Monthly Archives: August 2011

The Marlboro Man is Alive and Well in Medora, ND

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When Ole and I spend a weekend in Medora we usually spend at least Friday night or Saturday night down at what used to be the Iron Horse Saloon.  It used to be locally owned and locally patronized.  So it was the FUN place in town to be.  They used t have live music and dancing on the deck on Friday nights and karaoke on Saturday nights.  It was a good way to meet the locals and get acquainted.

A couple of years ago the guy who had owned the Iron Horse decided to sell out and made the mistake of selling to someone NOT from the Medora area.  Needless to say, everything changed – decor, prices and ultimately the patrons found somewhere else to go. 

We didn’t know all this so decided to drop by last night and see what was going on.  Five of us walked in, sat down at a table and waited 20 minutes or so and still had not been acknowledged by any of the servers.  We did notice that there were no local people there, just very evidently tourists. 

After waiting 20 minutes or so we decided to leave and went across the street to a place called the Little Missouri Saloon.  Now all of Medora that’s on the north side of the highway is owned by the Medora Foundation.  All of the businesses on the south side of the highway are privately owned – i.e. the Iron Horse Saloon, which has been renamed The Boot Bar and Grille.  Somehow that new name made it lose some of its charm.

Well, we certainly found the right place to go in our quest for looking for a little local color and action.  The Little Missouri was hopping – live music, a bit of karaoke and I’ve never seen so many REAL cowboys in one place for a long, long time.  The only other non-local folks that were in there, other than our group, was another small group of bikers sitting by the bar. 

The uniform of the day was Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots, some with a bit of road apple on them, wide leather belts with vey large brass buckles, western cut plaid shirts, bolo ties and 10-gallon hats.  90% of the women in the place were in Wrangler jeans and boots also.  One old geezer that was sitting by the door when we walked in look a lot like a heavier version of Gabby Hayes – suspenders and mssing teeth included. 

The dance floor was full with every song and the beer flowed rapidly.  But everyone was well behaved – there were no gun fights (chuckle).  That may have been due to the picture of a large gun hanging on the wall behind the bar that said, “We Don’t Dial 911!” 

I visited with an older couple that was sitting at the table next to us.  They were ranchers south of town that told me they had 37 miles to go home on scoria roads.  That’s a long ways to come for a little partying time on Saturday night.  But then I’m sure you don’t have to worry about getting a DUI on those back roads on your way home. 

We had as much fun people watching last night as we did in the evenings in Sturgis.  But these weren’t weirdoes, just honest, good, home-town folks that were out having a good time.

We left Medora this morning and are headed for New Rockford, ND where my Dad owned a farm at one time.  We still have a number of relatives there so will spend a couple of days visiting cousins before heading home.  I guess every vacation has to come to an end and it’s time for us to get back to reality.

Love, Lena

Watching Out for Land Mines

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 ”OLE,” I yelled, “WATCH OUT FOR THAT LAND MINE!”  And Ole deftly dodged a very large pile of buffalo turds!

 Riding a motorcycle in the Teddy Roosevelt National Park this year took a bit of skill to dodge all the road apples that were left behind.  Either there is a very large herd of those shaggy creatures this year, or they’re really sticking to the hard surface roadways as there were constant reminders of the buffalo on the road.  And one wouldn’t want to run a motorcycle through something like that as it would/could spray up onto my boots and jeans.  Ick!!

We arrived in Medora on Thursday, and Daughter and Son-in-law arrived late that evening with her Harley behind on a trailer.  The next day we road through the park with Daughter on her bike behind Ole and me, and Son-in-law and Big Brother following behind in the truck with the two German Shepherds in the back.

 The doggers both thought they were pretty smart as they occasionally were allowed out of the truck to chase a few prairie dogs.  Daisy was smart enough that she knew she wasn’t going to catch them so saved her energy and stayed by Ole.  Beau, on the other hand, managed to stick his nose into every hole he could find but of course came away defeated as the little creatures sounded their warning barks long before Beau arrived at their doorstep.  But it gave him a new experience and some good exercise.

