August 8, 2012 - Day six part two was a blast. You never know what crazy shit you're going to see at the Full Throttle Saloon. It's always a wild time day or night. We then went to downtown Sturgis for the evening and watched some great bands and drunk dancers at the Knuckle Saloon.

August 8, 2012 - Day six of our trip was a fun and relaxing day. Talk about seeing some things you just don't see on a regular basis. We started the day at the Spearfish Fish Hatchery, which was kind of cool to see. They had some serious trout. We then rode up to Belle Fouche and then East across South Dakota. Not a very pleasent drive, and not a lot to look at. But we were able to drop in the back side of Sturgis, stopping off at the Dragpipe Saloon for some shenanigans. The band (The Lugnuts) kicked ass, the food was tasty and free, and we even got to experience a game of chicken shit bingo. Fun but gross! After a few hours there we headed to the Full Throttle Saloon...

August 7, 2012 - Day five of the trip was the best by far. The ride through Spearfish Canyon was breath taking as usual. The we rode south through Lead and Deadwood towards Mount Rushmore. We stopped for a rest a Lake Pactola where I was stung by a yellow jacket that flew into my ear while we were on the road. It hurt like hell. The next stop was Keystone and then a short ride past Mount Rushmore. Then I finally got to go on a ride I had never done before. We rode through the Wildlife Loop at Custer State Park and saw bison, deer and asses. No, I mean actual asses donkeys). Then the coolest ride I've ever done in my short biking career, the Needles Highway. It was full of crazy hairpin turns that were so much fun to ride through. I loved leaning my bike to see just how far I could go before draging my pipes. Then through Hill City and back to Spearfish. It was a long day, but a thrilling 245 miles to say the least.

August 6, 2012 - Day four of our trip with an incredible ride through Wyoming to Hullet and Devil's Tower. Then a nightime ride to the Legendary Buffalo Chip to see Buckcherry and Boston.

August 5, 2012 - Today we spent the day in Sturgis seeing the crazy antics of the biker community. Then a ride through the Hills through Nemo and Deadwood.

August 4, 2012 - Today was a pretty brutal day. The weather was nice and cool for the most part. However, the sun was beating down on me and after two days I am pretty much burnt to a crisp in some areas. We stopped in Winner, SD to have lunch with my Grandma D, her sister Mildred and Great Grandma Emma. The flowers were for my Grandma who's birthday is tomorrow. All those miles (1,016 to be exact), fixing my bike several times and running out of gas couldn't slow me down. I finally made it. At least I can say "I rode mine!".

August 3, 2012 - It looked like we might not ever get on the road. And we dodged rain to the point that I actually had to put my leathers on just in case. But someone must have been looking down on me. Barely a sprinkle. I did lose another mirror though. I included at least one in the trip budget. Enjoy the video. It's a true glimpse into what we were up to yesterday.

August 3, 2012 - The title of this post says it all. I am getting more and more excited as the day goes on. It feels like this work day has already lasted forever. Tomorrow I get to open all the presents!

In fact, I was so excited that last night I found myself riding the Harley Davidson video game motorcycles at Dave & Busters. What a dork!

I will have plenty of content here every day for the next nine days, including a video recap of every day and written accounts of the trip as experienced by our other travelers. If you've ever wondered what it's like to go to Sturgis, we're going to show you.

I also came across this post from the official Sturgis Rally Facebook site. Live webcam views of the scene in Sturgis. If your curious, take a look.

So long for now. See you tomorrow from the road!

August 2, 2012 - 48 hours and counting. I haven't even started packing yet. But that's the fun of it sometimes. I'm going to get on that bike and go. No worries, no responsibilities. Just me, my wife, my friends and 1,000 miles of highway. Now that's some real therapy!

So I thought about what I could talk about that would be interesting. I realized I haven't talked much about the great music scene in Sturgis during Bike Week. I started going to Sturgis in 2004 primarily for the concerts. It's great because typically all of the large national acts that you'd actually be interested in seeing make there way at some point to the hills during the rally. So it ends up being a festival type atmosphere. Over the years I have seen a variety of acts including but not limited to Alice In Chains, Buckcherry, Disturbed, Nickelback, ZZ Top, Motley Crue, Ozzy, REO, Sammy Hagar... but none bigger than Aerosmith. And that had the most interesting story of all.

