Monday morning I was up with the chickens. The anxious feelings I was having had gotten the best of me and I think I was showered and dressed by 5:30 am. I went down to the hotel lobby and checked my e-mail and other internet things, waiting for Dan to get up and around. When Dan was ready to go we went to the hotel restaurant and ate our complimentary breakfasts. It was funny because on the menu it was titled the "Senior Breakfast". That cracked me up and I said to Dan that we were honorary "Seniors" for the morning. After breakfast we loaded up the bike, talked to a really cool biker from Ohio, and finally took off for Mecca!
First stop along the way was 1880 Town. We didn't pay to go through the museum but I did take some pictures of the bikers that were stopped there for gas and a little bit of rest.
There was a lot of construction this year on Interstate 90. I do have to give South Dakota a huge compliment though...they have really great roads. I don't think we experienced a bad one the entire trip. The next stop on the journey to RC/Sturgis was none other then Wall Drug. We ate lunch, picked up our free Wall Drug bumper sticker, and then went on a little exploration of the area we didn't get to last year. We forgot to see Wall Drug's Backyard.
We made it to Rapid City and checked into the luxurious Motel 6 for our 4 day stay. This year our room was cleaner so I didn't worry about bed bugs near as much. lol I convinced Dan to ride into Sturgis for a little while to check things out. I couldn't just sit in Rapid City knowing what was only 25 miles away. Thank God he agreed or I would have had to ask for a ride from another biker. As we decended onto Sturgis I was ready to sit in line to get into town for about a 1/2 hour. Nope...zip...zing...right into town. Found a parking place and made our way to Main Street. Our first stop was the Sturgis Webcam where I called my folks and waved at them. They kept telling me that it was really good to see us on the cam. After that we walked up and down Main Street and took a few pictures.
Going east on Main Street I noticed a black building. I was all excited when I realized that it was a mock club house from the Son's of Anarchy. I'm so excited for season 2 to begin in September. Should be a great one!
Dan and I were both very beat so we headed back to Rapid City. Went to Walmart and got some food for the cooler. Went back to the motel and relaxed with a couple beers and Dan smoked a cigar. It felt so good to be there again. We watched the bikers riding west to Sturgis. I felt at ease again. My anxious feelings had finally left me. I was finally there...finally in the place that makes my heart sing. Finally home with my fellow brothers and sisters that understand my wild heart and obsession for riding! Home Sweet South Dakota!
