Passes & Canyons Blog

A portion of a screen shot showing the temperature when we were in Sturgis.

The OFMC pulled out of Custer and headed north. But not too far north. This was another day when a short ride called for a diversion. In this case it was that mandatory OFMC-trip stop, gambling.

We headed north on US 385, through Hill City, past Pactola Reservoir, until we got to SD 44, then turned east. We wanted to connect with Norris Peak Road and run up to Nemo Road that way but they really don’t have these things marked very well. We went past it and stopped to reconnoiter, then headed back and figured this must be the road. It was.

Reaching Nemo Road we didn’t stop to discuss it but I was very much aware that this was where, a few years ago, Dennis nearly met his doom. We had stopped for a break and as we got ready to head out I pulled across the road and sat waiting. Dennis followed me without looking to see if the road was clear. It was not. There was a semi coming along at a good clip. Dennis later said he couldn’t hear anything except the roar of all those Harley engines.

He pulled out in front of that truck and that guy slammed on his brakes. I’m sure he must have been cursing this crazy biker but it was not Dennis’s day to die and the truck managed to stop. This was that place.

We cruised up Nemo Road to where County Road 3, Vanocker Canyon Road, goes off to the right. As the guys noted when we stopped, Vanocker Canyon Road is a beauty with the kind of sweepers you dream about. We rode it all the way up into Sturgis.

This was a couple weeks before the rally so things were gearing up but still quiet in Sturgis. Another reason there wasn’t much going on in Sturgis was that the temperature was well above 100. We got into town, parked, and walked to the Knuckle for lunch. We enjoyed the cool in there as long as we could and then just headed back to the bikes and out of town, on our way to Deadwood. But we barely got out of town when we were stopped on the road by construction. No shade, 106 degrees, just sit and wait. Yow!

Finally we were moving again and we made it on up to Deadwood and, after a hassle finding parking, headed into a casino. Nobody was having much luck that day, however, so we didn’t stay long. Back out at the bikes I pulled a bottle of Gatorade out of my bag and took a sip. I might as well have been drinking coffee, it was that warm. Let’s get moving!

On up to Lead and then down to Cheyenne Crossing where we turned north again down Spearfish Canyon. The canyon was beautiful, as always, and a nice ride but if we thought we were going to get some coolness in the canyon we were deluded. We got to Spearfish and quickly found our motel and settled into our rooms, savoring the cool.

Later that evening I went outside to give my wife a call and sat where I could see a time and temperature clock. Talking to her at 10 p.m. the clock was still telling me it was 94 degrees. I guess I’ll name this year’s trip “The Journey Through Heat.”

There would be no rush in the morning, it was to be another short day’s ride. With more heat.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if your $500 boots aren’t scuffed from riding.

We’ve been to Sturgis before but this year we’re going to the rally. Who is “we”? The guys I ride with have taken the whimsical name of “Old Farts Motorcycle Club” although, as one wife points out, some of the guys have just cause to dispute that name. It all started with John, Bill, and me (Ken) when we first got our bikes and started taking these summer trips. After awhile John’s son Johnathon joined us (after his dad got a new Shadow and gave him the old Virago) and then Bill’s brother Friggs moved back to town and got a bike. Bill’s brother-in-law Dennis joined us with his Gold Wing, and next, Bill’s son Jason joined us on his dad’s old Shadow when Bill bought his Harley, and Jason’s friend Todd came with Jason. Finally, Johnathon’s friend Randy hooked in with us.

So this year we’re headed to Sturgis, although the OFMC line-up is already changing. Just got word yesterday from Jason that Todd wiped out on his VTX just a few days ago. Totaled the bike, broke a few bones, and demolished his helmet (not his head!). Don’t have details yet but Jason says he should be OK. In the meantime Jason has another friend who is interested in coming and is working to get a hall pass from his wife and employer.

We don’t always have stops plannned and accommodations reserved but this year, traveling near the Black Hills during the rally, we figured it’s essential. I’ve been looking at motels half-way between Rapid City and Denver — some place we can reach easily after work on a Friday night — and it sure is funny how the price on this date is higher than their highest posted price. Can someone explain that to me? Oh, I get it.

That’s OK. No one bought a motorcycle in order to save money, or if they did they were misinformed.

So anyway, we’ll see you maybe in Sturgis. We’ll be the large group of Hondas with a Yamaha and one Harley mixed in.