You can certainly tell that the western part of North Dakota has had more rain than usual.  Some of the valleys in the park looked like they were covered with green velvet.

 

On the agenda for today is a bit of shopping to see if we can find some “hodads” that we can’t live without that we didn’t know existed before.  And then back into the park early evening to see what kind of wildlife we can see. 

Here’s a couple of shots of wildlife that I saw yesterday.

 

Love, Lena

Hey, Lena – I think I froze my eyeballs!

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 Scrunch, gasp, scrunch, gasp, scrunch, gasp – this is the sound of Ole walking across the pull-off area at the top of the Beartooth Pass (11,000 feet). 

“Hey, Lena,” he said, “I think oxygen is in short supply up here, what do you think?”  “Yeah,” I said, “but I’m more worried about getting frost bite than not being able to breathe.  Your thermometer says it’s 60 degrees, but with the wind chill I think it must be at least 32 below up here.” 

“Yes,” Ole said.  “I think I may have got frostbite on my eyeballs.”

You can imagine how a couple of flatlanders feel trying to just walk at this altitude when we’re used to breathing that “thick” air that we have down at 900 feet.  We have to breathe three times as fast to get the same amount of oxygen.

We started out this morning to ride the Beartooth Pass, Ole and me on the Harley and Daisy and Big Brother in his truck.  Daisy got to ride shotgun and was very happy about it as she didn’t have to stay home while we were out having all the fun.

 

We have ridden the Beartooth Pass a number of times on the Harley and I’ve always said it’s a road that I’m comfortable riding on the back of the Harley, but I don’t know if I would be comfortable in a vehicle.  Big Brother and a buddy drove it back in the early 60s in his 1949 Nash.  That must have been quite an adventure.  I asked him if he had any brakes left by the time he got to the other side.  His response was that he couldn’t remember that far back  (dementia, snicker). 

There were a ton of bikes on the road this morning and afternoon, and numerous cars.  But I can’t figure out who, in their right mind, would take this road in a motorhome.  We saw several, some on the rather large side.  At one point we watched a Class C working its way up the road very slowly.  Then we watched it get to the top of a grade that had a turn-off and watched it turn around and start working its way back down.  When we met this vehicle on the road he was going downhill VERY slowly along the inner edge of the road.   I could almost see the indentations in the dash where his wife was hanging on for dear life.  I guess he finally realized that he was in over his head trying to make this pass in an RV. 

 

The road was full of switchbacks and hairpin turns many of them without any kind of a guardrail.  If you ever went over the edge they’d never find you.

We made it safely to Cooke City and made a stop for lunch.

And then it was back over the top and down to warmer temperatures. 

Love, Lena

Beware – This Harley Stops at All Quilt Shops

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Ole says we need a sign for the back of the motorcycle “This Harley stops at all quilt shops.”  Usually I do my research before we enter a new area, but sometimes there are shops that don’t show up on the internet and when we stumble across them they require a fast stop and a quick turn.  But I knew about this one in advance, so there was no disaster.

We started off this morning to investigate Route 308 which goes through Washoe and Bearcreek, two old abandoned coal mining towns.  There’s not much left of either town, so to see this quilt shop out in the middle of nowhere is quite astonishing.  I had a great time inside browsing through all the fabrics and picked up several patterns that will go on my pile of “Projects to Do.”

Believe me, Washoe is in the Middle of Nowhere.  Here’s a picture of Nowhere.

We could see the top of Beartooth Pass from that point and it’s still got snow on top of it.  We could also see some weather moving in.

But we chugged on through Bearcreek and on over to Belfry where we stopped in the Silver Tip Saloon for lunch.  We bellied up to the bar and ordered burgers and beer.  I couldn’t believe the burgers – they hung over the edge of the buns a half inch on all sides. 

