Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/727617
27 www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS nOctober 2016n by Felicia Morgan BUFFALO CHIP, S.D., AUG. 24—Back in 1981, as the City of Sturgis was busily trying to eradicate unruly bikers from its city park, Rod "Woody" Woodruff was hooking those same unruly bikers up with a sanctuary. He looked around and decided to offer a safe haven beyond the city limits for riders to camp while exercising their right to be bikers and enjoy the freedom to drop a kickstand, party down, and revel in the brotherhood of biking without being hassled by the Man. From that very fi rst party, the Buffalo Chip has come to be synonymous with "wild times" and no other place can conjure up instant smiles and fond memo- ries of rocking good fun quite like the Chip. Etched 35 years ago from Woody's desire to have a place for his friends to party, the Chip has evolved into an annual ritual for riders who are looking for a place to take in some tunes, play in the sun and check out a bike show or two as the Woodruff family has worked to create a community for bikers. These days, other than the call of the canyons and a yearning to ride, there's little reason to ever leave the property. Improvements to what was once grazing land for cattle and a variety of local wildlife now includes a property with its own sewage system, well, water tower and water system, cre- ating an infrastructure that provides for not just the campground, but sur- rounding neighbors as well. "There's an ammunition manufacturing plant near us and lightning struck it a cou- ple of years ago," Woody shared. "People are here year-round and it was our guys who saw it strike. They went over and started taking care of it and we put out two fi res just this year; one was a farmer whose place caught fi re when he was doing hay. Our guys BUFFALO CHIP'S 35TH ANNIVERSARY Just partying with friends Woody's wild times rage on See "Buffalo Chip," page 46, column 1 Ron "Woody" Woodruff has provided the perfect place for bikers to party since 1981