Mecca.
Today I rode across the beautiful Black Hills from Deadwood to Sturgis, a really pretty ride along gently winding curves through the National Forest, to the home of the world's largest bike rally. It's estimated that between 500,000 and 700,000 motorcycles are here. I've attended Daytona Bike Week and Biketoberfest and I can tell you that this event completely dwarfs both, not even close.
The Indian motorcycle dealership in Sturgis is...massive.
So many beautiful new bikes with really cool color schemes.
I really liked this one with the custom oxblood colored leather.
Check out the custom war chief airbrushed on the tank. Very cool.
Then I visited the Adams House, which is a neat little museum just off main street in Deadwood. They have lots of stuff there about the history of the town.
Here's some things that belonged to Wild Bill. These cards are from the deck he was playing with when he was shot. He owned this pistol, the straight razor, portrait, and "lucky rock" which was found in his boot. Evidently the batteries in his lucky rock had gone dead sometime before August 2nd, 1876.
This is another pistol owned by Wild Bill. These items were found in his hotel room after he was killed.
This is a picture of the inside of the Bodega Saloon, which is still here and doing well.
This is Main Street in about 1876. Oyster Bay is still here and alive and well too.
This is a solid gold nugget found by a guy named Potato Creek Johnny who was a four foot tall Welsh immigrant, and was in his 60's when he decided to become a gold prospector. He became an instant sensation when he found one of the biggest gold nuggets ever found in the US, long after the Deadwood gold rush had ended. He took on the role of a sort of town mascot, with long hair, a longer beard, and clothing suitable for a proper prospector, and entertained visitors and tourists with his tall tales well into his old age until his death in the late 1940's.
This is not a double exposure. It's a rare, two headed calf. Poor little guy made it about six weeks. Now he is stuffed in the museum and has the very unkind nickname "Double Cheeseburger."
Good night from Deadwood. Tomorrow it's Mount Rushmore and then off toward Sioux Falls.
God bless!