Strider nurtures young riders See page 12 August 2013 Rally weddings More bikers were mar- Outerspace keynote ried at the Sturgis Rally this year. Sandy and Steve Sta- UND alum Karen Nyberg delivers summer About the cover nos were married during the rally. At least 71 marriage commencement address from space. The bike pictured was licenses were purchased shot at Hot Harley Nights, an during the rally. Read more on page 15 annual Sioux Falls summer Read more on page 10 fundraiser.(Plains Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) LIfe’s Amusing Moments Top rally in the Plains Read Kevin Boekhoff’s column about surviving a The 73rd Annual Sturgis car theft in California. Motorcycle Rally is one of Read more on page 17 the largest motorcycle ral- Strider Bikes lies in the nation. Read more on page 4 Contents A father’s labor of love inspired a multi-million dollar international busi- ness founded in the Plains. Strider is nurturing a young- er generation likely to cross over to a chopper. Read more on page 12 Beresford in cinema The Rib Whisperer Rally fashion trends A small South Dakota Consumate Betrayal Trace Arnold dished out Leather, skimpy fash- town served as a backdrop his best for History Channel ions, body paint and ink for two movies. The most Read a chapter of “Con- fans who stopped by at the were found along the main recent is the filming of the sumate Betrayal” written by Sturgis Rally. drag in Sturgis. movie “Wild Prairie Rose”. Mary Yungeberg. Read more on page 6 Read more on page 8 Read more on page 14 Read more on page 26 2 Plains Magazine From the Editor’s Desk Contributors: Safe travels Amy Kirk The attendance at the Kevin T. Boekhoff 73rd Annual Sturgis Motor- cycle Rally appeared larger than in recent years. Early estimates suggest there were 500,000 people motorcycle blew causing the motorcycle to shake out of who arrived at the rally. control. The Dickersons were thrown from the motorcycle The traffic was a chal- and suffered serious non-life threatening injuries. lenge for motorcyclists and Fortunately most motorcyclists and motorists used more motorists. caution than normal on the nearly 30-mile stretch where Workers in the Black Hills traffic jams were taking place. reported traffic jams during However, I witnessed several maneuvers that could rally week as traffic slowed have resulted in accidents. There were motorists who had from 75 miles per hour to 65 left space between their vehicles and the motorcyclists in and 70 miles per hour on In- Kay Humphrey front of them allowing extra stopping distance, but other terstate 90 from Sturgis to Rapid City. motorcyclists quickly jumped in front of the drivers and fol- While the huge population of riders gives the Black Hills lowed closely behind other motorcyclists leaving little room and the state of South Dakota a bountiful economic boost, for a sufficient stopping distance. the frustrating daily bottlenecks on the interstate were un- Truckers were frustrated as cyclists blocked their way welcome for those traveling through the area to get some- on the passing lanes of the interstate. I watched one truck where else. Workers in the area were also frustrated with driver weave in and out of the lanes trying to drive beyond the traffic jams. the traffic jam, but there was nowhere for him to go since It was surprising more people weren’t killed or injured in traffic in both westbound lanes of traffic moved slowly. crashes in the congested traffic zones. South Dakotans are not used to bottlenecks because For the past few years the state has issued essentially a much of the state is rural and rush hour doesn’t really exist daily body count for motorcyclists killed on state highways except in the state’s two largest cities where congestion during the rally. sometimes slows traffic. It certainly isn’t the same as rush Ten people died in rally-related motorcycle accidents, hour in Omaha or Minneapolis. according to officials at the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Perhaps a third lane similar to HOV lanes should be One could argue that none of the fatality wrecks took considered. HOV lanes are used in metropolitan areas al- place on the stretch of road between Rapid City and St- lowing commuters to travel faster while freeing up conges- urgis on I-90, but a personal injury accident that injured tion in regular lanes. an Oklahoma couple happened when the motorcycle they Instead of confining the lanes to commuters, the lanes were riding had a mechanical failure on the interstate. could be restricted to motorcyclists and allow the general Edgar Dickerson III, 56, and Gina Dickerson, 52, of use of the