And also on the road to the badlands you will find another tourist trap, Wall Drug Store.  I won't go into a lot of detail because to be honest I am not sure how to describe it.  I will just post some pictures soon and you can decide for yourself.

We left there and headed on entering the Black Hills, our destination for the past 4 days. As we got closer, the number of motorcycles increased as dramatically as the landscape had changed.  We were suddenly in a land where cars seemed out of place and motorcycles were the norm.  A happy place you could say!

We finally pulled into Spearfish after a whopping 1987.8 miles.  All on the motorcycle and my wife was still on the back.  It was an amazing trip to get here and now we can look forward to some amazing rides around what some say are the best motorcycle rides in the country.

More pictures soon!  Thanks for reading!