Sturgis, etc.
Trip Start
Aug 04, 2008
1
4
90
Trip End
Ongoing
Interior,
South Dakota,
United States
Thursday, August 7, 2008
On Aug 7 I rode through the Badlands, then through the Black Hills, then ended up in Sturgis. Harley-type bikers everywhere. The Black Hills would have been awesome riding if it hadn't been one long, slow, exhaust-filled procession.
About Sturgis - I went, so you don't have to. The average attendee's age was probably 55, and their weight was about 200-250 (either gender). Nice people - I didn't have any problems at all. But it seems that the original bikers that were invented in the bad-boy 50's, gained icon status in the rebellious 60's and flourished in the post-Vietnam 70's are pretty much done
Bad dude
. In the end, I don't think their lifestyle had that much to offer. This was evident in Sturgis. It basically boiled down to a biker version of a really bad New York street fair, with lots of beer and 80's heavy metal.Same with Mount Rushmore - skip it. Though how a good number of Japanese tourists found their way there, I'd be really curious to know.
About bikers - biker culture has its principles: freedom, courage, loyalty, and shall we say, a dionysian appreciation for the pleasures of the senses. But creativity and constant re-invention, like say, the punk rock movement, ain't part of it. I mean, how many black skull and/or bald eagle t-shirts can you buy? This stuff would keep today's kids' attention for like 12 minutes.
Anyway I'm glad I went, because I did feel like a spectator to a cultural passing.
