for cindy

From an email forwarded to me today

This was made at Providence St. Vincent.


Our daughter-in-law, Emily (MacInnes) Somers, created, directed and choreographed this in Portland last week for her Medline glove division as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. This was all her idea to help promote their new pink gloves. I don't know how she got so many employees, doctors and patients to participate, but it started to really catch on and they all had a lot of fun doing it.

When the video gets 1 million hits, Medline will be making a huge contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community. Please check it out. It's an easy and great way to donate to a wonderful cause, and who hasn't been touched by breast cancer.

Ann Somers


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw

redneck sleigh ride

I am just tucked in bed with a heating pad on my aching feet, reading the new issue of Homemakers magazine. The minute I read this article, I immediately had to run to the living room and get my laptop to share. Susan Jurkowski wrote (and won a prize) about her plan to control holiday spending. Her idea is wonderful, joyful and inexpensive.

Rather than buy gifts for extended family and friends, she suggested everyone get together in the New Year for a free family fun days of tobogganing and building snowmen, It filled their January and February with "healthy, fun-filled play dates... Not one child complained about not getting gifts from their friends at Christmas." Her family alone saved almost $500 and everyone was grateful, since they were thinking about it as well, but no one wanted to be the one to ask. Even though I have no little ones at home, my circle of friends have children of varying ages, and the child in each of us will surely enjoy and outing of youthful fun.

Although it was never intended as a "Christmas" gift, just the other day, my friend Lisa was having a bad day and her friend Trudy drove all the way from Airdrie (4 hours away) to cheer her up. I suggested coming out to the farm (another 45 minute drive) for a sleep over. I even invited our friend Wanda with whom we haven't spent a lot of time with over the past two years to join us as well. With the extra work of packing and carting the kids for them and washing sheets and making beds for me, we all had a wonderful evening of bonding in front of the fire with glasses of wine while the kids played and watched tv on the other side of the house. After a late night and 5 hours sleep, the 4 mothers, 3 girls and 2 boys were treated to breakfast cooked by 1 wonderful man (not a partridge in a pear tree) who took all the kids for a "redneck sleigh ride" (pulling a hood off an old mazda truck behind the quad) while the ladies cleaned the kitchen and packed for their trips back home. The gift of time and energy is always well worth the reward of the smiles and hugs and laughter of everyone, who want to do it again soon.

not so feel good ripple

Yesterday was cranky coworkers day and I would hate to have had to work with the jerk I encountered on the road - he's driving along at 60 in an 80, kind of weaving back and forth within the lane, I'm thinking he's texting or on his phone so I was going to pass, but a car was coming and I should have then- had lots of time, but decided to wait and then had to wait for 2 more cars. He was gradually speeding up, but when I did finally try to pass, he guns it and won't let me in, so I speed up more, and he still speeds and I'm running out of road - and dotted line. I have to back off and pull in behind him and at the stop sign, the guy gets out of his truck, comes over to my car and asks me - "What the f%#k my problem was??


MY problem?? - I'm the one with the broken line and I can pass!! You're the one who not driving properly!!! Well, after talking to the police, we were both in the wrong. Yes I was speeding...but i wasn't the one trying to run someone else off the road!!!!!- Two wrongs don't make a right and I should have remembered the feel good ripple rule for yesterday as well and just let him be, which i did in the end, but I know where he lives... muahahahah! (kidding)

Feel Good Ripple

This morning when I got up I felt okay. Five hours sleep was not really enough but hey, I had my Servus Credit Union Feel Good Ripple Card tucked in my purse and gift ready to go so that made me feel good. My day started out as usual with shower, get dressed, hair, makeup and a 45 mile drive to work. On the way, I felt even better.

My Program Directer and Morning man Jeff Michaels at CJCY 102.1 The Lounge, played a song by Bobby McFerrin. "Don't Worry, Be Happy". It actually made me tingle, gave me goosebumps and made me smile as I snapped my fingers and sang along to the song. Talk about a feel good ripple just from a song.

When I got into work, I was telling Jeff how much that song made a difference and today was the day I planned on passing it along. I had gotten some foot and body scrub for the security guard that marks our tires in the parking lot in front of our building on Dunmore Road, who yes, has given me parking tickets in the past, but she's just doing her job. Then she walked by the studio window so I grabbed the gift bag of Avon along with the Feel Good Ripple Card inside and ran out the front door to hand her the gift.

