I had the pleasure of attending the motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, that was held from August 7, 2017, to August 13, 2017. Here is an account of the absolutely fun-filled ride that my biker friends and I had over the course of this adventure.
Day 1&2:
On the first day of the rally, ironically, we started off our journey by loading our motorcycles into the rental trailer that had been arranged for us. The journey started off from Toronto. From here, we were to head towards our first destination: Americas Best Value Inn, Rapid City, South Dakota. This hotel is approximately 21 hours away from Toronto. We had to cover a distance of about 1,436 miles (or 2,312 km)! That would mean covering four American states along the way to Rapid City. Sounds pretty exciting, doesn’t it?
On our way, we also had to cross the Mississippi River. For the readers who don’t already know this fun fact about the Mississippi River, it is the fourth longest river in the world! So you can imagine how long we got to admire the riverside. The view along the river was as breathtakingly beautiful as can be seen in the pictures here. The scenic beauty of the pale evening sun glowing through the purple skies was truly stunning.
Day 3:
The journey came to a proper start when we started off with our first morning ride on the third day of the rally. We were to drive to Mount Rushmore, one of the biggest sculptures in the world. It is a 60 feet high mountain, with the faces of four of the greatest US presidents sculpted onto it. My pictures do not do justice to the aesthetics of this particular piece of art.
We were also lucky enough to meet the Mayor’s Ride along the way. It was an absolute blast. Seeing hundreds of bikers zoom off on their shiny motorcycles gave me a sense of unity and power, a feeling you must be familiar with if you have ever been a part of such a great event. In the video below, you can see the immense power that came along with the amazing bikers.
After that, we spared some time snapping some beautiful pictures (see below). This was followed by our trip to Custer, South Dakota, where we enjoyed a hearty lunch.
Lunch was followed by a nice punch of caffeine at Deadwood, and then it was time to head back to our hotel.
Day 4:
Early morning, at around 8.30, it was time to drive to Newcastle, WY, from where we headed to Spearfish, SD. Here, we had an appetizing lunch, which was followed by the ride to Sturgis, SD.
It was an absolute treat enjoying the evening lights on our way. The whole day spanned over 450 km of bike-riding.
Day 5:
The fifth day started off with our ride to the ancient Devils Tower National Monument, WY. The fun ride ended with a couple of energy drinks with my biker buddies, and then we headed back to the 77th Annual Rally at Sturgis.
This year, a staggering 480,000 visitors came to be a part of this rally. Every drop of fuel I spent on this amazing journey was worth it!
Day 6:
Being a part of Sturgis’s 77th Annual Rally was one of the best experiences of my life. The journey came to an end with us loading our bikes back into the trailer and heading back home to Toronto. Thankfully, we left the Black Hills with our phones and cameras full of our memories of the great event. Looking forward to being part of the 80th annual rally soon!