After about 25 years of procrastination i finally booked a harley davidson rental to go to the famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally South Dakota United States.
I flew out of Brisbane with QANTAS directly to Los Angeles arriving there at 630pm, after clearing US customs and immigration i made a beeline for the FlyAway Bus Service. The LAX FlyAway® buses offer convenient regularly scheduled round-trips, seven days a week, between each terminal at LAX and the locations of Van Nuys and LA Union Station.
Passengers leaving LAX may board buses on the Lower/Arrivals Level in front of each terminal at the blue FlyAway® columns. One-way fare for the FlyAway is $9.75 compared to $50 or more in a taxi to go downtown where my hotel was. The American Hotel was in Skid Row but had so much character and street art.
I rented the bike with https://www.riders-share.com/, selecting up a 2021 Harley Davidson Ultra Limited for 21 days pick up and return to Las Vegas Nevada. The reason i went with Riders Share is because they are an independant company who faciltate the rental and insurance of privately owned motorcycles, and a lot cheaper than the competitors.
In las vegas i spent two nights at the OYO hotel and another two nights at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino. Beware the casino policies of not advertising the hidden RESORT FEE which isn’t included in any third party websites or apps. These fees are in the vacinity of $50 USD to cover hotel pools and wifi which by the way are compulsory so im not sure why these additional fees are not transparent from the start. Friday and saturday nights are the most expensive to make sure you arrive from Sunday onwards.
Day 1 Las Vegas to Winslow Arizona 600km
This epic motorcycle adventure started in Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam.
The Hoover Dam is located on the border between nevada and Arizona, so the first state sign pictures were created. I decided to detour from Kingman and go via the mountain town of Jerome to really appreciate this out of the way city.
The first night i spent in Winslow Arizona from the song TAKE IT EASY by The Eagles, Well, I’m a-standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see.
Hotel of choice is the Travelodge at $96 AUD, right next door to McDonalds and a small supermarket that sold ice cold beers. Winslow has a few souvenir shops and the famous corner but other than that theres jack shit there. Was it worth the 500km detour ? Absolutely :)
Day 2 Winslow Arizona to Silverton CO 670km
After leaving Winslow i decided to have a free look at the Meteor Crater 30km west on my way to Utah, there wasn’t a soul in the car park so i launched my drone. Low and behold 3 minutes into my flight a lady shouted at me to land my drone immediately, i guess they like to capitilise on the experience.
After Winslow heading North East via Kingman and Tuba City, the terrain gets dryer with dead animals along the side of the road dying of thirst. The temperature at the time of writing was every day over 45 degrees celcius. I wore a long sleeve shirt and a bandanna which i tried to keep wet but it dried out atfter 10 minutes but it helped avoid sunburn on my neck.
There are plenty of fuel stations along the way to also buy cold drinks and snacks. The destination was Silverton the beginning of the famous Million Dollar Highway. In silverton i chose to stay in a funky backpackers called The AVON which i booked on the expedia app. Silverton retained its western heritage by still having dirt roads in the back streets and saloon style building facades. There is the worlds highest Harley Davidson store there too.
Day 3 Silverton CO to Silverthorne CO 450Km
How long is the Million Dollar Highway?
Tucked away in western Colorado, and part of the San Juan Skyway, the road is about 25 miles (40 km) long, running from Silverton to Ouray. It climbs up to three very high mountain passes: Coal Bank Pass (10,640 ft / 3,240 m); Molas Pass (10,970 ft / 3,340 m); and Red Mountain Pass (11,018 ft / 3,358 m). The drive can be challenging during rainy days, and storms may create cascading waterfalls along the highway. It boasts North America’s highest avalanche hazard (per mile).
Riding North out of Ouray the scenery was likened to switzerland and there was a sign reflecting that resemlance.
After Silverton i rode the spectacuklar Million Dollar Highway all the way to Ouray and onwards to Silverthorne Via Grand Junction. I arrived in Silverthorne i booked some acommodation at The Pad on AirBnb in The Pad – 1 Bed in 8 Bed MALE Dorm for $100 AUD, the facilities were 5 star and very close to town.
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Day4 Silverthorne CO to Wheatland WY 360Km
Leaving Silverthorne in the morning i headed 110km East towards Denver briefly stopping at Avalanche Harley Davidson to check out their inventory; very impressive.
I wasnt planning on staying in Denver but i wanted to Revisit the Denver Broncos Stadium so i battled the traffic to try and get close enough to fly my drone but way too much security.
I rode north out of Denver along the 25 untill i reach the afternoon rush hour that stretches all the way to Cheyenne, however a friendly gas station attendant gave me the great advice to just use the 85 and there were hardly any cars on it for the next 50km.
I arrived in Cheyenne in the late afternoon only to find out a massive rodeo was in town and all the hotels were triple the price. I asked at one run down dive and expected the rate to be $50USD a night only to be told its now $200, so i politely declined to get eaten by bed bugs and paying bank for the priveledge lol.
Its quite stressful looking North into the horizon and seeing lightning and having to book acommodation on the side of the freeway but i was happy to secure a night in Wheatland Wyoming at the Steamboat Inn, so off i ride the 100km in pouring down torrential thunderstorms. When i arrived the sun was shining and a restaurant with 3 dollar beers was next to the hotel, very convenient and after that i stumbled across the road to a bar hidden behind a tiny window at a drive through bottle shop. Once i walked in and ordered a beer all the conversations stopped and everyone was wondering what accent i had. After finding out i was an Australian i didnt have to buy another beer for myself :) the locals were very hospitable.
Day 5 Wheatland WY To Sturgis SD 365Km
Waking up next morning Knowing i was going to ride the final leg of the journey to Sturgis SD did wonders for my enthusiasm. I rode briefly North on the 25 and turned East onto the 26 and ended up on the 85 via deadwood into Sturgis for the ALL IMPORTANT STURGIS SIGN SELFIE