Now, there was an individual sitting at the bar when we walked in that I would have LOVED to have taken a picture of, but I didn’t think it would be polite to flash my camera in his face.  This was a REAL cowboy, right off the range.  He even smelled like a horse.  His black 10-gallon hat was shaped to his head, had a wide band of sweat going around it and was quite beat up and dusty.  I think it had been waved in the air to move cattle more than a few times.  There was even dust on the shoulders of his shirt.  He ate his lunch in complete quiet, never saying a word to anyone at the bar.  When he was finished he pulled out his can of Copenhagen and proceeded to take a big chew.  After paying his bill he got up and sauntered out on a pair of the most bowlegged legs I have ever seen.  After seeing him I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a horse tied up out front at the hitchin’ post. 

Then Ole decided he needed gas in the iron horse before we headed back to Red Lodge.  As we drove through what was left of this little wide spot in the road we noticed a homemade sign that said, “Gas, one block” with an arrow pointing off to the side street.  We finally located what we thought was the gas station.

Now this was not a pump-it-yourself station like we’re used to, and if you look closely you can see the head of one of the owners just on top of the gas pump as she was coming out to pump gas for Ole.  She was a little old lady that was minding the store.  She watched Ole pump the gas and we visited a bit.  I asked several questions about all the old buildings in the neighborhood, most of them boarded up, and she invited me into the station to show me a picture of the town (Belfry) when it was thriving. 

The owners were George and Edwina Black who had owned and operated the gas station since the 50s, such a charming little old couple.  Not only did they run the gas station, but Edwina was also the “local librarian.”  There were bookshelves full of paperback books on all the walls, there were bookshelves full of paperback books in the ladies’ bathroom and the men’s.  The old roll top desk was so loaded with paperbacks that the roll top couldn’t be shut.  I asked her if she kept track of the books going in and out and her answer was, “No, of course not.  People here are very honest and will bring back all they borrow and more.”  When I asked her if she had read all the books her response was, “Heavens yes.  I have a lot of time to read during the day as there just aren’t that many cars and motorcycles coming through anymore.” 

 On our return run back to Red Lodge we stopped at the overlook by the Smith Mine, a coal mine.  In 1943 seventy-four coal miners were killed when there was an explosion down one of the shafts.   This is what’s left of it today. 

Then it was back to the campground where we awaited the arrival of my Big Brother.  He pulled in about 3:30 and he and his two kittens were glad to finally land.  He travels with two kittens that are about 4 months old named O.C. (short for orange kitty), and Pillar (short for caterpiller). 

He had had an exciting run the evening before between Casper and Shoshone where he hit two antelope dead center with his pickup and then heard them roll all the way under his truck and trailer.  Been there, done that – it’s a horrible sound.

Speaking of hoofed creatures – there are numerous deer that come up from the creek right into the campground every evening.  Last evening there were two, and this evening I watched six walk down one of the driveways and disappear into the trees by the creek.  So far Daisy hasn’t seen them, and hopefully she won’t.

Tomorrow is Beartooth Pass day – that should be exciting.

Love, Lena

 

 

 

We’re Moving On – to Red Lodge

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Well, today we wrapped another one up and put it under our belts.  The Blackhills Motorcycle Rally of 2011 is officially over.  So we pulled up stakes and headed northwest through Wyoming and on into Red Lodge, Montana.  As we went west from the Hills the Big Horn Mountains came into view.  This is August and they still have snow on them.

 

The farther we got into Wyoming and then up into Montana, the warmer it got.  At one point this afternoon the temperature was 102 with a humidity of 14%.  Now that’s certainly something we don’t see at home. 

Southeastern Montana is pretty desolate – most of it being Cheyenne Indian Reservation.  We drove by the Little Big Horn Battlefield. 

 We stopped there several years ago and took the tour.   Both Ole and I were interested in the historical aspects of it, but unfortunately ended up with an Indian guide that gave us HIS political viewpoint of the entire thing.  Didn’t enjoy that too much.

So not much exciting happened today – just a day of travel. 

They do grow some pretty nice fields of sunflowers around here though -

Hopefully something more interesting tomorrow – but then again – maybe not.

