Every year, with very few exceptions, First Reader and I ride our motorcycles to Sturgis, SD to attend the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. We look forward to this week of riding. It’s the highlight of our summer.

I started my riding journey on a 1987 700cc Honda Magna. It was pre-owned, with a family history. First Reader was the bike’s first owner, and when she was ready to sell it, a mutual friend purchased it. Our friend wasn’t riding anymore, so when we said we were looking for a bike for me, K.H. reached out to us. The motorcycle ended up back in the family, and I rode that bike until I was ready to graduate to a bigger, badder vroom-vroom.

My second ride was a 2000 1100cc Honda Shadow Sabre. I wanted something bigger, but when I test-rode bigger, I scared the crap out of myself and decided to build up to “bigger” instead of jumping right in. The Sabre took care of me for the next seven or so years before the bigger bike I wanted coming available. By then, I was ready for the increase in power.

Now, I ride my dream bike, a 2004 1300cc Honda VTX, and have for going on ten years. The first trip I took on this bike was a bucket-list trip that First Reader and I took almost a decade ago. I posted it as a travel series a couple of years back.

And here we are, once again preparing for our annual pilgrimage to the Motorcycle Mecca of the West, Sturgis, SD. For me, this is a form of therapy. While the ride to and from can be brutal, we still look forward to the trip every year. Our little group has ridden in all kinds of weather, from blazing heat to tornado conditions. Every trip is an adventure.

As I stated in a previous post, I will do my best to post a bit about our trip this year. It depends on our access to Wi-Fi and, of course, how much time I carve out. 😉