The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly..
The Good:
Nice ride down I-90 to Rapid for a quick visit with ABM's local affiliate, "The Fox-100.3". After dropping by the sponsor's place, we took the scenic route on up to Deadwood/Lead. (Almost everyone now knows "Lead" is not named after the packing in your pencil..) We got on 14-a, and followed a nice creek which we'd shadowed earlier in the week. Way down the bottom of a hill, there was a waterfall, and a nice sandy area with water about three feet deep. Of course we went in..Gawd...IT WAS COLD...but nice. Working our way back toward Sturgis, we hit a couple of nice little roadside places, doing a brisk business, but the locals said it was nothing like last year's crowds. $2 bottles? Why not? Lead, the outskirts of the northern edge of town, it's on a curve so you gotta look closely for "The Hideaway Bar", right side on that wide bend, very nice people, clean new bar and furnishings. On the way to the swimmin' hole, we stopped by a place advertising fresh fried rainbow trout. Wish I could remember the name, but all Ican tell you is it's not the "Fish n Fry", but the other one. After we sat down, the waitress informed us that we'd have to wait some for our fish, because they sold out of everything in the 'frig, & the boys were outside catching some as we spoke..& the fishing was really sucky so there was no telling when those 'bows would hit the grease. Sure enough, we saw a couple of young dudes, one with a cane pole, the other heaving fish pellets into the brown water, hoping to chum up some trout for the pole guy. Problem was, every time the pellets would hit the water, a half dozen wood ducks gobbled 'em up before the fish got there. The 2nd pond's water was crystal clear. A young girl grabbed an ultra-light outfit, spooled with 2 pound test line & a tiny shiny lure, and first cast, she hooked on to a 2+ pounder! Right away I knew the muddy pond contained the 10-12 inchers they feed the customers, the clear pond contained the breeding stock females. Man, we shoulda stayed for one of them fat filets, but we had "other fish to fry..."
The Bad:
Attempting to do anything last night--After that great all day ride, we arrived back at the campground just in time for an afternoon deluge. Not complaining, ours was just a dusting of small sleet, but out northeast of Bear Butte, along rt 34, some areas took a pounding from baseball-sized hail. Rain was steady until almost dark, when the wind took over. How hard did it blow? I guessed about 45 to 50 at times, with a steady 35-40 for hours. Back at the Ultra-Plush, Maximum-Security ABM compound, at sea level, depending on what season, we'd refer to this as a gayle or a tropical storm, here it's just an afternoon squall. This morning, all the tents around me were gone. Either the owners put 'em away, or they're in the air somewhere over Iowa.
The Ugly:
Bikers complaining about law enforcement practice is nothing new. Two opposing forces meet: (1) Bikers who are out to have a good time--most are okay, some deserve to fork out some money for infractions, and (2) Cops with a job to do, most okay, but on occasion, the f.n.g. out to use up the yellow pad in record time. Here's what I heard in the shower area this morning: Long haired dude pulled over on I-90 after leaving the Boneyard headed back toward Sturgis: His words... "I wasn't even doing 65 (in a 75 zone), and the next thing I know, I'm sittin' in the back of a squad car being "----- out" because my ape hangers are two inches above my chest". Result? $120.00, payable on the spot. Item: Deadwood. Dude sneaks in between two buildings to take a whiz.. When he comes back to the street, suprise! Squad car. Result? One night in jail, $700 fine. (Allegedly, they told him it'd be $2,000, but $700 was all he had). Gonna be in Deadwood & can't find nowhere to take a leak? Go inyour pants! It's gonna be a lot cheaper in the long run, even if your bud's never let you live it down. Again, we listen, we report, you decide. So what's different about attendance in '07? Credit is tight. Gas is expensive. Stratospheric prices for food, lodging and souviners. It adds up, and what you see is the result. Every American, riding or not, is feeling the pinch. This year, we know that when facing missing a mortgage payment or going to Sturgis, the house stays, the trip goes. Vendors and local officials are busy trying to put some thick lipstick on this baby, but when all is said & done, we'll likely be 50,000 or more below last year's rally. If you increase the number of law enforcement officers, then fewer people come to Sturgis, enforcement will appear more strict, simply because the cop-biker ratio changes. Like the Moody Blues LP, it's just a "Question of Balance"
Today?
"No Panties Wednesday" up in Hewlett, Wy." You oughtta see the signs posted just outside the town limit. Ten points on how to stay out jail, and that includes "No Panties" Go Figure.
