Thunder Roads Magazine of Oklahoma/Arkansas September 2014 | Page 11

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TH

FEATURES

ANNUAL STURGIS RALLY

BY T COLLIER | EDITOR THUNDER ROADS MAGAZINE OF OKLAHOMA/ARKANSAS

As the sun sank behind the
Spearfish Canyon wall, so did my
heart knowing this was my last
beautiful, scenic run of Sturgis
2014. I’ll never quite be able to
describe the magic of Sturgis to
anyone that hasn’t been there
during the rally. The many facets
that make it difficult to describe
range from the gorgeous rides
that twist and weave through
the mountains and National
monuments; to the music at the
various camps, amphitheaters,
bars and roadside stops; to the
smiles on the faces of the riders;
to the people watching; to the
variations of quality motorcycles
from unknown builders competing
alongside world famous builders;
to the people I meet from all
over the world; to developing
friendships that last a lifetime even

though I only see them in August
of every year; to the crisp clean
air and ridiculous rain storms. And
the list goes on and on.
Sturgis 2014 was filled with
everything it’s been in the past
and more. It seemed that every
venue and camp had new events
and entertainment added. Many
vendors commented that the
crowd was a bit lighter than
normal, contributing it to the fact
that many people are waiting to
go to the 75th Annual Rally in
2015. However, those of us in
attendance, enjoyed everything
that keeps bringing us back. My
journey began Saturday morning
as I met up in Oklahoma with a
group of nine women riders from
Women in the Wind MC, Twisted
Sisters Chapter. To ride with this
group of respected lady riders was
a real honor. We broke the trip up
into two days, but made our first
Sturgis stop at Crazy Horse as we
entered from the South. Our timing
was spectacular as we got to see
Lakota Indian dancers perform in
the foreground of the Crazy Horse
monument. The crowd was wide
eyed as the narrator told us they
were 5th and 6th generation
grandsons to Sitting Bull. What
a treat to see them perform.
A lot of my time was spent

at the Buffalo Chip this year
where I enjoyed the Legends
Ride, a fundraiser for Black Hills
Special Olympics and the Sturgis
Motorcycle Museum and Hall of
Fame. Funds are raised through the
rider’s entries and auction items
which included an autographed
guitar, a painting by David Uhl
and a custom bike built by the
students of Sturgis High School.
This year, a total of $54,800 was
raised. Riders included Bean’re,
the Chip’s mayor of fun; The
Ness Family including Cory, Zach
and Max; The American Pickers;
Gunne; Builder John Shope
of Dirty Bird Customs; Kristy
Swanson; David Uhl; Jessi Combs
and many more. The Biker Belles
Ride, hosted by the Chip, was
Tuesday in Deadwood with a host
of wonderful women riders who,
again, contributed to two charities,
Helping with Horsepower and
Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. A
symposium featured six women
riders who covered topics relating
from seasoned riders to new
riders and their experiences.
Unfortunately, the pouring rain
refused to stop and the group ride
was cancelled for safety reasons.
I helped a fellow lady rider, the
talented Jessi Combs, famed
fabricator and tv personality, by
Thunder Roads Magazine of OK/AR

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