Destination...or Journey - Part Two: On the Road to Sturgis

(You did decide where you’re staying, right?  You made reservations, right?  If not, bring a tent – there’s plenty of campgrounds!)

So you are all packed and ready to head out on your Journey, or your adventure if you will, now all you have to figure out is, how to proceed? While it is true that all roads lead to Sturgis, the last week of July, you do have several choices. Let me tell you about one of my favorite rides to Sturgis if you are leaving from the Northeast.

If you have the time, US highway 6 across PA is a slow, winding road through the Appalachian and Allegheny mountain ranges of Northern PA. It will take all of a day and then some to cross PA on US 6, but if you have the time it is worth it. (There are several places to hop onto the interstate if you lose patience.)  Also worth a stop is the Grand Canyon of PA, just outside of Stokesdale, where you can kill several hours.

Buffalo have the right of way...

If you stay on US 6 you will cross into Ohio just east of Cleveland, and if traffic isn’t too bad, US 6 takes you on a nice tour of the Lake front of Lake Erie. It is a very nice ride around the Lake, with lots of places to stop for photos and even some nice cafes to grab a bite to eat. If you stay on the Lakefront for a while longer, you can pick up I80/90 just south of Toledo.

If you want to make up some time, I80/90 is a great way to do it. Less than 50 miles west of Toledo you will cross into Indiana, I80/90 transverses Indiana just a few miles south of Michigan. The interstate makes short work of Indiana, and if you need a break there is a nice Harley dealer just off the interstate in Elkhart. When you see Gary, Indiana Interstate 80/90 will split, be sure to stay on I80, otherwise you will end up in Chicago.
 

Wall Drug, Wall, S.D.

You will enter Iowa on I80 in Davenport. Depending on the amount of time you have, Interstate 80 is the quickest way across Iowa. There are some nice back roads, US6 is real close, and of course US30 is also close by. If you choose to stay on I80 be sure to take it to I680, and then north on I29. That will take you through Sioux City, and on to Sioux Fall, SD where you will pick up I90. At this point you are less than 400 miles from Sturgis, but a lot of things still to see.

After a scant hour on I90 you will pass through Mitchell, home of the famous Corn Palace - a must stop on your Journey. A whole convention center completely covered in corn and corn husks, both inside and out; and it is changed every year. Next is Murdo, just a very little town sporting one of the best old car museums I have ever seen. A lot of it is outside because nothing rusts in South Dakota. Make it a must see. Soon after you leave Murdo you will see what looks like a big Wall. That is just what it is. A wall hundreds of miles long, congrats, you just entered the Badlands. We usually stay at Wall for one night, lots of good eats and some nice saloons to enjoy. There is a great Best Western just off the interstate, nice pool and good clean rooms.

N.Y. George, Tom, George, Rich, and some nice
biker we met along the way.

Just outside of Wall is the entrance to the Badlands National Park, another must see. Plan on spending several hours touring the park and instead of heading out and back to I90, find a small town of Interior, right on the way, and pick up SD 44 and head west. State highway 44 is the most scenic highway I believe, in the state, east of Sturgis. By the way, it goes right through the town of Scenic, that sports a really cool bar called the Longhorn saloon. It’s only open seasonally but a must see if open. [When last I googled it, it was closed with no reopen date, so no guarantees it's open. -Ed]  After a short stop in Scenic you are only about 80 miles of clean smooth blacktop away, and you will be back on Interstate 90 in Rapid City. This is where your destination adventure will begin.

So, grab a good map, and make it your own adventure, and take a road less traveled. Or, let me guide you on one of my favorite adventures on my journey to Mecca. It does not really matter since this time of the year, All Roads Lead to Sturgis. 

The Longhorn Saloon, Scenic, S.D.

Take a gander at the H-D Road Planner, where we've saved a rough route based on this article.  You can adjust it as you like, find the local H-D dealers along the way, and even save it to your GPS!

Destination...Journey...or ADVENTURE? Part One - NOW's the time!

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Guest Blogger - Tom McTamney, Owner

  It’s that time again, when all roads will be leading to Sturgis.  Those of you that have been there know full well what a great destination Sturgis is.  Hot summer weather, great riding in the Black Hills, and a really big butt load of Harleys.

Pappy Hoel, Father of Sturgis

I say Harleys because, one, I am a Harley dealer, and two, while you may get some push-back from some brand X riders, Harley-Davidson, and Harleys, rule in Sturgis.  It was started over 70 years ago by Pappy Hoel, a new Indian dealer at that time, for some great racing competition between Indians, and their arch rival, Harley. The first rally was held in Sturgis on August 14, 1938.  It has been held every year since, except for 2 years during WW2.  I guess it’s fair to say if Indian were still around today they might have ruled the Black Hills.   So, if you ride a bike, especially a Harley, you must add Sturgis to your bucket list.  Sooner…rather than later. 

Just a quick fix outside the room..

Now let’s talk about what this blog is really about.  It's about the Journey, or may I say ….the Adventure, not the destination.  When you decide to do an epic ride like Sturgis it is not, let me repeat, NOT about the destination, it is all about the ride.  I will be honest with you, if I could not ride to Sturgis, I would not go.  It’s that important a ride.  And before I hear all the comments readers are going to post, don’t have enough vacation time,  it’s too hot, my bike's not in good enough shape, my grass needs cutting, and oh the really big one: “my wife won’t let me go”…..ya, it is all crap, put your excuse bible down and experience an adventure.  If you have never taken a journey of almost 4000 miles before, now is the time, actually, it's always the time, and Sturgis the trip to do it.

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When you decide to do an epic ride like Sturgis, it is not, let me repeat, NOT about the destination, it is all about the ride.

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Well, THAT'S no good...

Why?  With a regular "car" vacation to, let's say, Disney World, the adventure begins when you arrive, right?  But, the Sturgis adventure starts when you leave your driveway, not when you get to Sturgis.  After a few hours on the road you will start to see bikes heading west, just a few at first, but as you get half way through PA, there will be a lot more.  West of Ohio, you will begin to think you are in a parade.  The north-east draws the most people for the rally.  When you stop for gas the station will be filled with bikes.  When you stop for lunch, the café will be filled with bikes, and when you finally stop for the night, your place of lodging will have more bikes in the parking lot than you can imagine.  It's time to grab a beer and hang out with friends you haven’t made yet.

This fix took most of the day!

The best part of the journey is now, wherever you are at THIS MINUTE.  Why do I like to call it an adventure?  Well because there are risks.  The risk of a break down, the risk of very severe weather, the very real risk of not being able to find a room and having to sleep at a rest stop, and of course the risk of crashing.

All of the things that I just talked about have happened on all or some of my adventures, and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.  If you peruse the photos you will see shots of us fixing bikes, some really severe weather, and a couple of shots of a comrade in a cast (crashing sucks).

All of the photos are of real trips I have made to Sturgis over the last 30 years.  Some non-eventful, some were real adventures. 

Yeah, crashing sucks.  Still wearing a grin though...

I've met many friends over the years, some of whom are all over the country, and our only time we get to visit is at the rally. If you miss the opportunity to journey to Sturgis, you will be missing a lot, because the week preceding Sturgis, and the week after Sturgis is really the only time left where the brotherhood of the highway, some may say the brotherhood of the wheel, is alive and well and glowing.