Nice ride down I-90 to Rapid for a quick visit with ABM's local affiliate, "The Fox-100.3". After dropping by the sponsor's place, we took the scenic route on up to Deadwood/Lead. (Almost everyone now knows "Lead" is not named after the packing in your pencil..) We got on 14-a, and followed a nice creek which we'd shadowed earlier in the week. Way down the bottom of a hill, there was a waterfall, and a nice sandy area with water about three feet deep. Of course we went in..Gawd...IT WAS COLD...but nice. Working our way back toward Sturgis, we hit a couple of nice little roadside places, doing a brisk business, but the locals said it was nothing like last year's crowds. $2 bottles? Why not? Lead, the outskirts of the northern edge of town, it's on a curve so you gotta look closely for "The Hideaway Bar", right side on that wide bend, very nice people, clean new bar and furnishings. On the way to the swimmin' hole, we stopped by a place advertising fresh fried rainbow trout. Wish I could remember the name, but all Ican tell you is it's not the "Fish n Fry", but the other one. After we sat down, the waitress informed us that we'd have to wait some for our fish, because they sold out of everything in the 'frig, & the boys were outside catching some as we spoke..& the fishing was really sucky so there was no telling when those 'bows would hit the grease. Sure enough, we saw a couple of young dudes, one with a cane pole, the other heaving fish pellets into the brown water, hoping to chum up some trout for the pole guy. Problem was, every time the pellets would hit the water, a half dozen wood ducks gobbled 'em up before the fish got there. The 2nd pond's water was crystal clear. A young girl grabbed an ultra-light outfit, spooled with 2 pound test line & a tiny shiny lure, and first cast, she hooked on to a 2+ pounder! Right away I knew the muddy pond contained the 10-12 inchers they feed the customers, the clear pond contained the breeding stock females. Man, we shoulda stayed for one of them fat filets, but we had "other fish to fry..."
The Bad:
Attempting to do anything last night--After that great all day ride, we arrived back at the campground just in time for an afternoon deluge. Not complaining, ours was just a dusting of small sleet, but out northeast of Bear Butte, along rt 34, some areas took a pounding from baseball-sized hail. Rain was steady until almost dark, when the wind took over. How hard did it blow? I guessed about 45 to 50 at times, with a steady 35-40 for hours. Back at the Ultra-Plush, Maximum-Security ABM compound, at sea level, depending on what season, we'd refer to this as a gayle or a tropical storm, here it's just an afternoon squall. This morning, all the tents around me were gone. Either the owners put 'em away, or they're in the air somewhere over Iowa.
The Ugly:
Bikers complaining about law enforcement practice is nothing new. Two opposing forces meet: (1) Bikers who are out to have a good time--most are okay, some deserve to fork out some money for infractions, and (2) Cops with a job to do, most okay, but on occasion, the f.n.g. out to use up the yellow pad in record time. Here's what I heard in the shower area this morning: Long haired dude pulled over on I-90 after leaving the Boneyard headed back toward Sturgis: His words... "I wasn't even doing 65 (in a 75 zone), and the next thing I know, I'm sittin' in the back of a squad car being "----- out" because my ape hangers are two inches above my chest". Result? $120.00, payable on the spot. Item: Deadwood. Dude sneaks in between two buildings to take a whiz.. When he comes back to the street, suprise! Squad car. Result? One night in jail, $700 fine. (Allegedly, they told him it'd be $2,000, but $700 was all he had). Gonna be in Deadwood & can't find nowhere to take a leak? Go inyour pants! It's gonna be a lot cheaper in the long run, even if your bud's never let you live it down. Again, we listen, we report, you decide. So what's different about attendance in '07? Credit is tight. Gas is expensive. Stratospheric prices for food, lodging and souviners. It adds up, and what you see is the result. Every American, riding or not, is feeling the pinch. This year, we know that when facing missing a mortgage payment or going to Sturgis, the house stays, the trip goes. Vendors and local officials are busy trying to put some thick lipstick on this baby, but when all is said & done, we'll likely be 50,000 or more below last year's rally. If you increase the number of law enforcement officers, then fewer people come to Sturgis, enforcement will appear more strict, simply because the cop-biker ratio changes. Like the Moody Blues LP, it's just a "Question of Balance"
Today?
"No Panties Wednesday" up in Hewlett, Wy." You oughtta see the signs posted just outside the town limit. Ten points on how to stay out jail, and that includes "No Panties" Go Figure.
posted by americanbikerminute at 7:45 AM
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