Laid low during Rally week

We laid low during Sturgis Motorcycle Rally week. We were very productive during our down time. We got both rigs washed, caulking checked and replaced as needed, and waxed. It took Monday through Friday to get both rigs done and boy, do they shine! It is nice knowing that other than "touch-ups", no major outside cleaning needs to be done for six months.

We ventured out to lunch and were able to get these pictures. The locals said that there weren't as many motorcycles as in the past. From what we heard and saw, we were pretty darn impressed. None of us have ever seen so many motorcycles in one area at the same time. When we headed home from playing cards at Rick and Y around 11 p.m. or so, the campground was quiet. Come around 7 a.m. it was another story as motorcycles were started up and then headed out for their rides. Sleeping in was not really possible this week.

Here is a shot of how motorcycles lined the center of the street through Custer.

Thousands of Harleys, Hondas, etc. were on display throughout town. The sweet little number that caught my attention was called Stallion by Thoroughbred Motorsports. It even had a cute trailer to match. This little number can be yours starting at $32,995, Too bad we don't have a way to tow it (just kidding). For those that like this kind of information, I found the following information on the trike from the web "The trike is powered by a 2.3-liter Ford four-cylinder engine. The engine produces 155 horsepower and 160 ft-lbs. of torque, according to Motor Trike, which Thoroughbred says will give the Stallion the power-to-weight ratio of a Mustang GT. " I guess you can say it has got some get up and go!

Faye and Marshall decided to take the drive up to Sturgis to check the Rally out. They said it was so crowded with no place to park that they didn't stop. It took them 30 minutes to get to the other side of town (normally a 5 minute drive). The most risque thing they saw were scantily clad girls in bikini's offering to wash motorcycles. Faye and Marshall said it was one of those been there, done that kind of things. They were amazed at all the motorcycles they saw coming and going. Faye said it was in the thousands and I believe it.

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

For days, the number of motorcycles in the Black Hills has been growing. The official Sturgis Motorcycle Rally began 8/3 and will run through 8/10. Our campground is not full of campers but we do have a lot of motorcycles in the park. I hope to get a picture of what downtown Custer looks like with all the motorcycles parked in the middle of the road.

The campground is on Sylvan Lake Road (Needles Highway) and is a popular scenic route for cars and motorcycles alike. We are treated to the sights and sounds of motorcycles going past the campground all day long. There is no sleeping in once the Harley's start up and head out between 7 and 7:30 a.m. While Harley's aren't the only motorcycle in and around the rally area, they do outnumber the other brands. The Sturgis Rally has quite the reputation for being whild but here in the park, it is quiet at 10 p.m. All those that want to party hearty are up in Sturgis while the rest who want a good night's sleep fan out throughout the Black Hills.

We decided to just lay low during this period. In order to make good use of our time, we've decided that it is time to do some maintenance on our rigs. Rick and John are going to wash, check caulking, replace any caulking as needed, and wax on both rigs. Once Rick and Y's rig is waxed, they will start on ours. It is always nice having a sparkling clean rig and the comfort knowing that the caulking has been checked.

Tomorrow is Rick and Y's 32nd wedding anniversary. Congratulations on the many years and we wish you many more.

What we've been up to this past week

It has been a busy, fun-filled week and quite honestly, I haven't felt like blogging. So here is a quick recap:

Rick and Y took the roof off their Jeep so we have been riding around topless (the Jeep, not us). We were going to head out to do some geocaching in the Jeep when we felt sprinkles on us as we headed into Custer. We headed back to the campground, covered the Jeep up with its rain cover, and headed out in the truck for lunch and to see what the weather was going to do. Good thing we changed vehicles because it down poured. We spent the rest of the day playing games while it rained.

We have spent a couple of afternoons doing some geocaching and even did a multi-stage geocache that took us to Broken Arrow Campground where we spent a month last summer. It was nice visiting with the owners, Larry and Geri Gustafson . . . they are such nice people. It was also nice seeing and hearing that their campground is doing well. A multi-stage geocache is one where you locate the first cache with the coordinates provided, then that cache gives you the next coordinates and a hint that then leads you to the final cache (sort of like a scavenger hunt). We didn't have any problems locating either of the three caches. Time to increase the cache difficulty level!

Here is a shot of Rick at one of the geocache finds:

One of the geocaches took us up to the Needles Highway near the Eye of the Needle. John took these interesting shots of some large boulders that makes you wonder how exactly they got where they did.

The campground has a resident cottontail that seems to live in the bundled wood box. As he/she is getting older, it has expanded its horizons. Rick and Y has seen it around their rig and it likes to hang out around ours as well. It doesn't seem to get to concerned when we are out and about but it certainly doesn't like kids! A few days ago, while we were trying to catch some sun rays, the bunny visited us. He/she got itself comfortable in our shoe cleaner tray that was about three feet from where I was sitting. Soon it stretched itself out and took a bit of a snooze. John and I both enjoyed the fact that the bunny felt safe enough around us to nap. When it woke up, it got within inches of John's feet and went under his chair before headed under the rig.

Melissa sent me some beautiful orchids for my birthday. With Rick and Y, we did some geocaching and had lunch out. As the area is starting to get busy with motorcyclists, I decided that I just wanted to pick up a couple of pizzas to share with Rick and Y as my birthday dinner. Y made up a salad and a very tasty apple and cranberry dump cake. We then played two hands of Shanghai (I won one, John won the other) and three games of Pegs and Jokers (The guys beat us on all three games. However, the girls won two out of three games the night before.). By the end of the day, I had received several phone calls wishing me a very Happy Birthday. Thanks everyone; it was a wonderful birthday.

Last but not least, we got the call on Monday that John's 51 year-old brother, Gene, had passed away. Gene's health has not been good for many years. RIP Gene.