Sturgis

Friday, July 12, Day 81

The next morning, after breakfast with the family, we decided to back track a little to see what Sturgis and Deadwood were all about.  Our visit was about two weeks before the big motorcycle rally, which draws about 350,000 bikers.  It was started in 1938 as a racing and stunt event and had 12 participants.

Today, it's a little something else, as this logo from their website depicts!  They actually publish how many arrests they make, and how many motorcycles are stolen each year!  Great fun!  But it does pull in about $800 million to the local economy, so the locals are willing to put up with it.

There were booths, tents, etc. under construction as we drove through.

John liked this bar, which was outfitted with chicken wire so beer bottles couldn't be hurled at pedestrians below.

The main drag is nothing but one huge bar after another.  I guess they need to be big to accommodate all of the bikers.  There are also other big car rallies and other events that seem to run back to back during the summer.  But the Motorcycle Rally is the biggest.

As we cruised down the street, we spotted a big new building at the end.  We turned before I got a picture of it, but was the County Jail!  Guess all that revenue pays for something!  Ironically when I googled for a picture, all I found was mug shots!

Full disclosure - I have several family members who take their Hogs to Sturgis and just love it!