Sturgis Or Die, Day Eight

I have to start out by saying I made a serious omission in yesterday’s report. In the interest of full disclosure, I should have mentioned that Vince was pulled over by Rapid City PD for speeding in the downtown business district (he was reportedly looking for a Wal-Mart)....35mph in a 20mph zone. Any guess as to if he got cited.....hint; he's a retired deputy. Bingo! The official score is two police stops and zero cites.....that's 100% boys and girls.

Nate, Vince, and JP change out battery

Today we had to say goodbye to Sturgis and all the lovely bartenders at the Full Throttle (a tear in every eye to be sure) and begin the journey home. Being the intrepid explorers that we are, our return trip will take a different route than the eastward leg. Up early, we're pretty keen to hit the road. We load up, all a little heavier than when we arrived..........no, it's not the beer and the burgers, it's the swag.

Walking to my bike I notice.......spots. You've got to be kidding me! Every night on the trip I had covered my bike (following the old axiom that unseen is "unstolen", not to mention that it keeps the rig just that much cleaner........always a good thing). As you can imagine, between my cover and the Vault disc lock, I've taken a fair amount of good natured grief, "....he's putting his bike into DEFCON 5 mode!" Stuff like that.

So I figure what the hell, it's parked right in front of the hotel, it's a nice night, I'll just leave it "exposed"..........and it flippin' rains!! The first of the trip as a matter of fact......we're all wiping down our rigs. Except for the lads.......they see the grime as a sort of badge of honor and won't remove a single bug. To each their own.

A quick breakfast (one of those free hotel jobs), some petrol, and we're on our way. The sun is brilliant and the temperature is tolerable. Time to make some time, we've got over 300 miles to cover today. We'll be heading west on Interstate 90 to Hardin Montana. It's fast and hard miles. Once west of Sturgis the terrain turns to rolling prairie grasses and an occasional tree. It's stark and beautiful. There's a strong cross wind buffeting the Harley’s, no big deal, but it gets your attention. The further west we go the sun burns even hotter, with all the late nights, fatigue makes itself known....at least for the author. We see more and more bikes heading east, the rally has about a week to go and the numbers are growing and growing fast. We sorta get the feeling we're heading in the wrong direction!

So far, so good, we're making time..........it's been a charmed trip. Sort of. About six miles out from our planned gas stop in Gillette Wyoming, the fates decide to test young JP. Without warning his vests side lacing decides to unravel, turning his stylish biker kit into a big ass leather blindfold. Simultaneously, the bike sputters as it hits reserve (Vince and I had just been talking about the fact that the FXSR was about at the end of its range.....how right we were!). Blind and almost out of gas.............cool. JP deftly regains his composure, even saves his cell phone from scattering on the asphalt....although a few priceless souvenirs from Sturgis are lost forever (you'll have to ask JP for more details as to what exactly so sadly met its end on the side of the road). Nate and I motor to the next exit and pull off...........right into the waiting parking lot of "Deluxe Harley Davidson", how lucky can we get? We're about to find out.........as I learn over the Chatter Box the 1990 Dyna is reluctant to start, not cool. A quick note on Chatter Boxes......for a trip of any length, they are an absolute must. They de-stress the ride, no guessing or stupid hand signals, you can keep the group organized much more easily. And you can play "movie dialog quotes".....it'll keep you entertained for miles. I would recommend the higher end version with multiple channels (ours only have two) so you don't get bombarded by others conversations when you're near towns and cities.

With a little coaxing, father, uncle and son get the bike going again............and head down the freeway, right passed Nate and I!! I scramble for my helmet so I can get on the Chatter Box. With contact restored, I find out that Vince didn't really know which exit we took. He decides to get gas first, then head back to the dealership. The bike starts at the station and the three head back to meet up with us.

Sure it's a battery problem, our fingers are crossed that our new favorite Harley dealer (OK, second favorite....McGuire's is my number one, hands down) will have the proper battery in stock. Will the trip stay "charmed"? A quick check in the backroom and the answer is........YES! We're back in business. Nate and Vince change out the old battery (six years old to be exact.......the notoriously thrifty old man pushed that battery to the limit....tisk, tisk) in a matter of minutes. Off we go.

National Cemetery at Little Big Horn Battlegound

Just east of Hardin is the Little Big Horn Battleground.......a must see historical sight for the group. This is doubly true for Vince as circumstances had prevented him from making the stop on not one, but two separate trips. The third time would indeed be a charm. The site is stunning and quite unlike I imagined it to be......we watch a short video about the battle, then take a walking tour. You cannot help but be moved by what took place on this very ground so long ago. The fact that the park serves as a National Cemetery adds to the reverential mood of place. By all means, make the stop if you're in the area, worth every minute.

Only a couple of miles from Hardin and a shower and a bed, we knock out the remaining few miles. Checked in we walk across the street for dinner at Shawna's..... a casino/steakhouse. Our server is the owner Shawna herself. Friendly and genuine, we know we've made a good choice. The joint is small and full of mostly locals. The steaks are amazing (this after all cattle country), and the drinks are flowing. We laugh, play a bit of "name that tune", and rehash the day's ride. When the check comes.....delivered by Shawna, she smiles and says "......the drinks were on the house, thanks a lot guys". When's the last time you've experienced that at your local Applebee's? I don't know if you'll get a free beer, but I do know you'll get a great steak and fries. Don't pass up the "Central Hardin exit".

Mark, Vince, Nate, JP

Tomorrow we have a short  hop to Cody...........I'm told the scenery and the road is fantastic. Time to get some rest.