The Sturgis Rally is on

[greycharger]

The Rally started yesterday.
After a vote by the citizens of Sturgis to cancel the Rally for 2020, a lawsuit by a local souvenir company scared the Mayor into allowing it. The company, that sells Chinese made trinkets and political crap, has grown quite large and powerful as the Rally grew. ...and who wants to miss Buffalo Chip's biggest act: Kid Rock?

Some from the area plan their vacations to escape the Rally, the rest of us hunker down. I stay to guard my place as professional thieves come to the Rally on working vacations. Part of the hunkering is stocking up on anything you might need as the stores get stripped to bare shelves. Make sure you don't need the air flight ambulance or blood.

This year is different as the shelves stripped because of the virus, have never been restocked. There is not one can of Del Monte Mixed Vegetables in any grocery store in this town of 70,000 people. There are 12 power tools for sale at Menard's, and that is 12 total, not 12 different choices. Don't need any power tools, it's just shocking to see 40 feet of bare shelves. I have watched the mixed veggies as my dog loves them in his dry food and it's a way I can make sure he eats before we go to work for the day. Sam's Club has 4 varieties of Del Monte products: Corn, Peaches, Stewed Tomatoes, and Green Beans. That's it!

It's the way things are, and this is a fly over, drive by State, but are all store shelves throughout the USA, still thin to bare?

[birdsandbees]

Good luck fella.. Lock and Load.. Went through Sturgis in 2004, the week BEFORE the rally.

[JB400]

Sad news to hear.  My area is back to pre Covid supply.  Even have toilet paper again, .

[greycharger]

It seems light for Saturday afternoon. If it weren't for the sickness, I'd have to go and see what's new (and the gals all dressed up). There were some pretty good food tents in years past, but I haven't been in so long, I wouldn't know who they would be. Some smell so good it almost draws physically.

https://www.sturgis-sd.gov/webcams-in-and-around-sturgis

[Kern Dog]

I guess you live there?
I can understand you feeling a bit uneasy about this BUT I have to respect the people that don't just follow the crowd and hide from the world.
I'm not insulting you or anyone, this is just how I see it.

[greycharger]

 I was raised in the area and I work here every summer.
The Rally is pretty tame since Disney took over (joke).
My first recollections are of low slung, stripped down bikes, racers in blue jeans and tee shirts. There were small groups of long distance riders, but no motorhomes, not even a bus. Some of their bikes were loud, but if one was respectful and shifted at a low rpm, they weren't obnoxious. The Cops put up with no crap, and roaring bikes were not tolerated. In that era, I stood before a Judge and he pointed with a bony finger and said if I didn't put OEM mufflers on my loud car, he would throw me in jail. I was only 16, but I knew what Hemi Mufflers were, and they are still on the car, still hiding me from the Cops.
Dirt bikes got faster and higher off the ground, and some of the long range groups' hair grew out. They came on sad bikes thrown together at the last minute with what little money they had and half of their worldly possessions tied to sissy bars. They camped and partied in the City Park, maybe 5 acres in size. I imagine the few hundred all shared the same campfire at some point during the week. We would hear stories and read police reports in the paper, but they were still apprentice partiers compared to what was to come. The crowds got bigger and wilder so the City finally kicked them out of the Park, and I suppose that's when camps started their rise. Camps were a place one would be free to start fires across roads to drag race through and use cucumbers in contests of skill and anatomical gifts.
Now Sturgis is a money making concern and the working stiff on a mildly custom, self built Sportster is history.

The hill climbs are still my favorite.

[4cruzin]

I'm happy to see something that was planned still taking place . . I figured that Carlisle was going to be the only show to see this year.  Maybe Woodward can still be fun although it is cancelled . . . cars will still show up! 

[BLK 68 R/T]

They mayor allowed it lol. It would have happened no matter what.

[chargerbr549]

When I used to live by Sturgis I rode my motorcycle all over the Black Hills whenever the weather would cooperate and hit the Sturgis Bike Rally every year, I met alot of cool people from all over the US and other countries, I was hoping to go back this year and enjoy some "freedom" at least for short time anyways.

Hey"greycharger" when you spoke of the cucumber contests it reminded me when I used to work in Rapid City and a guy I worked with told me he used to go to them back in the day and he said he ended up being in a photograph that Playboy took of one of the contests and he stood out in the crowd since he was 6'5 and was standing in the front row. He got a good laugh out of that one.

[Kern Dog]

The Hot August Nights festival in Reno NV was scheduled for LAST week but they cancelled it. Maybe because Nevada is right next door to CA, a state that is saddled with some very oppressive leaders.

[odcics2]

I'm happy to see something that was planned still taking place . . I figured that Carlisle was going to be the only show to see this year.  Maybe Woodward can still be fun although it is cancelled . . . cars will still show up! 

So will Darwin. 

[b5blue]

Well you guys made mainstream news. Mainly highlighting lack of masks but reasonable behaving crowd. Supplies here in FL. lack prepackaged wipes and any type of isopropyl alcohol. Daytona will fair worse than you I'm certain, booze, beach, bikinis and bikes an explosive mix.

[Mike DC]

                
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/black-lives-matter-protests-didnt-contribute-to-covid19-surge

It seems the BLM protests have not caused a spike in Covid cases.  Some researchers just published a 60-page paper about it.  

They attribute it to people wearing face masks + the outdoor/daylight circumstances.    


In light of that, I'm guessing the Sturgis rally won't cause a big Covid spike either.  I dunno how many bikers wear face masks, but they do spend a lot of time outdoors in bright sun and not huddled up too close.  

Sunlight and open air/wind seem to knock this virus down pretty fast.  The worst spreading incidents happen when a bunch of people are closed up together indoors.  

[Kern Dog]

Daytona will fair worse than you I'm certain, booze, beach, bikinis and bikes an explosive mix.

Sounds like a great time. The people there are surely not the ones in the high risk group.

[stripedelete]

Cool!  Now I can ignore the  "Watch Out For Motorcycles"  signs with a clean conscience.   

[b5blue]

Really sad news: https://www.wfla.com/news/55-year-old-woman-killed-in-motorcycle-crash-with-calf-during-sturgis-rally/

[greycharger]

Buffalo be wild.  Lucky her pants came off or that thing would still be wearing her around the Park.

https://www.tmz.com/2020/08/13/bison-drags-woman-pants-ripped-off-south-dakota/

[birdsandbees]

Wow.. sounds like a fun place! 

The death is the third from a crash at the 2020 Sturgis Rally, which is up two from the same time in 2019.

Through 6 a.m. Friday, authorities have made 117 DUI arrests, 112 felony drug arrests and handed out 1,044 citations.

There have been 88 crashes (2 fatal, 47 injury and 39 non-injury) at the event so far.

[greycharger]

It's bad form to go up to cattle while wearing leathers

[birdsandbees]

 

[odcics2]

Daytona will fair worse than you I'm certain, booze, beach, bikinis and bikes an explosive mix.

Sounds like a great time. The people there are surely not the ones in the high risk group.

Nursing home sex orgies have been cancelled.

[Kern Dog]

Tasty thought....

[greycharger]

Had a big group pass me on the Interstate and there was a funny sound, like baseball cards in spokes from a distance. Couldn't figure it out until I noticed all of the loose skin flapping in the wind.

[Kern Dog]

That is not true.

[birdsandbees]

Had a big group pass me on the Interstate and there was a funny sound, like baseball cards in spokes from a distance. Couldn't figure it out until I noticed all of the loose skin flapping in the wind.