Beyond the Rally

Welcome back to South Dakota for Sunday In My City.

Last week I gave you a look at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which is about a half hour from where I live.

It occurred to me that towns like people can find themselves defined by a single aspect unless we choose to see past that one aspect and look for more. For years now any time I heard the name Sturgis all I thought of was the motorcycle rally. I never thought a visit to Sturgis would reveal a town rich in history and scattered with interesting architecture. So today I would like to share a bit of Sturgis beyond the rally. 

My visit was very short so I didn't get a lot of shots outside of the rally. On my walk from where I parked to the main street I passed a number of well kept beautiful old homes. The varied architectural styles had me wondering about the history behind the homes and the people who built them. There were a few iron and stone fences like the one below that looked to be turn of the century in style and construction and hinted at some rather affluent residents. 

The town may be small but some of older homes are certainly not small. None along my route were huge but they were decent size like this one that is now a flower shop. I do believe this house would have been eye catching even without the vivid color scheme.

I hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse of the town. I don't know when I will get a chance to go back and explore the town more, but I am hoping it will be before winter comes.

People Of . . .

Opps, I don't think I can remain silent, but feel free to ignore my words. hehe, so here we go.

Most likely you have seen or heard of the People of Walmart website where others post photos of people seen shopping in a Walmart that you really wonder what they were thinking when they dressed themselves that morning. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out and you will probably think a little harder about what you ware the next time you head to the store. I know I do. No more, oh I don't feel like getting out of my comfy pajamas pants, I am only going to Walmart real quick.

This isn't People of Walmart

This is 

People of the Sturgis Rally!

Disclaimer: Some images may be offensive.

Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle???

While a tad on the desperate side at least she is fashionably coordinated.

WHY????

And a double why???

 As you see only women made it into this 'people of the Sturgis Rally', and that is because the men showed more sense when getting dressed for the day.

I realized that I was not dressed as a female Rally goer when one man apologized for possibly getting in the way of a shot and indicated he thought I was a magazine photographer. I wish, LOL

SIMC: Sturgis Rally

I did manage to get out to the Rally for a little bit on Saturday afternoon. From what I understand attendance was down on the final Saturday of the Rally but it was still pretty busy.

As I drove toward historic main street looking for semi close parking I saw this motorcycle hearse. It is a sad sight but I can not think of a more appropriate hearse for a die hard motorcyclist.

It sure looked like everyone in this small town generates a bit of income during the Rally.

These lawn campers seemed to be enjoying the shade and proximity to all the excitement.

Of course there were a lot of really nice looking bikes, like this purple one that caught my eye.

 I did have to smile though when I read the sign on the back of this one that was parked right next to the purple bike. This may not be the prettiest but it sure looks like they have fun.

As you probably can guess there are tons of saloons, tattoo and apparel shops as well as food vendors galore.

There was even a dancing police officer that directs the traffic on the main street.

One playful person even showered the street with bubbles using an air conditioner to blow them over the sidewalk below.

I was pleased to see a few really awesome cars! I do like motorcycles but am more a car lover, especially classics.

Going down the middle of main street was a zip line, and boy did it look fun! No I didn't give it a try, but I sure wanted to.

There was a lot of unique apparel. There was the totally bizarre, the fun and the average. There was even some, oh wow, that is really neat.  Like the purse this woman has, that is made out of motorcycle license plates.

I hope you enjoyed your virtual visit to the Rally.

Have a great week and please join the fun by clicking the Sunday In My City badge at the top.

Summer Skies

I decided to look through my cell phone photos for a summer sky shot to share today for Skywatch Friday. I couldn't decide on just one so instead decided to give you a summer series. 

June

July

August

Sturgis Rally 2014

I was hoping to have the opportunity to make it up to Sturgis this year and capture some of the Rally to share with everyone here. Unfortunately it does not look like I am going to be able to. However, being so close we do see quite a number of people and motorcycles headed to the rally. Here are a few shots of my favorite so far.

Driving past the gas station I spotted this Kenworth hood and just had to pull in for a closer look.

I never would have thought of riding under the hood of a Kenworth. After seeing this though, I definitely do now!

Not the best shot, but you can see a bit of that comfy interior. Not only does it look comfy but it is AIR RIDE! And look at this engine!

Not only is the trike built using a Kenworth hood among other parts, and it has an honest to God Caterpillar engine!

Can you tell I am a bit excited about this custom bike/trike? I am pretty sure my late husband, who loved his many Kenworths and really disliked motorcycles, would have loved this one. I really wanted to ask to go for a ride but figured that would be just a bit too forward..... LOL

So what have you seen lately that got you excited?