2014 Sturgis

Taking off at 6 AM.

The 2014 Sturgis Ride is history for me and my friends, Donny Meyer, Ron & Linda Bublitz. We left at 6 AM on Friday August 1st, 2014. This was only 9 hours after Abby got home from her stay in Sweden. We got to visit only for about 1 hour that night.

The morning was a chilly morning of 55*F so the first leg of our trip to Redfield, SD,  we drove through fog in low wet areas. Coffee was in order, and some of my fellow riders elected to add more layers. By the time we reached Pierre it was warming up and the layers added in Redfield were coming off. The day ended up being very warm.

Linda, Donny, & me, sorry Ron
no room for you in this selfie.

This goes on & on & on.......

From Pierre this year a different route than the normal Hwy. 34 route was in store. We all wanted to ride a little South and go through the Badlands of SD. The fee to get into the Badlands is controlled by the Federal government, and was $10.00 for motorcycles, and this was good for 10 days. The time we spent that day was long enough as the heat was very intense, pushing 90 degrees plus.

This trip is number four for the group I ride with. The first day we go into Sturgis and check it out. Everyone looks older, as we do, but happy! People are easy to talk to. The food smells the same. The bands are loud. The traffic gets heavy. Lots of people here to have fun. Lots of people here to make money. If you like motorcycling, and what goes with it, this event is a must.

Deadwood, SD

 The Sturgis rally is not confined to the town of Sturgis, it's about the Black Hills, the little towns that make up this beautiful region of South Dakota. It also includes Wyoming directly. Devils Tower, Hulett, Aladdin, the town you can buy for a cool $1.5 million(firm). The all open up their arms to you! They all want a piece of the action. There's music, beer, fellowship, tourism, and lots of it.

Stone House Saloon

The bikes are beautiful, they come in all styles, sizes, color's, brands. Mostly Harley, but there is also Honda, Kawasaki, BMW, etc. There's bikes right off the floor and ready to ride. There's custom's that many hours of labor and love  made them possible.

This custom could be bought for
$38,000.

This trip ended up being 1400 miles this year. Over all it was a good trip and we're looking forward to next year which will the the 75th Annual Sturgis Rally. Remember ride safe, protective gear is a must, wear a helmet.

Girls in my life!

Three girls in my life, Abby for 35 years, Becca for 34, and now Scout for almost 2 years. They're quite the 3-sum! A man could only wish for a 3-sum like this and I'm proud to say that they're in my life! Since Scout was born it's been traveling over the "pond" for visits. Twice now in Sweden and twice in Berlin. I could name some of the sights and locations we've taken in, but none of them are bigger than just spending time with this 3-sum.

Whether having coffee early in the morning with Scout or sitting outside with Becca, these are the moments that bring memories.

The time we spend together is great, but definitely not long enough, yet! For me this trip is over, I've come back to South Dakota and will go back to work tomorrow. The memories are stuck in my mind, and will be hard to get out of my head. I'll be plotting out in my head the next trip we'll be taking over the pond..counting the days...dreaming...

Entrance to Skansen.

No trip to Sweden would be complete without going to Skansen,  this  according to  me,  is the Greenfield Village of Sweden.(Sort of) The old Village gives you a taste of the past, the zoo is a wonderful walk about the animals of the region. It's a must see if you ever come this way.

Swedish Meatballs & Mashed Potatoes.

Also a must is a plate of Swedish Meatballs & Mashed potatoes, my trip almost complete with this one checked off the list. The Swedes, as most of Europe also enjoy a beer with lunch, usually 3.5%, so when in Rome..

Our walk around Skansen reflects back to 2012, our first trip to Sweden just after Scouts birth. The two pictures show a then picture of Scout and Becca, and one in 2014.

2012

2014

The bundle of joy in the left picture is starting to grow, yet Becca remains the same. Skansen is a great place to leisurely walk about, but with a little one along it's great to have the stroller with.

Becca & Scout at Skansen.

Our stay here has been in a Caravan(camper), about a 18' long, not much space, but it does bring a taste of years past, of the family fun days of Lake Pickerel. At the end of long days it's tubby time for Scout and Grabby doesn't let the warm water go by without a good foot soak.

3 girls resting!

                                                                                                                                    

Friday BBQ

Ina on the right with Sister
Lotta, our BBQ host.

This past Friday we were invited to a BBQ at Becca's neighbor Maria's MorMor's(Grandmother) home, hosted by Maria's mother Ina. She did a marvelous job on the grille, cooking vegetables and the meat in  a timely manner. Like at home we had way too much food but it was delicious!

