Day 7 - Day trip from Rapid City to Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park and Sturgis (around 120 miles)

A later start than normal - out on the road for 9 am.  The lanscape/scenery around the Black Hills National Forest was fantastic - ranging from ranch pasture to conifer wooded hills to stark granite peaks and domes. First stop was Mount Rushmore where the heads of Presidents George Washington,

Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson have been sculpted in the granite.

We next rode through Custer State Park which is very extensive and saw bison and donkeys. Stopped to take in the scenery.

Jeff the Lead rider

Burt - The support driver

Dennis - from California

We rode into the town of Custer for lunch.

The original plan was to visit the town of Deadwood (another old western - style main street) but it was hosting a classic car rally and no parking was to be had.  Off to Sturgis then - something of a Mecca for serious bike riders due to the annual Sturgis Rally - the largest motorbike event in the world.  This has taken place a couple of weeks ago and we unexpectedly found a very quiet atmosphere - with many store owners probably having gone on vacation to spend their takings. Contrast the picture of Sturgis main street today - with the same street 2 weeks ago:

As a consolation for missing out on Deadwood, the following link takes you to a young Doris Day singing 'The Deadwood Stage':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_xmujSyxkU

Background on the Sturgis Rally:

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is an American motorcycle rally held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota, for ten days usually during the first full week of August. It was begun in 1938 by a group of Indian Motorcycle riders and was originally held for stunts and races. Attendance has historically been around 500,000 people, reaching a high of over 700,000 in 2015. The event generates around $800 million in revenue.  

The first rally was held by Indian Motorcycle riders on August 14, 1938, by the Jackpine Gypsies motorcycle club. The first event was called the "Black Hills Classic" and consisted of a single race with nine participants and a small audience. 

The focus of a motorcycle rally was originally racing and stunts. In 1961, the rally was expanded to include the Hillclimb and Motocross races. This could include half-mile track racing (the first year in Sturgis, there were 19 participants), intentional board wall crashes, ramp jumps and head-on collisions with automobiles. The Sturgis Rally has been held every year, with exceptions during World War II. For instance, in 1942, the event was not held due to gasoline rationing.