Posted by Hogryder on May 02, 2000 at 03:56:37:
In Reply to: Jackpine Gypsies posted by Polar Pilot on May 01, 2000 at 20:12:18:
$10-$20 per person per night for a few square feet of horse pasture with one portable toilet for every 500 people in the "rally campgrounds" around Sturgis. You're smart to camp up in BF, much cheaper. $20 T-Shirts $5 Buffalo Burgers
The races are probably the best value in town. Good leather at reasonable prices if you look around town. Party at the Buffalo Chip Campground if you want to really party. Mount Rushmore is still free but the gov't got around that by charging for parking, I think it's $8 per vehicle now. There is a free parking area but it's usually full and it's a 1/2 mile walk uphill to the monument. The walk of flags and the open grassy areas where they used to park bikes during the rally have been replaced with a big ugly concrete parking structure, the first thing you see at the monument. This is progress?
The Crazy Horse monument is $6 to get in. You can see it from the road for free and the "museum" is a joke. The "Journey" museum in Rapid City is also a joke. Long on re-written history and short on facts. Museum of Geology on the SDSMT campus in Rapic City is worth a visit if you're into rocks and fossils.
Riding around the Black Hills is great except for the traffic. Requires patience. Be very careful of road whales (motorhomes) on the back roads. Can be deadly. Normal weather for the area in August is warm mornings and early afternoon with thundershowers about 4:00 PM. May have hail with the storms. Occasional tornado. Weather is extremely variable so you can expect anything from a dry heat wave to cold rain and hail.
Ride Free