The day started out a bit brisk for those whose blood has been thinned by the Arizona heat so we suited up with leather, heated vests and even some rain gear as we left the ranch about 7:30 and headed for Rapid City, South Dakota, where we'll be based during Sturgis.
By mid-morning, we rode into sunshine, 80+ degree temps. At our first gas stop of the day, we started shedding of many of those warmer clothing items.
The trip was another special day of riding and the 455 miles, the second longest riding day of the trip went quickly, as did the riders, across Colorado, Wyoming and into South Dakota. So much of the excitement for the riders in this group was the fact that over every rise or around every twist and turn in the road was something that most had never seen before. We all talked about what a better riding experience this was than had we tried to get to South Dakota on Interstate highways.
There were some straightaways that gave everybody the opportunity to put the pedal to metal, so to speak, and with the lack of patrolman along the way (and the fact that our leader has a radar detector on his bike) we all felt comfortable letting the breeze pass by us a little faster. It helped to make the time go by and the vast and beautiful landscape kept us all awestruck.
The only glitch we had during the day was when we came upon an accident that had just happened involving a single car. A lady was pinned inside the car in her seat belt resting upside down. About 20 bikers, including our group, stopped to render assistance. By breaking out a window and using a sharp knife, members of the rescue party were able to get the lady out of the car safely. One of the passersby was a nurse and was able to help stabilize the injured party until EMTs and police personnel arrived, which took some time, given the location of the accident. We got back on the road again when we felt the person was safe and in good hands.
We arrived in Rapid City about 5:30. After a quick change, we got into a rented van and headed for the ZZ Top concert at Buffalo Chip Campground, the venue where most of the big name entertainment is performing. With Sugarland being the opening act, the concert was great, crowded and noisy. A couple of our folks from the dealership met up with us and joined us for an enjoyable evening.
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