Arriving in Sturgis

The ride to Sturgis SD is like a long blind date with an unpleasant companion.  It seems longer than it really is and feels like it will never end.  Until it does.  The scenery from Toronto, ON to South Dakota is spectacularly dull, memorable in its nothingness.  Unless you have a personal affection for cornfields, the miles drone on like your  high school history teacher on a Friday afternoon. We rode 2200 km the first two days, the first day a fifteen-hour marathon.  That left us within 300 km of our destination on Day 3, which was the beginning of what we expect (and my riding pal, already a five-time vet of Sturgis knows) will be among the best riding this continent has to offer.

We took advantage of being on the western edge of South Dakota's marvellous landscape by taking the long way around through the Badlands National Park, a 240,000 acre protected area which accommodates vehicular traffic around a 35 km circuit that leads to the town of Wall, SD, an interesting village of shops and services.  Wall Drug is a landmark in the community, and a must-see if only for the fact of its relentless advertising, with billboards that begin at the western edge of the state and repeat themselves endlessly along hundreds of kilometers. Remarkably, it lived up to its hype, housed as it is within an indoor mall that includes stores selling everything from jewellery to rock and knives.

We arrived in Sturgis soon after, and enjoyed a cold pint at the famous saloon, One-Eyed Jacks.  The bar just opened in June and is being set up for the hordes of riders already descending upon the town.  It's six days from the official opening of Sturgis Bike Week on August 6, and already the streets are filling with bikes and trikes, most of them Harleys, and none with stock exhausts.  More than a few shops are open, vendors serving the many early arrivers who come before the start of the rally to take advantage of the lower hotel rates, more readily available campsites and less encumbered traffic along the sensational riding trails that make the trek so worth the ride.

My first impression of this humble town is the gregariousness of  its temporary inhabitants.  Within two blocks we struck up conversations with riders who shared their past experiences of the rally, the length of their ride, the state of the US economy, and the challenges and joys of raising kids.

Today we plan to check out the Devil's Tower ride.