Today, August 9, is the official start of the Sturgis rally – but by the looks of things around the Black Hills, you’d think it has been going on for days already! And, in a way, it has. Bikers have been rolling into the region for well over a week now.

Yesterday afternoon, I took a walk down Sturgis Main Street and this is what I saw – motorcycles as far as the eye could see. The official rally week, as designated by Sturgis officials, runs August 9-15, but it’s become more and more popular the past several years for folks to come before or after the official week, to try to avoid the peak crowds.

I love the rally and plan to be out and about this week to try to catch some of the events, to ogle the tricked out motorcycles and just to people-watch.

Today – I’m off to follow the Legends Ride – which has some famous faces that will be participating. Rupert, of the reality TV series Survivor, actor and bike builder Lorenzo Lamas and the one and only Pee Wee Herman are all said to be rolling in to downtown Deadwood any minute here. An eclectic group? Yes. But, they should make for an entertaining event – I’ll be sure to share a few photos with you tomorrow.

We’ll probably have several rally-related posts here on the travel blog this week, so stay tuned. If you’re out and about in the Black Hills this week – whether on two wheels or four – have a great time, safe travels and enjoy the great place that we call home!