I am a Black Hills Native, was born in Rapid City in 1959 and have lived in the Hills all my life. I am a logger by trade so what I do for a living does not revolve around the Rally or Tourist season but most of the residents of the Hill's, their lives are directly tied to the Tourists and Riders here for the Rally. One thing a lot of people forget is that these Hill's are our home and here more so than alot of places we are very protective of our home. Most Black Hill's residents will go out of their way to make our visitors comfortable and welcome but like everywhere else there are those who feel 190° the opposite and will take every chance to be rude and obnoxious to our visitors....but trust me for every one you have the bad luck to run into there are 10 who will go above and beyond to make up for the one. This Video is as good as I have seen and heard. The only thing I would add is to remember this is OUR HOME.....treat it with the same respect you expect from others visiting your home and life will be good for everybody. Please enjoy your visit to the Black Hills....and come again real soon. You can always find a quiet, healing spot to just get yourself right here in the Hills. and I would be remiss if I didn't throw in...."Remember only you can prevent Forest Fires".....what takes Mother Nature hundreds of years to make so beautiful....one careless spark, cigarette butt, or one careless camp fire can destroy in a couple of days.
Thank you. I really appreciate your comment. I grew up in Sioux Falls (sorry 'bout that) and my parents brought me to the Hills in 1955. When I saw those concrete dinosaurs in Rapid City I thought I'd died and gone heaven and have been in love with the Hills ever since. We've both seen a lot of changes here over these many years, but I believe the spirit of the Hills is just a strong as ever and my wife and I cherish the times we can get out in the woods for peace and meditation. But in the end I'm a little bit torn ... do I want to encourage others to visit or would I rather keep our little paradise a secret? Your point about preserving the Hills is well taken.
It's the same here in the Blue ridge/ Smokey Mt. Areas. Tourist, animals ( bear, turkey, deer and Elk) and curves. Fallen rocks, gravel and of course snow and ice later in the year. The weather can change in an instant ( rain or fog) due to the elevation. Long sweeping curves or tight twisties. Beautiful overlooks and tunnels. The ride is beautiful and quite. Enjoy the ride 👍
I'm 24, SD native. first bike and first time going to sturgis so I wanted to take a look. came for the tips, stayed for the rantings of another local lol
I have ridden for fifty-four years and visited the Black Hills a half dozen times as I am from Virginia Beach, VA and ride to the Hills. My last trip was Bike Week 2021 and I stayed in Custer. This is an excellent video for us all, but especially for new comers to the Black Hills. I have watched the slow evolving Crazy Horse Monument over twenty years. A must see in my mind. Be safe and maybe I will see you in the Hills, but no longer during Bike Week. The Black Hills don't need any other reason to visit the area.
Great video! I have to put in my two cents worth here. I went to Sturgis for the first and last time in 2017. That year I bought my one and only Harley, an Ulta-classic, and decided to check Sturgis off my Bucket List. I'm east river (Sioux Falls) and rode locally on a Goldwing, and hadn't been to the hills in several years. Unbeknownst to me I had developed a health condition that causes me to see double in low oxygen and/or high elevation situations. I was nearly to the top of Iron Mountain Road when my eye sight suddenly became double vision. Try riding down that road seeing double the whole way. I managed to limp slowly down off the mountain with help from friends riding with me. But my advice would be, make sure you're healthy enough to handle the riding conditions, and the elevation. That experience ruined my trip to Sturgis because I had to stay to the low elevations after that day while everyone else did all the towns, and attractions. When I got back to Sioux Falls, (I rode mine) I was so shaken I sold the bike and quit riding.
I have a similar story with tourists, I live ten miles south of Daytona Beach “Main Street” and Boot Hill Saloon. It’s nice to have all the like-minded bike people around, but it’s a pain trying to get around town. But being a tourist town that’s busy for a good chunk of the year you get use to it....just gotta be more alert. Im a local firefighter and I try to take time off of work to enjoy most of the biker events. I’ve been thinking of hitting the Sturgis event, it’s definitely beautiful out there. My daughter worked on Pine Ridge for a while, so I’ve been out to the Black Hills and Badlands, just never on a bike. Thanks for the video 👍👍
Everybody is a tourist sometimes. I just got back from a ride in Colorado and I admit I made some touristy "mistakes" while trying to find my way around. If you choose to live in of visit a tourist area you need to be extra careful.
Best advice especially during the rally be sure you can handle driving in a pack side by side and don't and a get feel for the curves before attempting Needles highway. Last summer during the rally on that sharp switchback near needles eye about 8:24 (same direction) a driver in a car ahead of about 30 bikes in a tight formation panicked and hit the breaks hard on the corner. It was a miracle no one laid down their bikes.
Maybe you should of mention when in Custer park and you come across the Buffalo give there space and don’t try to touch when when go by. I’m glad you mention about the free range for cattle I found out the hard way one night on Nemo road.
Very useful video! Thanks for taking the time to do this. These are very good tips and I appreciate them very much! I hope to be riding there this summer 2020(hopefully this COVID-19 will be under control and we can come out!) Thanks very much!
Most of the danger is other drivers, site seeing, going over the center line and not watching where they are going, so you need to look out for yourself. Go slow and you'll be fine. If someone wants to follow close behind you, just pull over and let them by. And watch ahead for wild life, they're everywhere out there.
Lionsprings, please tell me about your camera recording setup, helmet mount, frame rate, brand, microphone as it makes for a good production. I'm coming this year after a 49 year absence, last visit was in 1970 on a 175cc Kawasaki. 😎 Greatly enjoyed your video message and look forward to respectfully enjoying the hills. I subscribed after seeing this one video but will review your postings for Black Hills ride recommendations. Bully.
Sorry for this long-delayed reply. I missed this comment when first made. I use four cameras: A small Nikon pocket camera that I try to carry with me at all times. A larger Nikon SLR for videos made with a tripod, a Sena helmet mount (and elsewhere) and a GoPro for wide angle and hand-held moving shots. All videos are produced in MP4 format and voice overs are recorded (mostly) with the pocket Nikon. I also use a heavy selfie stick with a weighted bottom (about two pounds) for holding either the Sena or GoPro in some shots. This is an old still camera trick that stabilizes the camera a lot.
