Sturgis Rally draws bikers: What's it like?

   The main street of Sturgis. (Photo: Brett Malin)

What is it really like in Sturgis, SD, this week, as the 66th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally roars through? Is it crazy? Is it loud? What is it like when motorcycles outnumber cars the way we're all accustomed to cars outnumbering motorcyles?

Sure, you've seen the pictures of this little town swamped in bikes, such as this one at right. And in the last few days you've been noticing a lot of motorcycles heading north, either on trailers or under their own power. What draws them there?

With the major caveat that no two people experience Sturgis in the same way, I can at least give you my thoughts and tell you about my experience at the rally. Let's start at the beginning. I'll break this up into a series of posts because there's too much to tell all at once.

My buddies in the OFMC and I had been to Sturgis several times, generally just before or just after the rally, when the scene was not quite so intense. We talked about doing the rally, but we had always heard that you need to book your accomodations a year in advance. So two years ago when a friend of Bill's said he had an in with the manager of the Rapid City Holiday Inn and could get us some rooms, we jumped at it. Never mind that it was going to be four to a room and we'd be paying nearly $500 per night. You don't go to Sturgis to save money.

So the eight of us headed out on a Friday and rode as far as Guernsey, WY, where we spent the night. Heading out Saturday morning we saw more and more bikes going our direction and started to realize it was going to become progressively more difficult to keep track of each other, and that traffic was going to get thick. Still 50 miles from the heart of the activity the roads were already lined with motorcycles. We had mapped out a scenic route to Rapid but concluded we'd better just head for home base the quickest and most direct way we could.

Checking in, we were pleased to find that our hotel was the official headquarters for the Harley-Davidson corporate contingent and they were offering demo rides right next door. Meeting up with Scott, Bill's buddy, who is originally from Rapid City, he led us out for a night on the town and we partied hearty. Along with quite a few thousand other bikers from everywhere under the sun.

Tomorrow we would really dive in.

Next: Riding the Black Hills