Colorado Springs - Garden Of The Gods...

The second big trip of August would find me, once again, in another time zone. This time I traveled to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The main point of this particular trip was to photograph Garden of The Gods. 

Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971, Garden of The Gods is actually a Colorado Springs city park. In 1879, Charles Elliott Perkins purchased 480 acres of land which included a portion of the current park. When he died in 1907, the Perkins family gave the land to the City of Colorado Springs, with the provision that it would always remain a free park. 

The rock formations are nothing short of spectacular:

Rock climbing is permitted within the park...

 

The Kissing Camels

Balanced Rock

Many wonder where the name originated. Well, two surveyors who helped to set up Colorado City explored the site in August of 1859. One of the surveyors, Melancthon S. Beach, suggested it would be a "capital place for a beer garden". His companion, the young Rufus Cable, awestruck by the impressive rock formations surrounding them, exclaimed, "Beer Garden! Why, it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods."

And there you have it.

And, having visited it, I must say it's quite an appropriate name...

 

 

 

 

At one point during the planning of this trip, we'd batted around the idea of staying at one of the really big campgrounds The Buffalo Chip is probably the most popular, and certainly draws in the most notable musical acts of the entire rally. Everyone from Aerosmith to ZZ Top has played  over the years here during the rally.|

So, yeah, that would've been cool, but what wouldn't have been as cool would've been camping, with no shade and some 25 showers, with as many people who could cram into their 600 acres.

No, not really for me.

Another one of the extremely large campgrounds is Full Throttle Saloon, where we elected to go to have a few drinks and do some more people watching.

 

Full Throttle Saloon is known as the world's biggest biker bar, and I can't say I would disagree with that. Like Buffalo Chip, they accommodate as many campers as they can cram onto the grounds, and the grounds are expansive. But the bar itself is absolutely enormous, and it fills up fast.

As you roll up, the first thing you notice is the sculpture they have. It's all bike related, of course:

 

Once you step in the front door the enormity of the place hits you. Or so you think. When you step out the back door the grounds take on a whole new dimension. An enormous covered patio is littered with motorized vehicles of all shape and size, including a full-size Freightliner semi coming out of the wall:

 

We grabbed a couple of bar stools and got ourselves some beers and let the biker world go by:

 

Bartenders come to Sturgis from all over the country solely for the rally...

 

The people watching opportunities were plentiful all over, so after our third beer we decided to walk around and see what else FTS had to offer.

So, yeah, dude gets on a motorcycle and rides in inside this sphere. It's crazy to watch!

This is so you ca see it from the road!!

This is the main stage at the Full Throttle Saloon. It's the perfect place to be if you want to hear the hard rock band Jackyl on stage doing their sound check...

Not entirely sure what to make of this...

Chillin'...

Again, nothin'...

This is a section of a bridge from, well, I've no idea, along with an iron skull. Because you need to have that at the Surgis Bike Rally!

Inside the FTS store...

Unbeknownst to many, there's a distillery on site...

 

So, while I don't know if I'd ever camp there, Full Throttle Saloon is a great place to go to get a beer, listen to some live music and just relax while the rally happens around you. It's definitely worth the short drive from downtown Sturgis...

 

Following our visit to Mount Rushmore, we decided to take the hour long drive over to the storied town of Deadwood, South Dakota.

 

There's loads to see along the way and,. of course, we stopped to take some of it in: 

 

 

Deadwood was founded by early settlers who got the name for the town from the dead trees found in a nearby gulch. While this area of the Black Hills was, by treaty, owned by the Lakota, the discovery of gold in 1874 took an unofficial precedence, and the population had grown to over 25,000 by 1876. As of the 2020 census, though, that number had decreased to a far more manageable 1,156. In the late 1800's, old west figures Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickock, who was murdered here, called Deadwood home.

During the rally, the streets of Deadwood become packed with bikes and parking is at a premium. Even people on motorcycles had trouble finding parking. Once you find it, though, you'll be glad you decided to tough it our until you found a spot. The local Harley Davidson dealer (appropriately named Deadwood Harley Davidson) pretty much takes over the entire town square with motorcycle displays, music,demonstrations and, of course, the obligatory swimming pool:

We decided we need some adult beverages, so we wandered into a joint called the Bodega Bar which had the two things we needed more than anything: beer and air conditioning. 

 

The drinks were cheap and, anytime you come to an event like this, the people watching opportunities are plentiful. I don't remember their names, but these to guys were having almost as much fun as we were, so we decided to hang out for a bit and buy rounds for each other:

 

It was a great day, and the Deadwood experience was more than worthwhile (even if it did take us a half hour to find parking). Even though this was just my first time to the rally, I can't imagine a tip here during the rally being complete for anyone without a visit to Deadwood...

