Rally Week 2000
Sturgis, South Dakota
Okay, until two weeks before we got to the Black Hills, we hadn't planned on going to Sturgis -- especially during Rally Week.  But how could we pass up seeing this very, very different piece of "Americana".
Wall to wall bikes!  The Black Hills fill with 600,000 to 800,000 bikers.  We had some people ask if we were scared to go there -- what we found was really interesting.  The average age of these bikers was 35 to 60 -- we saw hardly any bikers younger.  Most were riding, (of course), Harleys.  Every town within fifty miles was jammed with bikes. 
 
 
Sturgis itself becomes a traffic jam and a show.  The traffic on I-90 can slow to 10 mph.  East of town is the Full Throttle, which claims to be the world's largest outdoor saloon.  Down the street is the Buffalo Chip.  These two places are a little wilder and definitely for those over 21.  They featured several top name entertainers.  Styx and REO were playing one night.
Here's a couple of guys we met on the street.
We met up with a friend from Boeing that I used to work with.  Here's J.J., his wife Cheryl and their son Nick.  This is Her Volkswagen trike.  The boys really enjoyed going for a ride and I enjoyed visiting with an old friend.
A couple of nice bikes
And a couple of nice . . . . , well . . . .sunburns
Yes, folks, she did have something on the bottom
More Bikes and More Trikes!
Main street is closed to cars and becomes a parking place for bikes.  There are two lanes wide enough for bikes to cruise through and show off.  The sidewalks are shoulder to shoulder with shops selling rally shirts and leather goods -- strictly biker fashions here.  There are plenty of food, lemonade and beer stands.


Need a Harley part?

Here they are stocked with all parts and plenty of them.
However, I heard the line at the parts counter might be an hour long.

We also saw an interesting electric car. 

One wheel in the back and a speedometer that goes to 80 mph.

It looks like it was a single person seat however.

 
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