She was totally surprised and then I gave her a big hug and left her standing on the sidewalk with a huge smile on her face! I wonder who she will pass the feel good ripple card on to, and I hope to find out next time I catch her walking her way through work. A thought, a song and an action has made today wonderful for more than just one person. Paying it forward with pride, at 102.1 The Lounge.

On the 12th day of Sturgis

it was colder than can be....

fingers were a numbing

now here I sit a typing

the blog that I'm a keeping

and the clock I keep a glancing

to end this blog on biking

that you are now a skimming

my mind it is a straying

hope I don't DRIVE you away!

For I am lost for words

Me sitting in the den

waiting for my love

and thank him for a wonderful tree.....p!

I know, I'm lame. Plus I'm bored as I sit in my pj's on the couch for the second day in a row, doing laundry and watching tv. Here's the final day of Sturgis. Could I get a drum roll please? (If I had 12 drummers drumming but my fingers are just numbing) We made it through the border fine and stopped to plug in our heated vests, and got to the Hat and immediately began running errands. We stopped in to order my new lenses and even picked up my bike from Medicine Hat Motorcycle. Thankfully Corey was in, even though the shop was closed. I put my new black sheepskin cover on my seat and was off riding my own bike and not on the narrow back seat of the Harley (thank you Al for the gel seat cover you lent more for the ride home, or should I say my butt thanks you - lol)

We rode to Ray's parents and ate dinnner while it rained. When it stopped we rode to our friends Darrin and Tracey's, parked the bikes and grabbed a cab over to Alablamas to join them after their Golf Tournament. It was a night of fish bowls, tippy cups and prizes as it continued to rain. Then it was back to their place to listen to loud rock music accompanyied by live drums. I got my drum rolls after all, Might have been just one drummer drumming, but an awesome end to an awesome trip to our first Sturgis/Black Hills Rally! The end. (insert applause here) lol

On the 11th day of Sturgis

My true love gave to me...

in heaven vipers sniping? typing?

K, I'm tapped out, lol - been blogging for 2 days straight but I want to get this wrapped up as the trip was winding down and has wrapped up almost 2 months ago. It was our final day in the US being able to ride without helmets, but we probably should have worn them just to keep our heads warm. It was the coolest day so far and I was not only cold but still tired. Maybe 2 week vacations are too much for me, because I am wiped and could have fallen asleep on the back of the bike. We stopped for lunch at the same place in Grass Range on day 2 and were back on the road again. With me not staying focused on the ride, and not keeping the GPS handy, we missed our shortcut turn to Fort Belknap and ended up headed to Malta instead. We stopped to fill up with gas and drop a 20 in the slots at the casino next door as the drizzle began. Hoping it would pass, we realized we were headed straight for it no matter what.

Donning our rain gear, we continued to Havre only stopping once along the way for cheap cigarettes and then checked into the Best Western Annex. We dined at the Duck Inn again and it was straight to bed (and watch the weather channel) I can't believe how tuckered I am. Move over Lewis and Clark - One more sleep!

On the 10th day of Sturgis

my true love gave to me....

a night of snores & sleeping (kidding)

Actually I was dead to the world and slept in til past 10 and my camera battery was dead also. Have gone through both I brought and didn't bring the charger so pictures from here on in are from the web. We had to change plans about going to Yellowstone National Park since a) we were running short on time and b) weather was turning for the worse. Rather than head northwest towards the rain, we decided to head back to Billings instead. We arrived in time for an early supper at Red Lobster and after driving around for at least an hour, found room at the Inn, the C'mon Inn.

With a waterfall and fish pond, pool and 5 hot tubs, 8 jacuzzi suites - Happy Birthday and Anniversary to me all over again! We settled in and then found the vending and ice machine, held the door open for a couple of women unloading bags of groceries (It looked like they were getting hunkered down for a few days) and went back to the room for a nap. A very LONG nap. Glad you can't get stranded on a island after a 3 hour snooze! My kids called from their vacation in Ontario with their birthday wishes and I was pretty incoherant, but at least I do remember they called. We got up to wander the atrium and check out the hot tubs and pools, and ended up joining the 2 grocery ladies (notice I refrained from calling them bag ladies) for a drink outside their room by the pool . Then it was a soak in the tub and another night's sleep in a quite comfortable bed for a hotel. Only 2 more sleeps til back home in our own!

