Most people that know me quickly learn that I’m an avid motorcyclist. I’m a former motorcycle club member and motorcycle rider coach. I love motorcycles and the people that make up the motorcycle culture. What’s more, I love the twisties afforded by South Dakota’s Black Hills and the painted landscape of the Badlands. I was fortunate enough to attend the 75th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2015… to put it mildly, that was party. It was likely the most badass Sturgis Motorcycle Rally I’ll experience in my lifetime.
Ever since my first rally in 2009, I’ve been hooked. The people watching opportunities alone make the five to seven days at the rally worthwhile. Whether out at the campgrounds, in the Black Hills, or in Sturgis itself, the rally always provides a great show. This year I stayed at Glencoe CampResort (20555 Glencoe Dr., Sturgis, SD 57785), this was my third year there. I used to stay at the Broken Spoke Campground, but I quit doing so after the Spoke started kicking out campers that were walking naked around campsites… I mean, it’s Sturgis, let your freak flag fly. As a symbol of solidarity, I started staying at Glencoe. No, they do not kick campers out for nudity; I don’t think they kick people out for anything.
I like Glencoe for its shaded campsites, hot showers, eateries, music venues, and the over-the-top wide-open-throttle party atmosphere. The only thing that puts a damper on that party atmosphere are the crazy thunderstorms and hailstorms that seem fixed to the rally’s schedule.
This year I was at the rally August 1st – 7th, and this year the weather was no different… I rolled into the campground and had the tent and hammock set up just as the skies opened up. The next morning, went just like any other day at the rally… wake up, shower, hop on the bike, and roll into Sturgis to find a biker breakfast. Then head out on that day’s ride, stop to take pics, grab a bite and beer, and head back into Sturgis or the mega-campgrounds for a lil partying… lather, rinse, and repeat.
Sturgis just isn’t Sturgis… it’s Devils Tower, Hullett, Sundance, Four Corners, Belle Fourche, Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood, Pactola Reservoir, Sylvan Lake, Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore, Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road, Nemo, Custer, Keystone, Hill City, Bear Butte, Rapid City, Wall Drug, and The Badlands. It’s every gas station, restaurant, campground, pub, cantina, tent, booth, music venue, and vendor, in the greater Sturgis area. It’s the bikers and their bikes flowing through the very arteries of the Black Hills. If you’re a motorcyclist, not matter what you ride, you need to attend the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally at least once in your lifetime.
What about you… have you been to the Blackhills or the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally? Do you ride or are wanting ride?
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