Of course in the typical BBQ fashion beer & wine was aplenty. Abby & I are at a great disadvantage that we do not speak Swedish, but everyone there was pleasant enough to speak English most of the time.

Abby, Maria, Becca, & Fredrik

The picture at the right is Abby & Becca with brother & sister Maria & Fredrik, daughter & son of Ina. We had a tremendous time in conversation with them. Maria is closing in on her law degree & Fredrik is chasing his dream as a football(soccer) player.

View from atop of Utö. 

Saturday, Grabby & Grandpapa took Scout to Utö, a island of the Stockholm Archipelago. My sailor friends would love this area! Unbelievable, the number of yacht's and large sailboats in this area.

Sunday is a relaxation day, there was also a threat of rain in the forecast, which we never got. Grabby, Scout, & Grandpapa went for morning walk in the "little forest" nearby and are now heading for the beach for an afternoon dip.

Grandpapa, Scout, & Grabby in
the "little forest".

July 2014 Relaxation with Scout!

Being picked up at Airport.

Our trip this Summer finds us in a camper parked next to Becca's & Jesper's home in Dalaro, Sweden for me this will be a two week trip until the 19th and for Abby it's until the 31st. Life is not always fair!

Oh well, weather so far has been great, most days start with a walk after breakfast with Pilar, a cup of coffee with Becca & Jesper, then down to the beach for a swim and sand castle building, the Baltic is chilly for us, Abby has yet to go all the way in!

Grabby, Scout, & Becca walking to the car.

We haven't been camping for years, but so far this has been fun! We have a little table out our door where we eat and spend time with Scout.

Scout's cup never got full,
imagine that.

This morning instead of going to the beach, we went blue berry picking.  Now for my Michigan friends, these berry's are upper MI berry's not Thumb Area berry's, takes a lot of them to make a cup.

Food in Sweden, like our last few trips to Europe, has been great for me. I wake up in the morning's with low blood sugar, blood pressure is going down, and I am sleeping better than I do at home. Not sure what it is, but life seems better over here for me. I keep telling Abby that we're moving over here if my numbers keep dropping like they do.

Scout & Becca offering a toast!

On her own.

Our little Scout is growing up quick! She likes the water, to splash in, she likes to pick up sticks when we're out walking, she such a pleasant girl, when we meet others and shake hands, she wants all of us to do it! She like to make toast when we're having a drink, even if it's just water. This trip she has expanded herself to going down the slide by herself. Growing up fast. A few English words are said, as with Swedish words, quite a mix going on with her.

See you soon.

Julie, Abby, Scout, & Ben on the Muni.

We're getting to be seasoned at traveling about the cities we travel to. Becca is a good teacher when it comes to riding on mass transits. From the tube in London, Tokyo, Sweden, Berlin, and now San Francisco, getting around in these great cities seem easy upon reflection. On this trip, 7 day passes get us rides on the  Muni, Buses, & Cable Cars. The muni literally runs right behind our apartment, we could jump onto it off our deck, the stop is less than a 1/16th of mile. In San Francisco the lingo is In bound & Out bound. We ride to Powell station in bound to walk, maybe 100 yards to the cable cars, or to end of line and then maybe a 500 yards to Pier 1 and the waterfront street car. These streets cars are painted & labeled in the colors of varies cities in the US & Central America.

Julie & Ben in the cell block.

 Today we get off at Pier 1, stop for a coffee at Starbucks, hop onto the streetcar to Pier 33, onto the ferry to the "Rock", Alcatraz to look around. Ben grew up watching the movie, "The Rock", and was very excited about touring here, as was Julie, Abby, Scout, and I. We did have a little problem, as the walk up to the top is equal to walking up 13 stories. This was a bit to much for Abby & Scout and they waited for us to do the tour. The National Parks handed out audio tours for all visitors to listen about the history of the "The Rock". Again this made a very interesting time inside. Like Ben said at the end, just imagine, standing in a space that some of this countries biggest criminals stood!

Scout & Ben

 On our way back, Ben puts on the sling to relieve Abby, and to get some more bonding time with Scout. Friday night we take a four block walk down hill to a Irish pub. The food was great, a nice little neighborhood bar & grille.

San Francisco is a testing city to get around in. Lots of hills, both ways are hard on the old bodies.

See you later is what we say in this family, never using the "g" word! Even this is hard to say, but we look forward to our next excursion, probably next August to Dublin, that will be soon, until then "face time" will have to do....

See ya soon!