Love, Lena

 

 

Troubles and Problems

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Now, mind you, it isn’t Ole and me that are having troubles and problems.  Are you kidding?  We’re back in the campground by late afternoon and in bed by 10 o’clock.  Believe me, you don’t find trouble like that.  We keep our nose clean and stay away from situations that get out of control.

Every year there are “issues” that take place and of course, this year has had its share.  First off, I have to tell you that the attendance, according to the news media, is down about 14-20% this year.  It’s quite evident by the traffic on the streets, the number of empty vendor spaces and the number of hotels/motels/campgrounds that have had vacancy signs and space available signs hung out.  I think this downturn is due to a number of reasons — first the economy, and secondly, Sturgis is choking the goose that laid the golden egg.  Greediness.  This sums it up in one word.  It’s also called price gouging.

Last week Ole and I went into a place called the Night Owl.  We ordered one beer and one margarita, which came to $8.  The following Tuesday, during the OFFICIAL rally, we went back to the Night Owl and ordered one margarita and one beer.  This time it came to $12.  You do the math.  What percentage of increase is that?  Same thing with hotel rooms.  A room that normally charges $68/night is now going for anywhere from $130 to $150 a night.  Burgers without fries are running $10 to $12.  A beer in Sturgis is going for anywhere from $7 to $10 apiece.  I don’t have a problem with people making a profit, but I really feel this is price gouging and it’s showing in the attendance.  People are getting tired of this and are spreading out into other areas of the Hills and doing business.  As I said before, there are a lot of empty vendor spaces in Sturgis itself, but you’re seeing more and more vendors spreading out through the Hills where the licensing is much cheaper.  They’re going to places like Hill City, Custer, Keystone, Aladin and even out into Wyoming.  Enough on that – I’m sure you get my point.

And of course there are always the tragedies that take place during every rally.  Two days ago there was a terrible situation that took place on Hwy. 79 north of Sturgis.  There is a biker driving south on 79 just north of Sturgis when a red Honda pickup came up behind him and hit him 4 times from the back, ran him into the ditch and then left the accident scene.  There were multiple witnesses to this accident.  The biker was airlifted to Rapid City but died the next day.  Today, due to the info from the witnesses, the driver of the pickup was taken into custody and is charged with homicide.  Upon interviewing the driver of the pickup, the police determined that it was due to road rage.  

Then there has been the gang issues.  A couple of nights ago the Mongols and the Hell’s Angels got into it over some issue and the police had to intervene.  No one was killed but there were several people that were taken to the ER due to knife slashes.  This took place during the wee hours, or course. 

Then there was the issue of the Gypsy Jokers, who are apparently a group of bad guys out of Australia.  30 of them decided to raise trouble down at Mount Rushmore.  Just what exactly they had in mind I don’t know as it hasn’t been published in the paper yet, but 9 park rangers surrounded them and escorted them off the property, guns drawn. 

Now, there are advantages to being old and gray and being in bed by 10 o’clock at night.  The advantage is that you miss all of this excitement, but then you don’t have the blood pressure raises that this sort of stress causes either. 

So today is the last OFFICIAL day of the motorcycle rally, although I’m sure there will be many folks hanging around for a few days yet.  We’re pulling out tomorrow, heading for Red Lodge, Montana and planning on doing the Beartooth Pass.  It’s quite a fun trek on a motorcycle – 11,000 feet with lots of “twisties”

I’ll touch base with you when we land over there.

Love, Lena

Raindrops Can Be Painful

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After our wild night spent on Main Street in downtown Sturgis last night, our first order of the day was to open our eyes and crawl out of bed.  Let me tell you, this wasn’t difficult because it would have been more exciting watching paint dry than what we saw on Main Street last night.  Usually you can’t find a parking spot and last night there were tons of them.  Usually you can be entertained for hours just people watching, and that got boring after about 15 minutes.  Oh, don’t get me wrong – there were a few oddities here and there, but nothing like the norm.  Either it was too cold for all the weirdoes to be out, or they were all showing off at one of the three concerts that was taking place last night.  Or maybe it was too cold as it did cool down pretty substantially last night. 

