Brooklyn's Trip to Sturgis 2003

After the morning routine, we all saddled up along with a couple girls Leo and Neil had met the year before. On what was to be the group's only day of riding all together, we followed Neil's suggestion and headed for Devil's Tower. This monument to geologic forces is something of an oddity for the area. Devil's Tower is the only remaining evidence of an ancient volcano, having formed as a plug of volcanic rock as the throat of the volcano cooled and then remaining to this day after the surrounding softer materials were eroded away. Being such a unique and out-of-place crown of rock, it is easy to see why a culture may attribute it's existence to intelligence forces, evil or otherwise.

The ride over to Devil's Tower was through some beautiful countryside on roads with long, sweeping curves. It would have been more enjoyable without the thousand other motorcycles, though. I had to stay on my toes the entire time to keep from getting downed by another, more reckless, rider.

South Dakota does not require helmets on riders over 18.

I wore mine anyway. Other than a few older couples with the in-helmet intercoms, I was almost alone in choosing to wear my helmet. I admit to a few times, when the conditions were right, when I stowed the helmet and used it as a backrest, but as my riding partners will attest, I wore my helmet the vast majority of the time. I want to stress that this is because I don't always trust my own skills and I firmly believe a go-down is not a matter of "if", but "when". Factor in unknown roads, too many other riders whose habits and skills I don't know, and unpredictable weather, and I usually felt a little safer wearing. I did, later in the trip, find that even my black helmet provided good protection from the sun, too.