Sturgis 04 Main
Route Map
Daily Journal
Getting There
Being There
Getting Back
Louisville, Ky Sat. 7/31 (590 mi)
Left home about 8:30 and headed north on 15. Took 70 to 64 and headed down to W.Va.
It started to sprinkle, and for once I immediately pulled over to put on rain gear.
I was joined shortly by 5 other bikes headed for Sturgis as well (via Michigan).
By the time I had my gear on, it was pouring. It rained for about three more hours
of riding. Dipped into Ohio before looking for a BP in Lexington (it was no longer there).
Continued on to Louisville and the Bluegrass Brewing Company (BBC), where I had a great
meal and found out about the "Weasel Walk" (pub crawl) with 5 other bars. Needless to say,
I accepted the challenge, earned my T-shirt, and heard several good bands. Finally went
looking for a hotel about 4:00 am for a short night's sleep.
St. Louis, Mo Sun. 8/1 (270 mi)
Got on the road about 11:00 am and had a fairly uneventful ride to St. Louis. Checked into the Drury Inn (after scoping out NGA), had a hot tub, then walked over to Union Station - a very nicely renovated mall with restaurants and shops. Ate at the Hard Rock Café (where they played Disco for the teenagers) before turning in to recover from the previous night.
St. Louis, Mo Mon. 8/2 (0 mi)
Got up a little late, rushed through a quick breakfast, and made it over to NGA to
meet Herschell Riggs. The weather was very hot and muggy, and it took me a while
to cool off after I got there. Had a good tour of the facility, had lunch in the
cafeteria, and then headed over to Gold's Gym for a great workout. Had a few drinks
in the hotel until Herschell and his girlfriend Mary picked me up. We went out to
BB's Jazz, Blues, and Soups to hear a 16-piece Big Band. When we left, we saw that
the bar across the street had a blues band playing outside, so we went over for a set.
As we headed back to the car, we stopped at another bar where another great blues band
was playing. Mary was getting tired, so we left after one set.
St. Louis, Mo Tue. 8/3 (54 mi)
Got up and headed down to Arnold to see the other NGA facility. Met with
Jim Pilkington for a while, then Butch Carrizales took me on a tour of the
facility. Had lunch at Bandannas BBQ with Jim, Butch, and another guy.
Drove back to and around St. Louis for a while. Went back to the hotel
for a few drinks, and then took the Metro-link downtown to Busch Stadium
to see the Cardinals vs. the Expos. Expos tied the game in the top of the
9th on an error and a two-run homer, before winning it in the 13th on a
grand slam. Walked back to the hotel and crashed.
St. Joseph, Iowa Wed. 8/4 (312 mi)
Packed up and headed out about 11:00 am. Met up with Brian and Tanya from
Florida on the road. They pulled off with me for lunch at the Flat Branch
BP before heading on to KC. Ducked into Kansas before continuing on to
St. Joseph in search of a no-longer-existing BP. Decided to call it a day,
so we went over to the Drury Inn to share a room, crashing about 8:30!
White Lake, SD Thu. 8/5 (422 mi)
Up and out about 9:00, stopping at a good BP in Sioux City for lunch. Continued on to Sioux Falls where we couldn't find Wild Willies Brewery, and another BP we found wasn't brewing yet. Had a good steak and pasta
dinner anyway before getting directions to the Granite BP for a quick beer.
Thought about accepting an offer to stay with a local, but decided to get
another 100 miles under our belts. That brought us to White Lake, where we
again crashed early in a very modest but clean motel (sharing a room again).
The Buffalo Chip, SD Fri. 8/6 (286 mi)
Got up and went into the very small town to the Outpost Café for breakfast. Headed west for the final sprint to Sturgis. The landscape changed dramatically from mid-west farmland to high plains at the Missouri River.
Took a slight detour through the Badlands before making it to the Firehouse BP in Rapid City. Did the last 30 miles to Sturgis, where I split from Brian and Tanya, who were staying in Deadwood.
Got to the Chip, checked in, and set up camp near two couples from Texas who sort of adopted me.
Walked around the vendors, where I encountered an extremely interesting patch shop.
Listened to "Abbey Road" and "Baby Snakes" before spending an incredibly relaxing evening at the campsite.
Contact me at: rf6gunz@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2005, Rick Fletcher