Mount Rushmore and Beyond...

One of the cool things about being in this part of the country is the driving. Endless lengths of pavement give way to blue sky and rolling hills at every turn. And, sometimes, those rolling hills are the Black Hills and, if you're in the Black Hills, you have to go to Mount Rushmore.

Admission to Mount Rushmore National Memorial (that's the official name) is actually free. You do have to park, however, and that's where they get ya'. It's actually not bad. Parking is only $10, $5 if you're 62 or older and free if you're active duty military.

We actually didn't go into the park itself. I was here back in 2013 when I drove cross country, and took the hike that's offered around the base of the mountain. We were here for the photo ops, though, and a great photo op was available right there on the road leading to the park, SD-244:

 

 

Construction on the monument started in October of 1927 and opened 14 years later in October of 1941. People often wonder why these four Presidents were chosen. If you happen to be one of those people, well, wonder no more.

Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore, is responsible for choosing the faces carved into the mountain. He chose them for these reasons:

• George Washington - Signifies the struggle for independence and the birth of the Republic.
• Thomas Jefferson - Signifies the territorial expansion of the country.
• Abraham Lincoln - Represents the permanent union of the States and equality for all citizens.
• Theodore Roosevelt - Stands for the 20th century role of the United States in world affairs.
  

 

 

One of the little known facts about Mount Rushmore is that the original design called for the sculptures to be head-to-waist, but funding dried up in 1941 causing the shutdown of construction:

 

This photo was taken during my visit in 2013...

The allure of such an attraction is lost on no one, and I got a kick out of watching this Hells Angels member and his girlfriend taking "selfies" with the mountain in the background:

From where we were on SD-244, we drove past the park entrance and, aft6er a few miles, came upon what's known as "Profile View". From here, you can see a great profile of George Washington. Sadly, the other sculptures aren't visible from this vantage point:

 

 

Mount Rushmore is one of those places in America that I think every American should visit at least once. There are a few of those places; Washington D.C. and Gettysburg are certainly worthy of such reverence. If you ever find yourself meandering your way through the Black Hills, take the opportunity to visit this magnificent icon of the American spirit...

Sturgis...

Of course, the whole reason for coming all this way was to go to Sturgis. Main Street is where it all happens, as we wanted to be there.

Now, I had heard that upwards of 800,000 to 1,000,000 people were going to be on hand this year and, while there were bikers everywhere, I don't think the attendance numbers quite hit those lofty predictions. Even still, bikes jammed Main Street, just as they do every year, and the downtown bars, restaurants and shops all make their year at the rally.

Before taking on Sturgis, though, we decided to hit the Needles Highway. The Needles Highway is much like the famed Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee. It's a bit of a dangerous drive, so much so that it's closed every winter. Also, there are some rather small tunnels which threaten the paint on practically any four-wheel vehicle that dare traverse them. White knuckle? In some places, yeah, maybe a little:

 

These folks were all waiting for us to get through the tunnel...

And then, in some areas, it's a wide open, leisurely drive:

 

We decided to venture into Custer National Park and, if you've never been there it's, well, wide open and vast:

 

Quite honestly, there wasn't much to see other than motorcycles (and a lot of them). Still we decided to drive through and, at one point, made a right hand turn up some dirt road.

And there they were:

Last year, when my daughter and I drove through Yellowstone, we were amazed at the size of the bison there. They were huge animals. These, however, while being large in stature, were quite thin in comparison, and you could tell it was getting towards the end of their summer.

 

Our cruise through Custer National Park at an end, we decided to head into Sturgis.

The rally in Sturgis is really a sight to behold. If you're like me, and enjoy people watching, this is definitely a good choice.

This guy was a real character, and quite obliging...

Just because you can doesn't mean you should...

And, not only are there some pretty crazy people to see, there are, of course, the motorcycles:

Now, if that wasn't sensory overload to the nth degree, you have to remember that live music is everywhere in Sturgis during the rally. For our evening entertainment we opted for the Iron Horse Saloon. The facility is top-notch and can easily host any act, big or small. When we were there, the band "Hairball" was performing. They pretty much do everything that's 80's rock, and they even dress the part::

 

It was surely a feast for the eyes and the ears, and there were about 6,000 people crammed into the outdoor venue. That said, it never felt crowded and you never had to wait too long for your server to return with your beer.

We erred on the side of caution this night and decided to stay downtown in the camper. It was probably a wise move, as the police were everywhere, we'd been drinking, and we had more things to do the next day...