So we were all bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning and decided because it was Ham and Jam Day/No Panties Wednesday at Hulett, Wyoming, that the traffic wouldn’t be bad in the southern Black Hills and we would go that direction.  So we loaded up the bikes as our plans encompassed an all-day trek.  We hit the trail heading from Sturgis to Keystone where we stopped for lunch.  Once again we found the streets quite empty compared to normal and were even able to find a table on the boardwalk where we had lunch.  By the time lunch was over there was a nasty looking cloud blowing in making us wonder what we were going to have to deal with going down the road.

So several members of the group leathered up in anticipation (they were from the South, snicker).  Us Northerners stayed in just our t-shirts (snicker).  I admit it was a nasty looking cloud, but we managed to skirt it with just a few drops of rain that hit Ole’s Rain Sensor.  Nothing serious.  But even those few drops of rain can be very painful when they fall on bare skin.  At least I have hair to protect my head – - -

So on we went doing the jackets on/jackets off thing depending on if the sun was shining or it was behind a cloud.  And it wasn’t long until we came across this:

One of the members of our party, and I won’t mention names, was wondering where the National Park Service is going to find space to insert Obama’s face???  I won’t even speculate on that – just leave it up to you readers!!

As we circled around enjoying the scenery and skipping past all the storms we turned onto the Wild Life Loop in Custer Park.  Now this is always an adventure as you never know what you’re going to see.  Unfortunately, today, we didn’t see much.  Years past we’ve seen mountain goats, lots of buffalo, tons of prairie dogs and of course the ever-present donkeys begging for food.  A couple of years ago some disease came through and just about wiped out the prairie dog population.  So as a result, this year there was only one small village, and there weren’t many prairie dogs in it.  The area that used to cover many acres was all overgrown with weeds and nary a sign of a prairie dog in the vicinity.  This was disappointing as it was always fun to stop and throw chunks of carrots to them.  They would pop out of their holes, scramble for the treat, chew on it a bit and then haul it downstairs. 

And of course, there was the constantly present donkeys looking for food.  We always bring carrots or apples to feed them.  This guy was standing in the middle of the road stopping traffic and nibbling at your looking for something to eat.

They all looked pretty healthy this year.  In years past some of them have been covered with sores and just kind of bedraggled looking.  This year you actually felt comfortable petting them.  And there were a number of babies in the group, which also indicates their health status.  Just off the road under a tree was a mother with her little one, who was napping in the sunshine.  She obviously wanted him to get up and she kept pawing at him with one of her front feet.  He just kept ignoring her as I suppose he wasn’t done napping yet.  When she finally managed to get him to his feet she led him over to all the “tourists” and their “goodies” so that he could partake in all  the snacks.  I wish that this blog would let me post the video I took of this as it’s so cute. 

But then it was feeding time from Ole’s napsack.

I’m not sure who enjoyed this more – Ole or the donkey.

So down the road we went and in short order it was time for another butt break.  You can’t imagine how it feels to have no sensation whatsoever in your backside from riding 200 miles on a motorcycle.  Here’s a snap of one of our butt breaks.

So then it was on down Iron Mountain Road which is famous for its pigtail bridges.  They’re quite the thing to navigate as they look like a corkscrew and you go round and round in a tight turn.  They were built back in the 30s to negotiate drastic changes in elevation in a small area.  See how they wind back upon themselves?

One of the things I forgot to show you yesterday was this:

And this – the price tag for the above bike:

Kinda’ blows your mind, huh?

Love, Lena

If you Don’t Like the Weather – Wait 5 Minutes

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I awoke this morning to the sound of raindrops on the roof, managed to open my eyes a crack and saw that it was a dark and cloudy day, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. By the time I raised my consciousness to the surface again, it was all of 9:30. Can’t remember the last time I’ve slept that late – but then Sturgis, even with the roar of motorcycle engines starting at 6 a.m., is still a pretty relaxing place. By the time all of us were up and moving the sun was shining and the humidity was rising.

