The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good:

Dude, it's great to be alive & well, & back in Sturgis for another year of biker debauchary!


The Bad:

It's August, & S.D. hasen't finished up the last 50 miles of I-90 before Sturgis? Yes, race fans, it's true. Dozens of miles of I-90 leading into Sturgis have been cut down to two lanes of traffic. ABM can'teven imagine the traffic jam leading into this place when the weekend arrives.

The Ugly:

America's Economy, period. We're not economists, but if you look back thru last year's blog, there's a prediction by ABM that the worst of the housing crisis was not over. We would have greatly preferred to be wrong. The silver lining? Canadians are comming... their strong "Loonie" buys a lot more camping, bikes, beer,& food than our trashy dollar... it's like Steve Miller's song..."Your Cash.. Ain't Nothin' but Trash". There are, however, those of us that will always show upanyway.. sitting at home sucks.

The first big prediction:

Mr. Rod Woodruff, Buffalo Chip, despite dire predictions of... "what if they threw a party & nobody came.." says his reservations are way ahead of last year at this time.. including a mass reservation from 160 rabid Canadians, all at once!! Refer to the last paragraph on rich Canadians.. maybe i shoulda gone up there to live...nah..TOO COLD.

The first big fall:

Glencoe Campground, adjacent to, and motral enemy of... The Buffalo Chip. During nighttime ride to the Full Throttle Saloon, the huge backlit electric sign at the Glencoe entrance advertised "BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE" tickets to various concerts, including KISS, & John Fogarty. That can't be good. Meanwhile, the Chip is charging more for shows not booked in advance of last Sunday. A personal ABM observation is.. Woody's been doing this for a long long time. He was the first, & we believe he is... the best. Where else can you drink dollar beers for hours, see Kid Rock, roll up in your sleeping bag, then go out to the range & rock & roll with a real live machine gun? Nah, haven't donethat one out here... 3 yrs in the Army gave me plenty of opportunity with auto weapons.. still think it's cool, but have had my fill for now,but enjoy "plinking" with my 44 mag Ruger Blackhawk.

So... What Have We Learned?

1). General Rally attendance expected to be down by around 20 percent.

2). Most vendors returning, but not buying up as many spots...96 so far, compared to almost 120 last year.

3). Like Brother Joe Walsh's Solo Album .... "So What?" The less people in this little town, the better. It's easier to get around, the prices are comming down. All the majors are off 20-30%...Laconia, Myrtle, Daytona. Places like Laughlin were half deserted. What's the lesson?

Who Cares?? Let's Party!

check back often.. if it's news to you, it's news to us!

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The ten days of Sturgis, 10 straight days of Sturgis Biker Interviews begins August 1st on a radio station near you.

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call (360) 282-5400, hear it all on your phone!

Please Let Me Outta Here!

Each year, around the first of July, it becomes increasingly tough for ABM to enjoy riding Florida's long, flat, hot highways. All we can think of is a sea of motorcycles on Main & Lazelle in Sturgis, seeing bikers we haven't laid eyes on since last year, & those we haven't seen in ages. The premliminary word is, as of today, July 23, the "early birds" have begun arriving at the world-renowned mecca of motorcycles, & you thought our July 28 arrival was early?

Betty Blows A Jug:

ABM's bought-at-auction, restored from hell '06 Harley Softail Standard project bike toasted a valve just before we were to head for Meade County, SD. She had probably the dirtiest engine oil we've ever seen inside a running internal combustion mill. Some time later, & an (still as of now) unknown repair bill, the cylinder has been bored, & the burnt valve ground. Our thanks to Scotty of US1 Cycles in Bunnell, Fl, for getting us back on the slab in time to head out for the big party! Dude, I have enough $$'s in this baby to have bought a brand new bike. Ugh. Still, she's a very attractive girl, I guess. At least she hasn't run off with someone else, much like one that talks you into a scilicone implant then runs off with the gardener. It's all about the jugs..always.

Mapquest: Does it really work?

How they do it, I do not know, but when Sturgis was punched in from Florida, we got a figure of 1850 mi vs last year's 2150. The extra miles could have been screwups along the way, or they know something we don't. Before you leave this year, try punching in your location. http://www.mapquest.com/ With gas near four bucks, every mile counts.

Dollar Beer, Dollar Hot Dogs

One of the great Buffalo Chip institutions is that of the dollar beer, dollar dog shack, inside the Buffalo Chip Campground, just outside of Sturgis. Each morning when it opens, there's always a gathering of bikers needing a bud or a miller to get the day started. Bikers from all over the world can appreciate a dollar beer, a dollar dog, & the brotherhood which comes from being some of the cheapest bikers in the campground. Trust me, for what the grocery store charges for a case of Coronas, you cannot afford to drink mexican beer. Hot dogs & beer....What else is there? For starts, the daily biker games, right alongside the picnic tables. Might even give it a try this year. Last year, in the interest of spreading ourselves out in order to give you, the radio listener the greatest degree of total understanding of the Sturgis experience, we stayed in a sedate, down to earth campground, where noise after dark is shunned, & people are expected to behave themselves at all times. We get that at home. When we're in Sturgis, anarchy is the way to go, period. In my humble opinion, there isn't a better place to find it than the Buffalo Chip. Plus, you get Alice Cooper, Foghat, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc as part of the total package. Yeah, it cost more than a hunk of dirt in a national park, but ya get what ya pay for.

Have You Seen Sandy?

Black Betty is Sandy's bike. She'll be blasting around the campground, & downtown Sturgis on that restored '06 black softail, looking for bikers with attitudes & something to say. Embrace the unknown, step up to the microphone & be a biker star!

Your Daily Dose

Catch a different ABM every single day, even if our show's not yet on the air in your town, by calling (360) 282-5400. In case you forget, we'll be handing out ABM cards by the thousands, both inside the Buffalo Chip, and throughout the Black Hills from August 1-10th. American Biker Minute airs each morning during the Bob 'n' Tom show on FM 100.3, KFXS, "The Fox", a great radio station, playing classic rock. They did a "free poke sandwich" promotion in conjunction with the pork council last year, offering free sandwiches at several area locations. Listen for their promos, we hear they might do it again, & if you get the chance, go have one or two of 'em. They're pretty darn tasty!

Check back often--if it's happening, we'll be there!