I have a feeling you know what Sturgis, SD is famous for, so why is this one of our stops, you ask? Well, we were having an intermittent problem with our F350 truck since Holland, MI. After a long drive, it would not start. But Dave was able to slide under the truck and wiggle a connector and it would start. Phew! In troubleshooting the issue, first Dave replaced the fuel pump control module. Nope, that did not fix it. Then, he replaced the fuel pump control module connector as this was the part that he would wiggle and it would start; something must be loose. But nope, that was not it either. So, we made an appointment at a Ford dealer as we really wanted to get it fixed before we headed into Canada. The Ford dealer in Rapid City (an hour away from our current campground) had a 3 week wait but it was less than a week for an appointment in Sturgis (about 1 ½ hours north), so here we are. Besides, there is plenty for us to do in the northern Black Hills region so it is a win win!
Here are a couple of pictures of what Sturgis is famous for – its 10-day Motorcycle Rally held the beginning of August each year. This year is its 84th annual. Sturgis’s Main Street, which is just two blocks from our campground, is lined with saloons and many of the retail stores only open for the Motorcycle Rally. Our first night we ventured into the Loud American saloon for refreshments. I can only imagine what it is like during the rally. Fun fact: Over 500,000 people attend each year and consume over 3 million gallons of beer!
When we were visiting Custer State Park just to the south of us, we hoped to ride a part of the Mickelson Trail, a 109-mile rail trail in the Black Hills region. As there was so much to see and do in that area, we did not get a chance to ride it. However, its northern trailhead is in Deadwood, SD, less than 30 minutes from our Sturgis campground, so off we went. It was uphill for the first 16 miles at a gentle 3% to 4% grade (we turned around before the top), so it was a fun coast downhill back to Deadwood. Unfortunately, Helen was nursing a pulled hamstring so instead she visited Lou Lou’s Bombdiggities Pasties and bought pasties for us. I cannot believe it, but these were better than the ones from Upper Michigan, which they are known for. Maybe LouLou is from that area.
The following morning, we dropped off our truck at the Ford dealer. Between making the appointment and the actual appointment date, Dave fixed the issue. Yay Dave! After he downloaded a wiring diagram, he went underneath and discovered a loose fuel pump power connection. The truck has started ever since he tightened it. Phew! However, the truck had a recall to reprogram a part, so we kept our appointment. We also dropped Murphy at Woofers, a doggy day care in Sturgis. We were off to Devil’s Tower for the day, which was over an hour’s drive, and we wanted to do several hikes around the monument. Unfortunately, the park service does not allow dogs on the trails. It would have been too long a day for Murphy to stay alone in the RV. This was Murphy’s first visit to a doggy daycare and he appeared to have a great time. They were sorry he wasn’t going to come back. Their comment was “he’s always so happy”.
Devil’s Tower was amazing. We greatly enjoyed our hikes to see the tower from different angles. We also saw climbers way up on the tower. Dave was able to zoom in on one, pictured below. We also chatted with two hikers that had just descended. They said it was an “efficient” ascent, only taking them 2 hours. I could not fathom doing that climb.
The next day was another full day. We drove to Spearfish, SD, less than an hour west of Sturgis. We first toured the DC Booth National Fish Hatchery & Archives. I had no idea how active the US Fish & Wildlife Service is in replenishing our nations waterways with fish. It was originally created in 1871 by the United States Congress and called the US Fish Commission to study and recommend solutions to a noted decline in the stocks of food fish. The agency has expanded over the years and is now the US Fish & Wildlife Service. The National Fish Hatchery we visited is just one of 70 in our nation and focuses primarily in trout. This location provided a history lesson on how initially, special purpose trains were used to repopulate the streams and lakes, able to transport up to 15,000 3-inch fish to various locations, with the fish staying alive for up to 10 days.
We then drove the 19-mile Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway and stopped to view three different waterfalls, two of which we hiked to. We stopped for lunch at Cheyenne Crossing, built in 1868 and use to be a stagecoach stop. Dave tried the famous Indian Taco, made on Indian Fry Bread. It was pictured on a Food Network Magazine cover. Very filling!
The next stop I really need Dave to explain. I am not embarrassed to say it was way over my head. Stand by…I’ll get Dave.
From Dave:
The Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF)’s history began in 1965 when a chemist named Ray Davis built an experiment to detect the then recently theorized existence of neutrinos using a 100,000-gallon tank filled with chlorine at the 4850 level (that’s 4850 ft below the surface!) in a gold mine in Lead, SD. His experiments were successful and he later was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics for his work.
Fast forward to the present, during the ensuing years the gold mine was closed, abandoned, and flooded. Sanford University spearheaded the effort to make the mine useable again for scientific purposes by refurbishing the dewatering pumps, lifts (elevators), ventilators and other work.
Since that time, Sanford has built and installed equipment at the extreme depths to support 16 different experiments seeking answers to some of the more fundamental physics questions. The location of these experiments so deep underground allows scientists to search for answers without interference from spurious signals.
I am back. I hope the whole neutrino thing made since to you, I still do not understand what a neutrino is. But it was a cool site to visit. I guess it is time I do some more reading (or watch You tube videos on it!)
One last stop for the day – Deadhorse, SD. Built at the base of a steep wooded incline on Deadwood Gulch, it was named for the dead trees found in the canyon. The city was founded during the 1876 gold rush, with over 25,000 miners swarmed the area.. It supposedly is famous for its lawlessness in the late 1800’s, including the murder of Wild Bill Hickock in 1876. Its main street has numerous casinos, gift shops, restaurants, ice cream shops…you know a typical downtown tourist location. Honestly, I was not impressed with it. Just too touristy. The consensus of our group was it was not somewhere we would return to, unless we were riding the Mickelson Trail again.
Lastly, during our stop in Sturgis, we also headed over to the geographic center of the United States, well, to a point in the closest town to the point, Belle Fourche, SD. The geo center use to be in Lebanon, Kansas, but once Hawaii & Alaska were added to the United States, the center was recomputed. Fun trivia fact.
Phew! Another busy few days. Thanks for reading these longer posts Sturgis ended up being a great location to visit the northern Black Hills area. We are off to travel through Montana and hope to get to Canada in the next few days.
Great to get back on the bike Brenda, So much to see between FL and AK Dave, and had a blast at Doggy Day Care Murphy.
HA! Deadwood–I did the mirror maze there with my sister, some great laughs! Sturgiss was a ghost town when we went after bike week. Your travels bring back some fun memories of our travels, thanks for sharing!