On the 9th day of Sturgis

My true love gave to me ...

one night of romancing

Sweet! Perfectly rhymes with dancing, or should it rhyme with drumming? I've googled the lyrics to the song and discovered two different versions but i'll stick with this since it's the day before my birthday and romance is in the air, as well as the moon above Devil's Tower.

We rode only as far as the trading post at the base of the national monument as I was already hot and tired by mid morning and didn't have the energy to climb the rock. It's not like I was going to have a close encounter of the third kind. Instead I had a close encounter with a bird trying to steal my ice cream cone while sitting on the picnic table in front of the store. There we other bikers there, just not same amount that were probably there the week before, but we talked with other tourists, took pictures and jumped back on the bike.

After slathering ourselves in sunscreen, we "head out on the highway" (looking for adventure - like we haven't found enough yet eh?) towards Gillette, Wy for lunch. It was strange riding the red highways of Wyoming after spending the last week in the "Black" Hills of South Dakota it was strange to ride the Red Highways of Wyoming and return to the flat prairie like landscape. Felt a lot like home. Gillette is a coal mining town, and Ray was astounded at the size of the open mines and I am sure we will definetly return someday for a tour so he can fully embrace the magnitude of the operation. Working in a gas field, with everything underground, is quite a different mode of harvesting energy in comparison, and with a windmill farm being planned near his farm, it's quite intriguing to say the least. Anyhoo, I'm kinda paraphrasing but Ray has given me the okay to publish this so I'm all cool and he's down with that!

After lunch at Taco John's, it was back on the road which changed from straight and narrow to long and winding (went from quoting steffenwolf to the beatles now). We were planning on heading up to Sheridan and over to Cody but discovered, thanks to the GPS, that it was shorter to head southwest from Buffalo and also thanks to the locals, we even ignored the GPS and took their recommended shortcuts. The terrain on the drive reminded us of the drive from Lethbridge to Calgary, plains on the east, foothills and rockies to the west. Not exactly the magnatude of the Canadian Rockies, but still a part of them. I didn't realize they extended so far south, but then again I haven't picked up a geography book in ages, You would think the queen of google would know these things! ha! One is never too old to learn!

We rode on through the prairies and the canyons to Cody, Wy and looked for a place to rest for the night so after dinner, and many phone calls in search of a jaccuzi suite, we got ready to settle in for the night. Ray asked me if I wanted a suite tonight or tomorrow, the night of my birthday (what's wrong with both?) and I chose tonight, for I would wake on my birthday to a huge tub to soak my aching muscles. It's not only hard on the driver but the rider on the back as well on such long trips. But then again, it's not all about me. Today is our anniversay (3 years, 11 months) We always celebrate it monthly, whether it's something extravegant like a jaccuzi suite or simply a card and an I love you, Sept 12th is OUR day!

We ended up at Buffalo Bill's Antler Inn. There were antler coat racks and antler chandeliers, but it would be better named Buffalo Bill's Tree Hotel. (hmm, sounds like a hotel for trees so maybe not) As you can see, the bed and frame is made of natural trees, as were the lamps, desk and vanity legs in the bathroom. There was the biggest (and greenest) jacuzzi tub that was calling my name. I had a wonderfully long soak while Ray went in search of...I can't remember now. May have been food, mix, bike wash or all three. It didn't matter at the time. The only thing that mattered to me was hot, steamy bubbly water and a soft warm bed. I was out like a light before midnight. Here my birthday was beginning and I'm already dreaming of the day to come.

On the 8th day of Sturgis

My true love went with me, black hills caves a touring!

This morning we rode back down Vanocker Canyon to tour Wonderland Cave. I remember touring one, quite possibly Rushmore Cave, with my family during summer vacation as a kid and wanted to show Ray. I don't think he was too enthusiastic about it, nor was he thrilled about having to take the bike down a long, LONG gravel road. Then we ending up having to wait before the tour began for more people to join, but our group ended up just being 3 other ladies from Michigan and us, so it ended up not taking as long as expected. Nothing like power touring to get as much in as fast as possible! In the end, it was all worth it!

Ray was quite intriqued and I was busy snapping pictures left right and crazy. There were so many different types of stalagmites growing up from the floor and stalagtites growing down from the ceiling, and sometimes meeting in the middle. You would think once you've seen one you've seen them all, but the the tour guide not only had the correct names for each type but nick names for certain formations as well. There was bacon, the bat, popcorn, bugs bunny with carrots, and I even named one myself they missed and brought their attention to, and who knows, maybe next time they do a tour, they will use it! Benjamin Franklin! How fitting for the history of the area but gee you'd think an American would have caught that one rather than a Canadian - lol) He's just missing his glasses no?