Dave’s brother, Dan, from Nebraska, arrived with a friend last night. Today was planned to show them around a bit and put a few miles on, so we headed on down the highway, stopped for lunch in Lead and then headed south. We had intended to have lunch at the Stamp Mill Cafe in Lead, which has always been one of our favorite places, but upon our arrival we discovered that it was CLOSED!!. Empty – bare bones – nonfunctional, as were a number of businesses on that street. It seems as though since the Homestake Gold Mine was closed a couple of years ago the business economy of Lead has really been on a downslide. Oh, well, we just went across the street to Sparkie’s, which is new in town and had some really good burgers.

Then we proceeded south to make a big circle and end up back in Sturgis. We got about half way round the circle and had to stop – had to put on long-sleeved t-shirts as it was getting pretty cloudy and chilling down. A few more miles down the road it was stop again and slink into leather vests as the temps were still falling. A couple more miles and it was jackets. Then as we went over a hill and around a corner Ole’s Rain Detector (bald head) detected rain drops and before we could find a place to pull off his Rain Detector was in full alarm. We all stopped long enough to don rain gear and chaps and take a good look farther down the road, determining that if we kept going forward we just might turn into some real soggy doggies. So we made the decision to turn around and go back. In less than a mile we were out of the rain and back into the sunshine so it was shed all these garments, layer by layer until we’re back into t-shirts again. But that’s the way it is in the Blackhills at this time of year. If you don’t like the weather, either wait 5 minutes and it may blow over or drive another mile down the road – it might get better and it might get a lot worse. Doesn’t matter – you’re taking your chances either way. To my knowledge there’s only been one fatality so far in this year’s rally, and that was a guy that was struck by lightening and killed when he was riding his bike. The storms down here are nothing to fool around with – they really mean business when they start with their lightening and thunder.

Here’s a few more treats to tweak your interest. If you want to view a larger version of the image, just click on the picture. We’re headed into Sturgis this evening to do more people watching so I’ll have more to report tomorrow.

 

Lena, signing off.

Sturgis Is No Place for “Newbies”

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Every year it seems to get worse – folks who just bought their motorcycle and decide that Sturgis would be a good place to break it in and get some riding experience.  NOT!!  Newbie, this is definitely not the place for you.  Even with Ole’s 30 plus years of riding experience, it still gets scary at times.  There have been situations in years past where if it hadn’t been for Ole’s experience and quick thinking we would have been road kill - a flat spot on the highway.  Not a pleasant thought.  You have to have all your faculties in tip-top shape; no talking on the cell phone when you’re driving your bike, no looking back over your shoulder at the scenery, remember where your turn is at a 4-way stop and definitely no running a red light or a stop sign.  Remember what a yield right of way sign means, and watch out for that loose gravel on the corners and in the driving lanes.  In other words, get your head out of your butt and pay attention.  You can party to your heart’s content when you get back to your campground or your hotel.  Now that I’ve got my rant out of the way, maybe we can go on, okay?

Saturday called for a trip down Spearfish Canyon, one of our favorite rides.  It’s high so it’s cool, it smells wonderful from all the pine trees and the wild flowers were blooming profusely.  With all the rain that has fallen in this area this summer, and the heavy snow melt we thought there would have been more water flowing over the falls.  The creek that it feeds was bone dry by the time that it reached the bottom of the canyon. 

Here’s a shot of what the canyon walls look like.  The rock formations are beautiful, and there’s gorgeous log homes tucked in all along the canyon.  Wouldn’t it be great to live in one that’s perched halfway up the wall and have this beautiful view to look upon every day?

