Renegade Issue 35

This was my fourth trip to Sturgis SD for their bike week fes-

tivities, but it was my first Buffalo Chip experience! Anyone

who has ever been to Sturgis will tell you if you have never

been to the Buffalo Chip then you haven’t been to Sturgis!

Since this was my first time staying at the Buffalo Chip, I

really didn’t know what to expect. What I did know was that

they were famous for throwing one of the biggest parties in

the country with top national acts playing nightly for

the annual gathering of the biker hoards and scantily clad

ladies running about! Release the boobies cried the king!

Unfortunately attendance was down for this years rally, they

were calling it the hangover rally, after last years 75th anni-

versary blowout! This year the crowds were thin everywhere

you went even Main St and Lazelle were not overflowing with

bikes and bikers like usual. Most years it’s tire-to-tire all the

way up the strip and back. Not this year, you could ride right

through town with only a few stops at the lights, which made

it easy to get where you were going.

Despite the low rally attendance, the Buffalo Chip was

still the place to be each night, with major national

bands rocking the stage each night, like Kid Rock, Wil-

lie Nelson and many others.

If you weren’t feeling up to the big shows there were

plenty other smaller stages rocking the Chip throughout

the day, all with full bars to keep you fired up. Plus plenty

of food and apparel vendors spread out around the main

arena area. If you ventured deeper into the campground

you could find some of the nicest people and wildest par -

ties. It’s like an adult playground, complete with dancing

girls, circus freaks, midget tossing and other debauchery

occurring throughout the campground you really don’t

need to leave, except to go out and ride your bike through

the beautiful mountain roads throughout the Sturgis area.