STURGIS 75 th An Epoch Ride

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1 STURGIS 75 th An Epoch Ride "Let's go to Sturgis, it will be the 75th and would be a killer ride". That was how the discussion went in July 2014 at my 40th High School Reunion. I hadn't seen any of these guys in 40 years. A few more beers and it was settled. Three of us would ride from Washington and meet up with Clayton in Sturgis. It was time to start planning. Clayton had been to Sturgis a dozen times over the years and knew all the places we should try to see while at the rally. Over the next several months things changed and it turned out I was going alone unless I could find someone to ride with. At a HOG meeting I mentioned to Ron that I was planning to go to Sturgis and we should ride together. I must have struck a nerve because about a week later Ron called and said he was "in". Cool, the details needed to be worked out, but that would happen over the course of the next 11 months. The route shown is the final route traveled plus miles to and from Sturgis with an additional 600 miles in and around the Black Hills. The plan was to avoid the Interstate as much as possible but as it turned out, weather and road construction forced us to take I 90 for a couple stretches. The day before we planned to roll, I could hardly sleep, I was like a kid on Christmas Eve. The temperature had been in the 100's for days leading up to our departure. Day one was no exception. Day 1 We got an early start but by the time we turned onto Hwy 261 towards Palouse Falls, it was hot, really hot. Ron appropriately named it Death Valley. I became a believer in a hydration vest on this trip. Our first camp was just over Lolo Pass, Montana so some relief to the heat was expected. We stopped in Orofino to pick up some food and drinks before the last leg, a stretch we were looking forward to. Highway 12 is well known for the 99 miles of twists and turns and we were just getting into them when I noticed Ron's headlight had gone out and he was falling far behind. I was pulling a trailer, so I had to find a safe place to turn around. I found Ron standing next to his Roadking with a puzzled look on his face. His bike was dead, no juice from the battery at all to turn it over. Fuses were fine...it just died! It was an electrical issue we could

2 not diagnose on the roadside with limited tools. Here we were, no cell service and 100 miles back to Lewiston or 120 miles ahead to Missoula. Cougar Canyon Station (Population 26), was about a mile back, so Ron stayed with the gear while I used the phone to arrange for a tow service to haul Ron's bike to Missoula. All the while groups of Harleys kept passing, loaded with camping gear, headed for Sturgis. It really started to sink in that we were on our way...just a minor setback. I followed the tow truck to Lolo Pass and turned off at the Lee Creek Campground, Ron continued on to Missoula. Day 2 I woke to 37 degrees, packed up and headed to Missoula. I arrived at Grizzly HD just as Ron was strapping the final gear on his motorcycle. The problem turned out to be a faulty battery. It seems that if your battery craps out, the bike won't run. A minimum voltage must be maintained in order to keep all the electronics functioning properly. Just the alternator is not sufficient, that was a new one on us. So we were back on the road. Ron spent the night on the asphalt curled up next to his bike because the lawn had sprinklers and he didn't want to get rained on in the middle of the night. We headed east on I 90 for a short stretch before turning onto Hwy 200 that takes you through some beautiful valleys, past huge stacks of hay, not baled, just cut and loose stacked high as a barn, and some fields with round bales as far as you could see. The plan was to stay on Hwy 12 to Billings but road construction changed the route at Townsend and we were forced to take I 90 from Three Forks to Billings where we stayed at the 1st ever KOA Campground. They served a nice BBQ dinner and we spent the night talking with some locals and numerous other bikers on their way to the Rally. Day 3 A shower and big breakfast at the campground and we were ready for the final stretch. This last leg really got us pumped up. We started out, just the two of us, but it wasn't long before we were riding with a gaggle of bikes. New bikes would join up, others would peel off and speed on ahead, it went on like this all day. As we got closer, each little gas station along the way had bikes stacked up waiting to get to the pumps. Clayton suggested we try the city campgound at Spearfish, 20 miles west of Sturgis. Neither of us wanted to stay at the huge campgrounds for various reasons. When we arrived, the ladies helping us behind the counter were very pleasant and instructed us to just find a spot on the grass and pitch your tents. After a pass thru the grounds we found a spot. It was a nice campground, everyone was having a good time, but nothing out of control. The guy with the loudest pipes made his presence known in the middle of the night when he returned from Sturgis. The creek meandering thru the campground was an added bonus and provided some separation between camps. Here is Ron scribbling down some notes of our trip.

3 A service buddy of mine was in town for the Rally. Mike and his family rode up from Green River, WY. Mike's mom is 85 and loves to ride on the back with her boys. They were only in town for a day so we tied in together and made the best of a short visit. Day 4 The next morning we headed for Sturgis. Motorcycles everywhere, on the Highway headed for town, on the side streets, at every little venue you could imagine...everywhere. We met up with Clayton at the Veterans Hall for an all you could eat breakfast and then wandered out into Main Street, Sturgis. The amount of bikes already filling the streets and alleys was a sight to see, and exciting to be a part of. While at Sturgis we rode many of the popular routes...iron Mountain and the pig tail bridges, Spearfish Canyon, Hill City, Nemo, and Rapid City. Deadwood was under serious construction so we stayed away. When we stopped at Black Hills HD in Rapid City, there was a sea of motorcycles and a steady stream of bikes coming and going the entire time we were there (now where did we park?) Then it was off to the Full Throttle Saloon for some entertainment...the Circle of Death, Midget Wrestling, food, music, and pretty ladies.

4 Days 7 & 8 We decided to take an extra day on the return trip to see some new country. We took the back roads again and found out just how far you can go on a tank of gas. Leaving Gillete WY we thought there would be gas available at one of the small towns on the map. Pulling a trailer and serious headwinds destroyed gas mileage that day. We stopped at Spotted Horse Traveling around the Black Hills was an adventure in itself. You start out with a few bikes and before you know it you re in a group of several hundred. We headed to Hulett for "No Panty Wednesday" and traffic slowed to a duck walk several miles from town. Cage traffic was detoured around town Motorcycles Only. There were bikes parked as far as you could see. Then it was off to Devils Tower and back to camp.

5 and my fuel gauge said 15 miles to empty...but no gas at Spotted Horse. I asked inside and the closest gas was Clearmont, 31 miles away. So off we went, fully expecting to run out along the way, but luck was on my side and we rolled into the pumps with gas to spare, not much though, it took 5.8 gallons! Note to self...stop more often for fuel. Wyoming has some of the best riding we experienced on the trip, The Bighorn Mountains, Beartooth Pass, Chief Joseph Highway, Dead Indian Road, and Yellowstone Nat'l Park.. Days 9 & 10 The weather gods were good to us on the trip. While in Sturgis, we managed to stay dry, but all good things must come to an end. After passing through Cody, the weather started to get dark to the SW. We managed to get through Yellowstone Park and found a KOA outside of West Yellowstone. As we were pitching camp, the winds started to blow and the rain hit late that night. It was still raining when we headed out the next morning and the forecast looked bad for the route we picked through the mountains, so we re routed to Butte. The rain quit and we remained dry the rest of the trip. We stopped at Grizzly HD in Missoula to pick up the stool Ron left by accident when he stopped there on Day 2 (remember the battery). Since Ron was not able to ride Lolo Pass Hwy on the way to Sturgis, we took the same route as our first day, in reverse. The weather was not as hot, which was nice, and the ride was excellent, but stay alert. WOW, what a great ride. Bill Epoch & Ron Hall