 

Yesterday was a “shopping day” so we cruised main street and made our purchases before things got picked over.  There are more and more vendors/stores that are putting signs out in front “American owned.”  This is getting to be quite important as it seems that every year there are more and more “raghead” vendors.  Sorry if this offends anyone, but this is my blog and I’ll write what I want.  Call me opinionated if you like, I really don’t care.  After some of the experiences my friend, Karen, and I have had down here dealing with these people we have a right to our opinions.  I won’t go into all the details as it’s a long story, but Ole and I ended up going to the cops because the owners of the shop threatened me physically and verbally.  All I will say is that there was a favorable outcome.  So we make it a practice to shop only in shops that are American owned. 

 Today Ole and I had a nice ride up to Deadwood, down 385 to Nemo Road then back to Sturgis through Vanocker Canyon.  We couldn’t go as far south as we wanted, though, as there were storm clouds threatening, as usual.  Then we decided to park on Main Street and do a bit of people watching.  That’s probably the most interesting part of going to Sturgis.  There’s always something new and different to see.  So here’s a couple to tweak your interest!!

 

No, that’s NOT Ole riding the buffalo, and no, I didn’t take that last picture!!

Love, Lena

The Harley Gets New Shoes

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Yup – just like going Back to School Shopping.  You have to keep your kids in shoes so Ole decided that the Harley needed a new set of tires.  After making several stops at different tire vendors he went back to the first place we stopped and an hour later and $400+ we rode out on new rubber.  You need every advantage that helps to keep the shiny side up, you know. 

We haven’t wandered very far in our travels as of yet because the weather has been kind of unpredictable.  Just like back home they’ve been getting gully washers here in the Black Hills.  We ambled on up to Deadwood yesterday and on our ride back we could see that it was raining heavy ahead of us.

We’ve had some weather experiences in the Black Hills that have left us a bit on the gun shy side.  About 10 years back we were in downtown Sturgis in the evening when a severe storm hit and knocked out the power.  We were staying up in Lead that year so began making our way back in the dark and heavy rain.  There had been a lot of fires in the hills that summer so there wasn’t much vegetation to hold the soil in place and by the time we got to Deadwood they were in the midst of a major mudslide.  The dirt was sliding off the mountains and filling the streets, covering the sidewalks and knocking parked bikes down like dominoes.  We managed to scoot through on a side street, get through Deadwood and on up to Lead where we emptied water out of our boots and shrugged off all our wet leather.  We’ve since invested in some major rain gear, which has come in pretty handy at times. 

The campground we’re staying in is beginning to fill up.  We’ve stayed here for 9 years in the very same spot along with friends that we meet up with every year.  Karen and Dave from Arizona are here, Jeff and Jerry from Huron are here and we’re waiting for Rocky and Billie from Kansas City.  They’re all folks that we’ve met down here and we all park in the same spots every year so it’s like a mini-biker reunion.  Rocky & Billie always bring Norton, a pit-bull-lab cross that is absolutely a social butterfly.  The biggest thing to be concerned about with Norton is being hit by his tail when he’s wagging it.  Daisy, our German Shepherd, thinks he’s a pain because he still acts ike a puppy and she’s way to sophisticated for anything like that.  Speaking of pets, our Senior Citizen Simon (age 20) has found a wonderful place to sleep.  When I close the cabinet doors he’s got a wonderful little hidy hole.  One day I forgot he was in there and he spent the entire day, but was howling to get out when we got home.  He jumped down and raced straight for the litter box. 

You see some interesting things on the streets, and they’ll get more interesting as the week goes on.  Here’s a couple of old duffers looking for some new head gear.

I’m not sure it will do much to protect their head if they go down, and they’ll have to be careful not to poke someone’s eye out walking down the street!

The City of Sturgis blocks off the entire main street to car traffic during bike week.  It used to be that they set up the blockades on Saturday night and they encompassed 4 city blocks.  Each year, as the rally has grown, they enlarge the time frame and the area.  This year the streets were blocked off on Friday morning and now encompass 6 blocks in addition to all the side streets for one block each direction.  Bikes are parked along each curb and two deep in  the center of the street.  I’ll be posting pictures later in the week, but for now, here’s one that was taken on one of the side streets yesterday.

Okay – that’s it for today.  Lena signing off.