Two words…

KICK ASS!!!!!!

I’m still a bit tired as I write this, so the guys might have add anything I missed. Sorry for no pictures, but I just didn’t feel like running around playing Photographer.

The road out there was a bit rougher than expected, but I think our hunger for a good time washed away the pain in our muscles and the stinging sensation on our burnt faces, shortly after we rolled into Marks place (thanks AGAIN Mark, for letting us crash at your place… you have NO idea how much that helped).

We wasted no time…. a quick shower, a change of clothes, and we hit the ground running. First, we ate at Mustang Sally’s. Food was good, waitresses were smokin’ hot, and a cold beer never felt so good. Speaking of beer - we tried the Polygamy Porter and it was the nastiest beer that’s ever crossed these lips. We then slipped down to the Star for some blackjack. I came out 15 bucked ahead, and James more than doubled his money. Maybe I would’ve done better had I practiced before leaving, or looking up some quick tips. Didn’t matter tho… still came out ahead, and had a good time. Beer was free too! After that we went to Saloon 10 and it was packed. Heck… the entire town of Deadwood was packed. Drinks were over priced (just like everywhere else on that side of the state during this time), but we had fun. Mark, trying to be the good sport he is, got us all a shot of Comfort. I think I was yelling for 5 minutes trying to fight back the urge to throw up all over the place…. terrible gag/tolerance for hard liquor. Didn’t matter tho, we had a great time.

Next day, Mark couldn’t get out of work, so James and I made a run for Sturgis to see what all the hype was about. Needless to say, Stugis itself wasn’t all that great. There’s what seemed to be a mile long stretch, on two streets, with nothing but vendors hocking their wares. And since each ‘hock tent’ was nothing more than 20 foot wide (on average), it was nothing more than T-Shirts and food for as far as you could see. Sure, there were a couple places that had something good, but you had to make an effort to find them… sad.

While in Sturgis, James got me my first bell. It’s got some spider web and a spider on it. It really kicks ass, and can’t wait to get it on the bike! My first bell… YEAH! Probably gunna need it too. That link is the best description I could find online, without me repeating the whole thing… but it’s written kind of odd… like by someone that’s NOT a biker.

Anyways, we were looking for a t-shirt too (sort of a ‘must have’ for every biker coming through). But despite 2,000 fricking shops, we only found ONE that had something worth buying. Totally unique stuff, and we walked out with an arm full a piece. Yes… in that store we were like a couple of fricking women, shopping away. By the time I pulled out my wad for the third time, I realized I had better get the heck outa there.

Then, after walking for about 2 miles trying to find a certain store, we gave up the day at Sturgis and headed back to Deadwood. Mark got off work early, and we headed towards Rapid to find… uh… a ‘bar’. Damn… spent quite a bit of cash there too, but it was well worth it. hahahah

Over the next couple days, we rode like hell and drank anything we could get our hands on. But the pinnacle party spot of ‘em all, was the Full Throttle Saloon. Hands down - Best Bar EVER!! Seriously, if I could live there I would. Hard rock, beer in a bottle (hard to find this time of year), hot waitress’s, and the occasional tittle could be seen if you looked over here… or there, or just about anywhere. I WANNA GO BACK!!!! The place was the size of a Walmart. They had two stages for bands, and both were occupied. Saliva put on a damn good show, but I don’t know who the other band was. We didn’t hang out over at that end. James and I battled it out on Joust…. I won 2 out of 3, but that’s only cause James’ poor leg was all f’ed up. It was like fighting a one legged man, drunk.

On the last day, we went for an epic ride. The mother of all rides known to man (or at least to me). We rode over to Custer State Park and went down Needles and Iron Mountain Road (the map don’t show it, but it’s 87 and 16). I almost feel bad for not taking Erin, as she (or any woman for that matter) would have loved going down those roads. Sure, driving it is a total epic win, but you’re also watching out for other riders, handling the turns, etc… doing all the things that make the ride physically possible. If you’re a passenger tho, you get ALL the experience without worrying about anything. So, maybe next year, some other time in summer, Erin and I will go out there for a weekend alone, camp, and ride around.

Finally, we head back to Marks’ and skid on over to Rapid to see the new Batman movie. We ultimately decided not to party cause we had to leave early the next day, and we were getting burned out. I seriously don’t think I did that much partying before, even when I was younger.

The next day we headed back home. Terrible and Painful are just a couple choice words that describe THAT ride. We took 44 in, and the badlands area was bumpy as all heck. I even flew off the seat a couple times. Note to Mark - Do NOT ride at 90mph if you come that way on your bike. You WILL crash…. seriously.

After the badlands, the roads weren’t too bad, but we were so exhausted that every pit stop felt like heaven… despite the fact that we had to peal our busted asses off the bikes. By the time I got home, every single muscle in my body hurt, and my face was burnt to the point of needing medical attention. Thank god my wife’s a nurse… if she’s not too mad at me for taking this trip, then maybe she’ll spoil me all day tomorrow.

Other than coming home, the whole trip was a complete success, everyone lived to talk about it, and I already have some notes for next year….

1) Sunscreen. SPF 1,000,000.

2) Windshield. Bugs were kicking my ass.

3) New seat. My butt feels like hamburger.

4) More money for the… uh… ‘bar’.

It was an absolute killer time, and wouldn’t think twice about doing it all again!