Suzanne's Blog: Day 5 - Fargo, ND to Deadwood, SD

I got into Fargo so late that I didn't really get a chance to see any of it, but I wasn't willing to hang around in the morning again after how the previous day turned out so I was on the road again by 7:30, headed west on the interstate. I made a stop in Jamestown for breakfast and then another brief stop in Bismarck before heading south. Today's ride took me across the Missouri River and through the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River reservation lands. It was a beautiful ride, with very little in the way of development anywhere along the way. In fact, it made me think that I'd be kind of screwed if I ran out of gas or broke down! But that's been true of quite a few areas on this trip. Lots of fields of endless corn, wheat, and sunflowers - what a sight to see sunflowers covering acres and acres of land! I just meandered through south-central North Dakota into South Dakota, gradually making my way to the southwest and STURGIS! This wasn't originally on my itinerary, but how could I pass up the chance to see the legendary Black Hills motorcycle rally when it was going on right where I was headed?! I had been in Sturgis on my first motorcycle trip out west, but that was earlier in the summer when nothing was going on. This was completely different! My dad had told me that motorcycles at Sturgis were like ants streaming in and out of their anthill and that's a really good analogy. Any possible type of motorcycle and rider you can imagine is here - every iteration of 2, 3, and even 4 wheels. Parking lots jammed with bikes in Sturgis and in every nearby town, including Deadwood, where I'm staying tonight! I rode through Sturgis with my jaw hanging open inside my helmet, just in awe of everything. Unfortunately I didn't see any easy place to park and I never really got a chance to pull my phone out and take pictures. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few on the way out in the morning.

Lastly, I was able to catch up with one of my mom's childhood friends who lives in nearby Spearfish. She and her husband were kind enough to buy me dinner and we had a wonderful time catching each other up on everything that's been going on in our lives since the last time I stopped to see them 8 years ago.