interstate to remain as it is during normal traffic Union City, were traveling westbound on I-90, seven miles conditions. east of Sturgis when the rear tire of the 2003 Honda GL8 The rally isn’t going away and it is likely to grow. We have had years were there were more rally enthusiasts. We need to be better prepared for Sturgis visitors because they represent a large part of the state’s tourism. Letters to the editor policy Letters to the editor are accepted with the writers name, address, zipcode, and phone for verification. We will run the letters as space allows. Send your letters to the editor by email to [email protected] August 2013 3 Bikers took a break at the gateway to the small town that turns into large city during rally week. (Plains Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) Riding the winding roads through the Black Hills tops the Cyclists by the hundreds of thousands arrived in Sturgis, S.D. for the 73rd annual Sturgis Motorcycle list for excusions bikers who ar- Rally. It is one of the nation’s largest motorcycle rally with more than a week of riding, concerts, food, rive at the rally. (Plains Maga- drinks and fun. (Plains Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) zine photo by Kay Humphrey) Wet t-shirt contests are part of the rally tradition on the sizzling summer days. (Plains Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) Waitresses danced on some tables at the Sturgis Knuckle Rally draws Saloon entertaining road-weary rally-goers. (Plains Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) large crowd the town that is normally about Bikers braved bumper to bumper traffic looking for a parking spot 6,300 population town in the at the 73rd annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. (Plains Magazine photo By Kay Humphrey Black Hills. by Kay Humphrey) Mary O’Keeffe and David It was a healthy year for the “It’s his big vacation and re- “Next time we will come up Rich of Salt Lake City took a 73rd Annual Sturgis Motorcy- tirement party,” said O’Keeffe. earlier before all of this starts. break outside the Lakota Mart cle Rally. The pair toured through We would like to see the town in Sturgis. The rally, held in Sturgis, Custer State Park. before all of this,” she said The couple comes to the ral- S.D., is one of the largest in the O’Keeffe said she would O’Keeffe considered at ly every other year. This year nation. It drew nearly 500,000 like to see Sturgis during a dif- renting a home for their stay, was special for Rich because people during the weeklong ferent time of the year when it but she said one of the proper- he was celebrating his retire- event. is less crowded. ties she looked at cost nearly Riders of all ages arrived in ment. 4 Plains Magazine Friends are never far. A busy waitress at the Side Hack Saloon takes time out to greet one her friends, a welcome sight after hours of toting drinks for hours. (Plains Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) Trikes are becoming more popular as baby boomers age. V8 Chop- pers of Miami, Okla. brought its touring trike with a pimped out paint job to the rally. The company is known for its customized bikes. (Plains Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) The Indian Motorcycle Company unveiled its newest line of bikes at the Sturgis Rally and bikers were eager to take a look at the new ride. (Plains Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) Trailering bikes to Sturgis is becoming more frequent as boomers age, riders tire of long miles and traffic becomes more congested in the Black Hills. (Plains Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) Women bikers give the newest Indian Vintage motorcycle a sit to see how it feels. The bike starts with the push of a button. (Plains Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) $9,000 to rent for the rally. she said. The prices for a cabin, she “We brought our room with said, was $300 a night and ho- Getting gas and refreshments in Deadwood, these riders were pre- See Sturgis paring for a trek on the winding roads in the Black Hills. (Plains tel rooms fetched $400 a night, Continued on page 16 Magazine photo by Kay Humphrey) August 2013 5 Serving up Texas-style treats at the rally By Kay Humphrey He is a tall Texan with a big- ger than life smoker and grill in front of him. The 80-foot long Ultimate Smoker and Grill is dubbed the world’s largest. It was de- signed and operated by grill master Trace “Rib Whisperer” Arnold, and travels across the nation for the History Chan- nel’s Cross Country Cookout Tour. Its massive size is equated with the size of a tanker and it is hauled by a semi.