So Heather and I spent $120 a piece to get into the Buffalo Chip, which has got to be one of the coolest places on earth to see a concert, to see the Toxic Twins. Bikini contests, topless mechanical bull riding, burnout pits and great music. Oh, and did I mention most of the time you can ride your bike into the arena for concerts. Nothing more persuasive for an encore than thousands of Harley riders revving their engines. Aerosmith, however, had sold so many tickets that they were not allowing bikes into the venue.

So there was a terrible hail storm just hours before the show. I mean, hail I had never seen before. Crazy shit. So we finally get to the amphitheater and it proceeds to rain for an hour or two. No cover, no shelter. Thankfully we found a couple with an umbrella that was willing to share which kept us semi-dry. Finally the weather cleared and the band took the stage.

Now I've seen Aerosmith too many times to count. But the last couple times I'd seen them I was somewhat disappointed. They were bringing it at the Chip though. It was a great show, and the crowd seemingly forgot that they were soaked to the bone and cold. Everything was rocking until the middle of "Love In An Elevator" when the front of house power went out. No PA. All you could hear was the guitar and bass amps and the drums. Steven Tyler, being the consummate entertainer he is, decided the show must go on, and proceeded to do a little jig for the crowd. And then it happened...

Yep... your eyes did not deceive you. That was Steven Tyler plummeting from the stage, ass over tea kettle. Heather and I had about the same vantage point as this video.

A broken collar bone and a helicopter ride later, the concert was cancelled (without refunds) and we were, a crowd of soaked, smelly bikers, Aerosmithless and penniless, wondering whether to riot or just go home. But hey, at least we can say we were there!

July 31, 2012 - So the news just keeps getting worse the closer we get. Today I found out that Big Mike and Barb will not be going on our trip in a couple days. That totally sucks. I know how bad Barb was looking forward to this trip. I think she's been packed for two months already.

But, as we all do, we push on. Heather and I have been talking to Randy and Connie the past couple days, tying up all the loose ends and making sure we have everything we need for the trip. Looks like everything is ready. They are super excited to be going, and their excitement is infectious. I love going to Sturgis with people for the first time. It reminds me of how it was the first time I was there.

So, in less than 72 hours we'll be pounding the pavement. I can't wait!

July 25, 2012 - So I came across this video yesterday on YouTube and it got me excited about the trip. I thought I'd share it. 10 days and counting...

July 24, 2012 - Today is my 32nd birthday. Surprisingly I can say that I'm probably in the best shape of my life thanks to my workout buddy Kristy Banks and our Insanity workouts that we just finished last Friday and the amazing, health-conscious cooking of my wonderful wife Heather. So I'm feeling really good and can't wait to take on that 1,000 mile ride on that rigid Sporty.

Unfortunately, I just got official confirmation that our friends Jeremy and Beth will not be going with us this year. Beth's father passed away just a couple weeks ago, and our hearts and prayers are with them. Heather and I both know too well how it feels to lose our Dads. But, that doesn't mean that we can't be bummed that they're going to miss the trip. We had such a great time with them in 2010. Hopefully we'll get another shot at it in years to come.

But, we press on and look forward to the adventures ahead with Big Mike, Barb, and our new friends Randy and Connie.

July 23, 2012 - Every day I'm getting posts on Facebook with pictures of Sturgis and how the vendors and venues are getting ready for the rally. I can't wait to get there. Here's a shot of the Hot Leathers tent on Main Street, one of my personal favorite vendors.

If you're interested in following the events taking place leading up to and during the week in Sturgis, here's some websites you should like:

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Buffalo Chip Campground

Full Throttle Saloon

July 20, 2012 - Welcome to my new website chronicling our road trip adventure to South Dakota for the 72nd Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The trip is just 15 days away, and the excitement continues to build.

We'll be starting out from the Gateway to the West - St. Louis, Mo. - and traveling nearly 1,000 miles to the Black Hills in the southwest corner of South Dakota. I'll be joined on my journey by my wife Heather, our friends and second time Sturgis-goers Jeremy and Beth and Big Mike and Barb, and our newbies Randy and Connie.

Along the way we will be posting videos each day documenting the trip and sharing some of the crazy things we see along the way with you. We'll also plan to share some posts from our first timers so you can get a feel for what it's like to be here for the first time.

So check back often to see what we're up to in the coming weeks!