D i a m o n d B i k e r

Sturgis at Custer

Continuing south, the last rally town we passed through was Custer.  Custer claims to be the oldest town in the area, first populated by gold panners in the 1870's.  Not long after being founded and settled, the town all but dried up when the gold panners moved to Deadwood Gulch.
See Photo Album Sturgis at Custer.

The permanent population of 1239 is many times dwarfed by the number of bikes parked on the street during the rally.  Downtown is over a mile high.

If panning doesn't pan out, there's always the saloon.

They have a project in Custer called the "Custer Stampede", which calls artists to paint buffalo made of molded fiberglass.  The variously adorned buffalo appear around town for a year and then get auctioned off as a benefit.

From Custer, we headed over to Newcastle, Wyoming and then back down to Douglas, Wyoming, home of the "jackalope", our jumping-off-point.

Want to see more shots from here?  See Photo Album Sturgis at Custer.

Sturgis at the Monuments

About 5 miles south of Hill City, we turned off at the road to Mount Rushmore, and then drove another 10 miles or so.  The weather became real changeable, waffling between clear blue heat and rumbling thundershowers.
See Photo Album The Monuments.

When we passed the entry to Mount Rushmore, the monument was in heavy shade from the thundershower, so we settled at the Rushmore profile turnout.  Within minutes, the sky was blue again.

The rain did not last long, just enough the put an attractive gloss on the pavement.  The vintage bike and rider positioned themselves perfectly for several good shots.

Crazy Horse monument is along highway 385, halfway between where we turned left on the Mount Rushmore road and the town of Custer.

Want to see more shots from here?  See Photo Album The Monuments.

Sturgis at Hill City

Just about an hour south of Deadwood, highway 385 runs through Hill City, a town of about 850 permanent residents, nearly a mile high in elevation.  The street was packed with bikes, and cars were not allowed on the downtown strip.  The anchor in town is the bustling Harley-Davidson dealership, and the choice of lunch spots is excellent.  See Photo Album Hill City.

A somewhat dramatic sky rolled in, and it was over 90 degrees (F).

The lunch spots were all doing a great business.

Don't ask Grumpy Jack for a hamburger, or he might get, well, grumpy.  Grumpy is a purveyor of barbecue and the fixins' only.  Not only does Jack have pork like back home in Nashville, but he also serves up Texas brisket of beef.  If anyone knows about Grumpy Jack and his barbecue, please comment below.

With only minutes to spare, I picked up our lunch at the fastest place - Dairy Queen.  If you want a really thick malt or shake, they pride themselves on their gravity-defying versions.

Want to see more shots from here?  See Photo Album Hill City.

Sturgis at Boondocks

Along highway 385, heading south towards Mount Rushmore, we turned the Mustang around and returned to Boondocks.  This is a place you just can't pass by, even if your schedule is telling you to keep moving.  See Photo Album Boondocks.

All I can say is I wanted a burger - they looked and smelled great - maybe next time I'll have the time to sit and enjoy one.  Meanwhile, if there's anyone who wants to comment on Boondocks burgers, hot dogs or shakes, we're all ears - please comment below this post!

They have Studebakers and even a ferris wheel.

Want to see more shots from here?  See Photo Album Boondocks.

Sturgis at Deadwood

Deadwood was our first destination for Wednesday August 9th, hump day of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.  See photo album "A" (59 pictures)

The entire city of Deadwood, it turns out, is on the National HIstoric Register.  This is where "Wild Bill" Hickok was shot in the back by Jack McCall while holding a pair of eights and a pair of black aces in a saloon poker game on August 1st, 1876.  McCall was later hanged in Yankton for the crime.

All the amenities are there, but the look of the town is as though time stopped with "Wild Bill".  The permanent population of 2000+ swells beyond belief during the rally.

Jeff talked with G. Gordon Liddy about Gusset Jeans, on air, broadcasting from the Four Aces Casino.  Off the air, they talked flying.  The G-Man was amused at the low 29 knot stall speed of Jeff's "Airbike".

When we arrived at 9:30 in the morning, the town was actually quiet, with plenty of open street parking, only a few bikers moving around, and mostly beer and food trucks unloading.  Around 11 am is when the bikes took over the town completely.

We believe it helped that we rented a Mustang convertible for this visit.  It seemed to minimize the "uncool" factor of being a 4-wheeled vehicle in their midst, allowing us to get a closer look.

See Deadwood "A" photo album

Sturgis Short Video

Jeff captured this short video at the turnout looking up at the Mount Rushmore profile of George Washington.

Sturgis Pictures Coming

Diamond Gusset is coming at you from the 2006 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.  Co-founder Jeff Hall and I (blogger/brother Jerry) made our first pilgrimage to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this year.  On a tight schedule, we had only a day in the Black Hills, visiting Lead, Deadwood, Hill City, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer.  The photo above was made in Deadwood, SD on Wednesday August 9th.

Note: Photo albums and video to be posted asap - check back.