Tattoos for (Almost) Everyone!

Today was a great day on on our trip. We finally got rolling about 10 a.m. or so and headed for downtown Sturgis to be among the huddling masses. Parking is always a challenge because there are literally hundreds of thousands of motorcycles parked on the streets of Sturgis, but I let my nephew sniff one out and he actually found a great spot just a couple blocks off Main Street.

For $5, you could climb a small tower and get pictures and see the crowd, so I took advantage of this as a first activity. After all, two nice-looking middle-aged blondes said it was "for the benefit of the teachers". I've always been one to support education so this wasn't the time to buck that trend! And, they informed me that a B1 bomber from the nearby Air Force base would be doing a flyover of Main Street at 11:45 a.m.

Cheryl and nephew Tom were investigating tattoos in a nearby parlor (probably one of a dozen tattoo shops lining Main Street), so Jim and I waited with the crowd. Promptly at 11:45 we saw a speck on the horizon and within 5 seconds it was over the top of us screaming bad intentions. I get goose bumps now thinking about the crowd cheering and shaking their fists at it, as it flew over and promptly turned on its afterburners and went nearly straight up and into a sharp bank. Wow!

Following that thrill, we went into the tattoo parlor and Cheryl had already negotiated a deal to make her very small rose on her ankle bigger, and Tom had similarly arranged for an older tattoo to be covered with the classic snake and "Don't Tread on Me" saying. So, while they sat in their respective chairs, with Cheryl not surprisingly chatting up her tattoo artist, Shaun, Jim and I went walking up the street.

As a young married father of two, every dollar counts, and I couldn't bear him not having a leather vest like me so Cheryl and I sprung for one. He promptly added a patch on the back that says "I rode mine to Sturgis 2011!". You can guess that riding from your home to Sturgis (1,350 miles for us) is clearly a point of pride vs. the easier path of bringing it in a trailer.

By the time we adjourned back to the tattoo parlor, Cheryl was waiting and began encouraging me to fix my 10 year-old Harley Davidson tattoo on my right arm. So, I struck my own deal and soon sat down in the chair. And, gee does it look good . . . almost like a new tattoo with tons more color and emphasis. As Cheryl knows, I told her when I'm laying in my coffin, I want my right sleeve coat removed to show my tattoo (and love for motorcycling) and my Woody Hayes OSU cap on my abdomen. Of course, I hope to be so old that the tattoo is largely unrecognizable the way it is on old folks, but for now it looks GREAT.

And, speaking of old folks, we split up at this point. Jim and Tom left for a bike ride through Spearfish Canyon (and got rained on of course) and Cheryl and did some more shopping. Cheryl met a friend while we were out, and after a long day and a lot of fun, we rode back to Deadwood for a nap! Tomorrow is yet another big day as we venture to Devil's Tower and Pantiless Wednesday in Hulett, Wyoming. Hope you're enjoying and see you soon!