Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/727617
24 nOctober 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS We hit the streets of Sturgis with a commitment to meet new friends and hear their tales, despite the fact that the streets were wet and attendance was down. We managed to fi nd both new and old friends and those who braved both the weather and the fuzz did their best to make sure the party downtown was just as loud and proud as usual. Wayward soul Jeff is a Kansas resident who has returned to Sturgis for the fi rst time in 25 years. The 60-year-old has spent the last few months on a sort of soul-searching quest as he travels around on his Street Glide. He shares that, mostly, Sturgis hasn't changed too much, other than the outrageous $300 hotel room rates and the size of the crowds on Main Street. Bonnie Lou We found Bonnie kicking her booty off while trying hard to start Carl Olson's Knucklehead over at the Broken Spoke. Carl was ramrodding the AMCA antique motorcycle show and Bonnie was taking advantage of the opportunity to soak up some of the old-school ambience. She was getting into an impromptu kickstart lesson with the Knuckle, but never had quite enough "umph" to start the old gal, though there was a cough-and-sputter moment of hope that gave Bonnie a thrill. Waterproof These 20-something ladies were out at the Knuckle Saloon to cele- brate a birthday during a cloudburst one afternoon. Men gathered around snapping photos as the girls posed and giggled. We noticed that though they had just come in out of the rain, they didn't appear wet at all. When we learned that the SoCal ladies were in town as members of the oil wrestling team, it made perfect sense as to why the rain seemed to just roll right off. Chubby boys John is an electrician, Lee is a roadie, and both work with the same band. Both guys rode their bikes out from California to party down with STURGIS FACES IN THE CROWD Hittin' the streets See "Faces in the crowd," page 28, column 1 roster of activities planned out even though it appeared to us that they weren't exactly ready for business. Mike Ballard and Jesse James Dupree had construction crews burning the midnight oil to get rally-ready at the newly-purchased old Broken Spoke property at the base of Bear Butte and riders rolled in to park on still-soft blacktop and found a half-stocked grocery store. Campers still dropped their kickstand in the gravel out at the cabins and folks fi lled the swimming pool on hot afternoons so it wasn't a complete disaster. The bike shows were well attended but it looks like they still have some bugs to work out before next year's rally. Out at the Buffalo Chip the newly-opened and highly-contended bypass road, Fort Meade Way, was seeing an average of 3,400 vehicles a day with a peak of just over 4,000, which was a good indication that regardless of the debate about building it in the fi rst place or the less-than-de- sirable fi nished surface, travelers were taking advantage of the convenience of avoiding the Lazelle Street traffi c jams. The 5.6-mile road makes perfect sense for those riding to the Chip, Glencoe and Full Throttle as well as anyone else looking to avoid sitting at traffi c lights. All three of these camp- grounds are only open during the rally and operate strictly for bikers, so any convenience for their customers is welcome. Camper traffi c arriving and leaving at the end of the rally found the route an easy alternative despite the fact that the surface is still gravel. A process called "Mag Water," an application utilizing magnesium Sturgis Continued from page 13 See "Sturgis," page 26, column 1 Doc and daughter Kersten sqaure off out at the Sturgis dragstrip Artist Scott Jacobs and his family have renovated a building in the historic Deadwood dis- trict and welcome people to come visit