8.2.06 - Pickle Lickin' & Four Hell Filled Days

Riding around is great without all the people, but it wont't last. In a few days, Sturgis will turn into a sea of bikers and rolling steel. You can see why they call this place the Black Hills. Fields of gold, grass turned brown, then yellow from the summer sun, transforms into a blanket of yellow over lower elevations, then an abrupt color change to black as the ace of spades, a stark contrast, even more so this year, because of extreme drought conditions. Dakotans are smiling today. We got some rain overnight, the first drops in weeks, and the ground is finally wet. It's been so dry here, the ranchers are selling off their cattle herds months ahead of time. With little or no rain, there's no grass for them to eat. Back to the 90's tomorrow. At the Buffalo Chip, the World Pickle Lickin' Federation is readying for the first of it's renowned Pickle Lickin' finals. Note to self: Make sure the digital camera is in good operating order. Some dudes from PA, camped across from us had problems trying to get out here. They borrowed a friend's mobile home. 500 miles in, the engine in his truck blew up. They got another truck but it would only go 50 mph pulling the big camper. When they got to Illinois, 2 trailer tires blew out, and they broke the jack trying to change them. Final travel tally: Four hell-filled days. Moral: Trailers are great when you get out here, but man, what a pain in the ass they are when you're not sleeping inside one of them. Admittedly, I own trailers, but they're both for BOATS.