WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION…

By Jane LaVoy

It is that time of year when kids start heading back to school and the infamous first paper is about a special event during their summer vacation.…. So, here is mine:

 Greg and I have been planning a trip to the Sturgis Rally for the past two years. And  in the past 13 days, Greg and I have traveled through 14 states, and put over 4000 miles on our truck. We paid as much as $4.29 a gallon for gas. We set up camp at Days End in Sturgis for 11 days. When we first arrived, there were only a handful of tents and trailers but by Friday, you could barely squeeze between a bike or tent. We traveled through over 12 towns, such as Sturgis, Keystone, & Deadwood, putting 3000 miles on each bike!

 We visited more than 6 major attractions, including Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devils Tower, The Wildlife Loop & the Badlands. We partied at The Full Throttle Saloon, and The Buffalo Chip. We saw great bands, including War, Boston, Sugarland, Journey, and Lynard Skynard. We rode several awesome Roads such as Needles Highway, The Iron Mountain, and Vanock Canyon! Rides included single lane tunnels carved though mountains, 5 mph switchbacks, and "pigtails." We bought more T-shirts than I would like to admit to. We ate Buffalo Burgers, and Buffalo dogs! We gambled at the Casino and lost. We averaged 5 hours of sleepeach night, and we experienced "Da Bus." We saw well known people, including Jesse James of "Jackyl," and Frank from "American Pickers."

 I sat very quietly on my bike while a herd of over 600 Buffalo grazed past me, so close I could have touched them! We road through rain, hale, and high winds of over 40 mph.  When our bikes were hit with rain and Prairie dust from a ride from the Badlands, we took them to one of the many bikini bike washes, and let the girls have at them! But for most of the visit we were blessed with warm dry days and cool nights. I am still finding Prairie dust (a tan powder, the consistency of sifted flour) in my ears, and nose! We dodged antelope, deer, and mountain goats daily. We saw temperatures shift 40 degrees within a 24 hour period! You could ride 80 mph on Hwy 90 and it was legal! I carried a credit card, my drivers license and my Health Insurance card … and I am glad I only needed two out of three. When we left Sturgis, the death toll was at 6. We ate at the famous Wall Drugs and enjoyed Pizza in Keystone overlooking Main Street packed with Bikes. We took our dog with us everywhere! I have seen more tits than during my high school gym class, and many had artistic paint jobs! There were women who wore more "Bling" than me … I know that one is hard to believe…but it is true!

 I have never seen sooooo many bikes in my life. It was like the never ending poker run, from town to town, bar to bar, attraction to attraction. There were over half a million bikers for the 2012 Rally. Houses were rented to bikers, and then bikers would rent the front yards to tent campers. Every campground was full, every hotel, and motel said "NO VACANCY!" You might see a cage rider between a couple hundred bikes, but it was very rare. If you love bikes, riding, and being part of the biker community then you really need to start planning for your Sturgis Rally vacation Now