******** COME ON AND VISIT RALLY STURGIS BEFORE YOU DIE ******** For folks who like choppers, hogs, and all forms of motorbikes, there’s no place like Sturgis, a small town (population 6,442) that annually hosts the biggest motorcycle rally in America. It was here, in 1936, that Clarence “Pappy” Hoel founded the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club, which held the first Black Hills Motor Classic, with nine participants, two years later. Today Sturgis attracts close to a half million people every August for a week of bike shows, concerts, races, demos, group rides, camaraderie, and plain old partying, with hundreds of vendors selling everything from food to tattoos. Attendees run the gamut from those who live by the Harley code to dentists and CEOs who don their leathers only on weekends. It’s like Mardi Gras with chrome, though things have quieted down since the days when it was not unusual to see naked riders cruising down Main Street. Yes, there’s lots of booze (Jack Daniel’s is a major sponsor); yes, there’s a lot of rock ’n’ roll (recent concerts have included ZZ Top and Kid Rock); and campgrounds like the Buffalo Chip get pretty wild; but Sturgis isn’t all just one big party. Bike buffs can explore the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame or join posses of riders who hit the scenic byways of the Black Hills National Forest. Wall Drug Store, famous for its Great Depression marketing ploy of promising free water to customers, is nearby and sells everything from hand-tooled cowboy boots to horse liniment. Try a buffalo burger at the 520-seat restaurant and soak up the Western hospitality. WHERE: 24 miles north of Rapid City. Tel 605-720-0800; sturgismotorcyclerally. When: early Aug. BUFFALO CHIP CAMPGROUND: Tel 605-347-9000; buffalochip. Cost: rally pass from $155, includes campsite, facilities use, and access to all concerts on the campground. STURGIS MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM: Tel 605-347-2001; sturgismuseum. WALL DRUG STORE: Tel 605-279-2175; walldrug. WHERE TO STAY: Holiday Inn Express is the newest and nicest of slim pickings. Tel 605-347-4140; hiexpress. Cost: from $155.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 11:44:52 +0000
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