Yesterday we left our rental home in Spearfish and headed for Indiana. The more I read about the Sturgis rally the happier I am that we left when we did. Sturgis used to be about the ride – sharing experiences with many others who ride. It doesn’t appear to be that kind of event any more. I read a lot of posts on social media about Sturgis and am sick about the number of wrecks and serious injuries that are happening. Some of the roads are highly technical. Add some new riders and a little alcohol and the technical roads become wreck-fest. In downtown Sturgis things have become crazy due in part to the amount of alcohol involved.  None of that is for me. I am happy that we have distanced ourselves from that environment and are working our way back home.

We’re 246 miles closer to Indiana with about 750 yet to go. The weather was much more rider friendly today even after the day started with a brief rain shower.. We broke out the jackets and wore them all day. When we left Fort Pierre, the temp was a balmy 65 degrees. There was a thick cloud cover all day and the temps didn’t go up a lot until we reached the end of our days adventure – Yankton, South Dakota.

One of my friends was on his way to the west coast. The odds were slim but I kept hoping that one of the bikes we saw headed west was him and the guys he’s traveling with. I say the odds were slim because we stuck to 2 lane highways while the majority of bikers headed west were on I-94. I’ve spent years pounding down the interstate and I just don’t want to do it anymore. I read where there was a police chase on the interstate near Sturgis and speeds were over 100 MPH. That is a recipe for disaster.

I have mentioned before that this may be the last extended trip for me on the motorcycle. I have nothing left to prove. I’ve been on 2 wheels for 55 years. I taken trips on motorcycles and in my hot rods. Trips that cover a lot of miles, shared with many others. Putting a group together and trying to mesh for 2 straight weeks is hard under ideal circumstances. I’m not sure I can get along with myself for 2 weeks let alone friends. With every mile, I am leaning more and more toward saying any future trip will be alone or limited to my immediate family. I don’t say that for sympathy. It’s just a reality check. This trip has not been one of the better ones. Maybe it is because reality didn’t measure up to my expectations. Maybe I was trying to recapture some camaraderie that I enjoyed the last time I visited here. That just didn’t happen. The roads are too familiar, they still are amazingly beautiful but how many times can you ride the same routes before you become numb to the beauty of the surroundings. Coming back to Sturgis was my idea and my friends bought into it. I won’t be coming back on a motorcycle.

I didn’t make that last statement to be a downer. Different people enjoy different things. Sturgis may be your “thing”. It’s just not mine anymore. Pounding down the road for 1200 miles in each direction to see things we have all seen before just doesn’t seem worth it to me right now. Maybe a coupe of days sitting on my deck, drinking my own coffee, enjoying my dogs will make me feel differently. Only time will tell. Thanks for reading along and letting me share some great memories with you.

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