We didn’t really have a plan for today. The weather forecast called for an all-day rain. Our bikes were already sleeping soundly in the trailer. In order to get out and do something, we decided to go in to Sturgis for one last visit before heading east toward the Henry Ranch. We hadn’t yet visited the Indian Motorcycle Dealership in Sturgis so that made it a target to get us started. It was only a few miles away. The drive to the dealer was pretty simple.

Mrs. Henry has been pretty understanding about all the Harley Davidson stuff I’ve purchased. I thought it was only fair that she at least get to look at the Indian gear. Her bike is adorned with several tan accessories that we have added. There are a couple that need to be tan but haven’t been offered until recently. We came across the tan heat shield. She already has a black heat shield made by Captain Itch (no kidding). I couldn’t let her walk out of the store without the new tan one. While I was talking to the parts guy to let him know that she was still shopping, she had picked out a new jacket. I really liked it so that got added to the pile. Her helmet is several years old and experts say you should replace a helmet every 4 or 5 years. We found one she liked but I couldn’t convince her to part with the old one. That didn’t get added to the pile. She couldn’t find any t-shirts she liked (lots of men’s shirts, very few women’s designs). We got out with relatively little damage to our bank account. To get even, I asked for a new motorcycle. She just scoffed.

We drove through town and parked at the Harley dealer. I mentioned before that $60 t-shirts were not on my list. We decided to have a light lunch. Our stop at the Gas Monkey was not so good. I said we should try The Loud American.

It wasn’t very busy. Once the rally starts, the first week in August, it will get absolutely wall-to-wall people. The food was good, so was the service. If you would have been watching the live web-cam from the Sturgis Hotel, you would have seen us walk by about noon.

We had a conversation over lunch about saying goodbye to Sturgis. We both enjoy an adventure but I’ve been here about half a dozen times. She has been here 3 times. We think we can go buy $60 t-shirts somewhere else. The Indian dealership was a new experience but everything else was a repeat. Don’t forget we have to drive 1200 miles to get here. I think I’m finished with Sturgis, South Dakota at least for the foreseeable future.

Since this is our last night at this hotel, we decided to try out happy hour in their “lounge”. It was a little underwhelming. The beer was cold. The popcorn was free. The frozen pizza set us back about $20. The bartender was sporting a Michigan Wolverine shirt. That seemed a little strange for the middle of South Dakota. I told him I was a Buckeye fan. I had a lot of fun talking to him. He was pretty young and told us his father had always been a Michigan fan so he was one too as a tribute to his dad. I thought that was cool. There weren’t as many “happy people” at happy hour as I expected.

There were 3 other people in attendance. They were having a conversation about how many Greatful Dead concerts they each had been to. I missed out on the concert scene. Tomorrow is the day we are leaving the Black Hills area. Maybe for the last time. Thanks for following along as I ramble.