After touring the cave, we headed back to the Nemo Road and the 385 to Deadwood to tour Mount Moriah Cemetary where Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane are buried. We even hiked to the top off the bluff to see Seth Bullock's grave, that overlooked Mount Roosevelt, where Seth had erected a monument after the death of hiss friend President Roosevelt and renamed the peak in honour of his late friend.

It was a hot and sunny afternoon and thankfully we had ditched our leathers but still huffed and puffed all the way to the top of the hill. Boy it's time to quit smoking soon (and glad to say have since then) but enjoyed the view and the walk back down before hopping on the bike once again to explore more.

Next on the agenda was to head back to Leads in search of The Boars Nest. I thought it was between Leads and Deadwood, but it was between Leads and Spearfish Canyon After stopping for directions, we found it, and even the owner was there. We may have missed all the action when it was open during the bike rally, but he was able to spend time telling us the history, the fire and the plan for the future. After buying a t-shirt for Morgan & Dee (owners of The Boars Nest in Seven Persons) we headed back to Leads and stopped at the Stampmill for lunch before touring the Adams Museum in Deadwood.

I used to work at the Glenwood Museum in my hometown of Souris Manitboa when I was a teen, and my parents are still on the board of directors, so museums are really my thing, or so I thought. I discovered Ray is also totally into them so I can't wait to take him to the Manitoba Museum (of Man and Nature) in Winnipeg next time we go to my home province. The Nonsuch Gallery is still there, and takes you back in time to waterfront of 17th century England. Now I am reveling in the future while reliving the past... while reliving the past!

Before leaving town, Ray got a chance to play poker at the Franklin Inn once again and I got to do some more shopping, okay we both did, and at the end of the day, we stopped for a beer at The Stockade to watch the entertainment, and breathe in our last breath of Deadwood. Even with all the foul language of the HBO series, it still was a great show and peaked our interest enough to want to visit South Dakota. How convenient that it's so close to the biggest motorcycle rally in North America. More like how lucky for us - even with all the bad weather and back luck of singers falling off the stage!

Tomorrow we leave for the Devils Tower, Wyoming and Yellowstone Park, which of course I have been to before as a kid and can't wait to show Ray Old Faithful Gyser and maybe even Jellystone Park, or maybe I should wait on that until we are with the grandkids! The trip is still moving forward and back in time, and I don't want it to end!

On the 7th day of Sturgis

My true love went with me

Hot Springs Spas a swimming!

We got up early and headed down the highway towards Rapid City. Funny how being in the present brings thoughts of the past. As I rode on the back of the harley playing with the GPS, I thought of when Ray took his grand daughter Sierra on a harley ride to Writing on Stone while she played with her Nitendo DS. I also thought of the last time I was at a hot springs pool, once again with my parents during summer vacation. I can still see the ring over the pool you could swing from, the square hot tub in the corner and having to wash little pink shrimp out of our suits. First we stopped by the river to fill water bottles from "Kidney Springs". Then we checked out the public mineral pool but opted for the Mineral Spa with 2 hot tubs and a private pool. How relaxing and entertaining too. Ray the Rock could actually float and we met a several couples from canada, one from St. Albert who works for the forestry dept and know's my friends from Sherwood Park. Talk about a small world, and quite the change from Ray knowing someone anywhere he went. It was my turn! lol

After a long soak we headed to the old school that had been turned into a museum to see the local history and artifacts. 5 floors of household items, clothes, musical intruments and more. It was near closing so we breezed through and then when outside to discover an old cream separator with my maiden name.

That made me think about my family, school teacher parents, summer vacations, trips across canada and the US, and the good old days. Here I was in the same places in the good new days with Ray. We rode back to Rapid City and stopped at a little Japanese restaurant for supper, then with lots of time on our hands, we set the GPS to local rather than major routes and headed to Nemo and drove past a guest ranch, only to turn around and discover a rustic old bar. It was almost empty this night but over the past week it must have been filled with bikers going to and from Sturgis. We stopped for a glass of wine and then headed through Vanocker Canyon.

For a change, there was no race to the hotel for shelter to get out of the rain. It was a beautiful night and we ended up sitting outside the lobby on picnic tables til the wee hours of the morning with a father and 2 sons from Calgary. I forgot to mention, one night while we were huddled under the entrance by the lobby during a cloud burst, we met a gentleman from Denver who was 72 years old and had been coming to Sturgis since 1967, 42 consecutive years, and this was the worst weather he had ever encountered. For us, weather or not, it was the best time we had we had ever encountered, and it wasn't over yet.

On the 6th day of Sturgis

my wallets getting light
but oh the sales were really out of sight!

It may have been the last day of Sturgis but thanksfully not the last day of vacation. It was the last day to take advantage of all the half, third and one fouth off sales!! T-shirts that started the week at $20 each were now 4 or 5 for $20. Even though slim pickings, we found a few good ones. Good thing I stowed away an extra back pack so we could bring back the more than 40 t-shirts that weighed at least 15 lbs and stacked high atop the bike along with our helmets and rain gear. It was nice when we got home no one complained - all I got was this lousy t-shirt - they rocked! After scouring what was left of the sales, Mainstreet was starting to look like a ghost town, as were all the local watering holes for the week but we still stopped in to see the aftermath of 400,000+ bikers that bring 10.5 million dollars to to local economy each year!

We then retraced our steps from the past few days so I could get decent pictures of all the places we had been in better light. Everywhere was pretty empty, but still open, unlike the next day when we found out 1 casino we missed was only open for the week of Sturgis. The Full Throttle was just as impressive in the daylight as it was in the moonlight. Although the Broken Spoke boasted the same sign, i do believe this could be the biggest biker bar in north america!

it was an in door out door bar that was usually absolutely packed, but today, we wandered round and shook our heads at the aftermath. After a ride and a drink and a bite to eat, it was back to the hotel to prepare for our big adventure tomorrow - Hot Springs, SD.

On the 5th day of Sturgis

my honey bought for me

5 Sturgis t-shirts!

Well, more like 20 and not just for me. We had ridden to Main Street and parked the bike and walked in search of bargains and a tattoo parlour for Ray to get a matching tattoo of his friends but no such luck on the tattoo. I got a new rain suit since I split the pants in my yellow "duck" suit and Ray got several sleeveless denim shirts at hot leathers (.com) Paid $5 to climb the tower to take a photo of all the bikes on Main Street. There were more than 400,000 in attendance, but we didn't register at Sturgis headquarters, so were not counted in, but we were there. The proof is in the pudding, and photographs.

We wandered through all the shops, noting that local businesses cleared out their entire stock and rented their space out to Sturgis venders. Old signs were still up and new signs tacked on the front temporarily. 4 blocks of souvenirs and I think we walked both sides of all.

We grabbed a bite to eat before heading to The Knuckle Saloon to watch the fights (and flashing). Anyone could sign up but it was pretty slow going since there weren't a lot in the same weight category. They ended up going ahead, 160lbs vs 180 and Mr 180 had way too much to drink to barely stand. It was a quick one. The most entertaining were the girls, who put on a great show of taunting and teasing but still got a few good swipes in. We met some great folks to share a picnic table with for a great view and I spent most my time chatting with a lady who was stationed at a base nearby.

Then it was back to the Buffalo Chip to watch The Guess Who and wow what a concert! No one fell off the stage (aerosmith) or threw up on themselves (buckcherry) and we didn't have to stand in the mud pit of a concert bowl. We had prime seats upstairs in a little bar smack dab infront of the stage with a 3 tiered deck to watch and sing along. One more day of bike week left so it was plans for more shopping on Sunday and returning to all the bars to take photos in the day time as my camera is not the best at night. More pics to come! Hope you are enjoying my ramblings. Back soon with day 6!

On the 4th day of Sturgis

we gambled most the day
and waited for the hail to go away!

We road to Deadwood today and stopped at the tourist information to get the scoop on all the places to go in relation to the HBO series we watched the prompted us to even want to visit Deadwood. It was rather shocking to find out that it wasn't even shot on location but at Gene Autry's Ranch aka Melody Ranch in Santa Clarita, California. Guess we will have to take a trip to California now too, but that shouldn't be a problem as that is where my son lives and hope to travel there at least once a year. We paid $5 to park in a hotel parking lot and you got free drinks at the casino (if you're gambling you do anyways, but I don't usually partake) We headed over to the Franklin Inn and grabbed a glass of wine while Ray sat at the Slots. I perused over all the pamphlets to design a plan of attack (on all the touristy places) I also went upstairs to the balcony to take photos and I ended playing the slots anyways, losing 20 at Jacks or Better, but finally my game of choice became available. Lobstermania! Oh how I love fishing for lobster to the tune of the B52's Rock Lobster. Oh how I love winning at the game of Rock Lobster. 60 bucks! Won back my loss, Ray's loss and walked away with $20! Now that's successful gambling to me!

We met a couple from Custer who come to Deadwood to gamble and have dinner on occasion and even offered an house exchange. We live in theirs for a week and they live in ours, which would be great next time we go to Sturgis for us to stay and them to get away. They also suggested heading over to the Silverado for the all you can eat Snow Crab buffet. So we exchanged business cards and filled our faced before heading down the street to explore the rest of the street.

We strolled down Main Street and stopped in where Wild Bill Hickock was shot (with the dead man's hand, Aces and Eights) and played Texas Holdem'. The rules were 5/10/kill and within no time, I was out $50 and stepped away from the table. Ray lost $50 and stepped towards the ATM lol! A while later he was out another $100 so we headed back to the street but it had started to rain, then hail, dime size, nickle, quarter then REALLY hail! Loonie and Toonie size! Ok actually golfball size but I was stay with the gambling theme of $$!!! We stood at the window and watched the bikes get pelted, and a sign us above get smashed with glass crashing down on the sidewalk. Ray threw a $20 into a machine while we were waiting for the storm to pass, down to $10 and won $460! Pretty much paid for the past two days! Thankfully the hail only lasted around 20 minutes (and no more money was lost to the slots) so we headed back to our bike to see how it faired and all was well.

Since it was getting late, we decided to come another day to tour the cemetery and museum but rather than head straight back home (aka hotel) we road around downtown and then headed south to the Spearfish Canyon, flying past The Boars Nest with bikes, bikers and picnic tables outside. We instantly thought of our favourite watering hole in Seven Persons and knew that stopping in was on the list of things to do when we returned next time.

The ride through Spearfish Canyon was wonderful and was lucky there were no animals at dusk this time round. After returning home, we road to the World's Biggest Biggest Bar, The Full Throttle to discover they did not fair so well. As we walked in from the parking lot there was a row of cars with smashed windows. Our bartender explained about the baseball size hail and since the bar is mostly outdoors, no wonder it was not busy at all. We headed across the highway over to Monkey's Rock and it was almost empty as well. Then it was back into town and stopped at the Broken Spoke, but even that wasn't very busy either. I guess the storm sent a lot of people home, especially if they were camping and the rest were at the other two big bars in town... or make that 3. The karaoke place was always hopping, but we passed it over to go back to the hotel to watch the news and weather channel about the recent storm, and rest up for the next plans. SHOPPING!

On the 3rd day of Sturgis

We saw scenes old and new
got great pictures and got rained on too.

We headed out with our friends to Rapid City and I thought of the first time I went there as a kids on summer vacation with my parents as we rode past the Reptile Gardens. I still can see the polaroid photo in the photo album of me and my two sisters sitting on a giant tourtoise and the one of my dad holding a huge snake around his neck. No need to stop in and visit this time round as we have a huge cornsnake named Fluffy at the farm and over the past few years have sheltered a tarantula, lizard, frogs, hermit crabs and more (cuz that's what little boys are made of apparently)

We rode through Keystone then stopped on the side of the road to take pictures of Mt. Rushmore (from both angles), headed up the highway to Crazy Horse and then back tracked to ride through the Needles Highway. I was on the back of Ray's bike snapping pictures left right and crazy... and really need to learn to sit more still after a wobble near the edge of the narrow steep road sent my heart into my throat.

We road back via the Iron Mountain Road that had just as many tunnels as the Needles Highway but with views of Mt. Rushmore when driving through. We almost stopped in Keystone for a bite to eat but headed for Rapid City to try and out run the rain. Bad choice. We should have stayed put and waited for it to blow over since it was a good 15 minute ride in pelting rain before we could stop for something to eat in RC. After warming up and drying out a bit, it was back on the bike to Sturgis and then showered and ready for a night on the town.

We walked to Main Street and spent the night bar hopping, beginning the evening enjoying live music at the Loud American Roadhouse (great band, only 1 fight),

then over to the Oasis for some karaoke (crazy people, only 1 song for me), and got spanked at
One Eyed Jacks (not me, only 2 of the guys)

Then we took the long way home via McDonald's for $1 burgers and home and in bed by 4!!! I guess technically it was day 4, but sleep is much needed before heading out that day!