00:00okay so somebody told me that going to
00:02Sturgis isn't for me
00:03yeah so I looked online and checked out
00:06a bunch of forums and I was quite
00:09surprised at some of the responses that
00:12um I saw so I'm gonna ride the Sturgis
00:14South Dakota and see for myself and
00:16here's my story on how I'm gonna do it
00:23button up some things or whatever
00:29you gotta do what you gotta do
00:32leaving Milwaukee was a Bittersweet
00:34moment as I had been on high from the
00:36Harley homecoming but now it was time to
00:39embark on my second half of my quest and
00:41that would be to go to Sturgis and see
00:43what all the fuss is about and so I
00:45packed my bags to get ready to head out
00:47and I was 100 ready for this new
00:52and as we left Milwaukee with the Sun at
00:55our backs we get on our way and normally
00:58I do these escapades alone but this time
01:01I had a couple of friends join me as we
01:03travel to a new area of our wonderful
01:05country and I was glad they can come I
01:08had my brother weird outcasts from
01:10Georgia and my homegirl assistant big
01:12bone from Mississippi
01:13and my club brother Freeze from Alabama
01:17all Southerners with an appetite for
01:20adventure as big as teenagers hitting
01:22the growth spurt and we would make
01:23excellent time as the sun started
01:34getting kind of cool out here
01:42as we got settled into our groove of
01:44moving West like The Great Migration our
01:47thoughts and minds and sights had
01:49shifted to the Landscapes and terrain
01:50that encased us visually
01:52we will stop every chance we got to snap
01:55a picture with a state sign and the gas
01:57Ops were filled with stories about what
02:00should we do as far as expectations once
02:04I've heard so many stories of this
02:06legendary location the many roads that
02:09bikers fly to from all over the world as
02:11soon as the weather breaks through
02:13experience themselves
02:19we didn't made in South Dakota and I got
02:30bro the South Dakota
02:37animated South Dakota man
02:42taking off from the state sign I
02:44realized that Interstate 90 has to be
02:46the most boring Highway ever paid and I
02:49was hypnotized by watching the same
02:51thing over and over but there was one
02:53thing that could help and that was food
02:56and snacking on a candy bar put some pep
02:58in my step like a grandpa getting ready
03:02it still wasn't too much to look at
03:03along the way except for a few windmills
03:06in a couple of cars the speed limit
03:08increased Health but when I planned to
03:11take this ride I had heard of a
03:13beautiful statue that overlooked the
03:14highway and I was more than destined to
03:28man we didn't took so many Loops in in
03:32in in in in curves it felt like a Hot
03:34Wheel track trying to get over here man
03:36but we finally made it to the Dignity of
03:39perfect sky on our way to uh Sturgis in
03:43Mount Rushmore and all that good stuff
03:45man check this out isn't that beautiful
03:47y'all I gotta keep telling everybody man
03:48you know we have a destination but what
03:50one thing I keep trying to tell
03:51everybody about riding is don't worry
03:53about the point A to point B see
03:55something find something make memories
03:58this is this is what it's all about
04:00that's what it's all about if you just
04:03riding if you just ride and get from one
04:04thing to another plane especially if
04:06you're just going to a party you're
04:07missing out on all of America there's so
04:09much out here to look at so much so much
04:11out here I mean you can just blow past
04:13this if you want to but I mean why not
04:14why not sit up here and get a picture
04:17with that I mean it's just awesome
04:26every time I do something like this man
04:28I just wish you could just I could just
04:35I know I feel you on that bro I guess
04:48we just had a moment with my mind and
04:53it didn't no sun the whole day
04:56as soon as I got finished talking about
05:07yeah I know she watching
05:12I'm sorry about that y'all
05:16every time I take a long ride it just
05:18you know and I hit these different
05:20milestones and things like that just get
05:22emotional because I just thought you
05:24know I just really getting my feelings
05:40it does something to me
05:44losing a loved one is never an easy
05:46thing to come to terms with no matter
05:48how much time passes that wound never
05:51seems to truly close and that's okay
05:54because no matter what you do in this
05:56life those who are close to you that
05:58have passed on will always send you
06:00signs to let you know that they are
06:02there for you and will always be at your
06:12good morning good morning people we have
06:15made it to Sturgis obviously and we're
06:18gonna get outside and we're gonna ride
06:19some of these great rules we're gonna
06:20hit Spearfish Canyon uh because of State
06:23Park Mountain Rushmore the whole nine
06:26yards uh we're gonna try to hit the
06:27wildlife Loop you know man we gonna make
06:29this thing do what it do and we're gonna
06:31check back in with y'all later peace
06:46Black Hills National Forest
06:51our first day in the Sturgis area would
06:53be to ride in the gorgeous Spearfish
06:55Canyon and I know that I can speak for
06:57my companions as well as myself when I
06:59see that these sites were truly
07:02the trees that stood at attention
07:04alongside the canyon towered over us
07:06like skyscrapers in the city
07:08and the smell of fresh air had my senses
07:11firing on all cylinders and just looking
07:13at everything around me gave me pause
07:16I truly have to appreciate what is
07:19before me because there are so many
07:21people who we encounter who will not be
07:23afforded the opportunity to visually
07:25devour these sites that stands before us
07:29and as the crew and I rolled through the
07:31cane we just took our time cruising like
07:34a paper plane in the air with nowhere to
07:37and in my mind all I could think about
07:39is those who spread the negativity about
07:41why I shouldn't come out this week about
07:43how I wouldn't be welcome but I know one
07:46thing for certain and two things for
07:48sure nature welcomes any and everyone
07:50who respects and takes care of her and I
07:53burned up my batteries to my GoPro
07:55faster than a pre-teen making a grilled
07:57cheese sandwich I just had to capture
08:10this would only be the very beginning of
08:13what was in store for me and the crew
08:15and we navigated the area like a
08:17seasoned sailor and found our way to
08:21the roads curved their sneaked Higher
08:23and Higher and I was just taken aback as
08:25I rode my bike through the tunnels car
08:27from nature it was truly a gift that
08:29kept on giving and as we continued and
08:32pressed on the traffic started getting
08:34thicker and we wasn't sure why but we
08:37will find out soon that our route had
08:38taken us through Needles Highway and
08:40through the needle eye tunnel and
08:42passing through this small compact bar
08:44we had me smiling in my helmet as I just
08:47thought I'm gonna tell you what's going
08:49you're not saying you was going on an
08:55hey you just go downstairs
09:00yeah oh my Lord oh my God
09:06when I say beautiful
09:08me and Custer State Park
09:10in uh South Dakota and when I tell you
09:14like it don't do it no justice
09:18it's hard because they got the haze and
09:20stuff and I I have to just come back
09:23I'm going to come back because
09:38let me get my drone man because this is
09:42this is crazy y'all look at this
09:52yo they just shining and stuff man I
09:55don't even know you see all these like
09:57little crystals I mean whatever Rock
09:59thingy this is crazy
10:16some things you can see from pictures
10:18and videos but some things are just
10:20simply best seen in person
10:51this has been one hell of a adventure so
11:00we continue to ride through the area and
11:02the views in the curve did not
11:04disappoint and it came on us faster and
11:06faster and we had to control our bikes
11:09with much Precision to make it to the
11:10top of our destination which was Iron
11:14but it wouldn't be a road trip without
11:19man what if you but when you when you
11:21figure out about the third by the third
11:22turn you're like I got it now you can
11:24now you know when to lean and when to
11:26come in so I was like after the second
11:28time around I said yeah we're gonna
11:29we're gonna come another you here comes
11:31another one is that going uphill that
11:35yo so my clutcher had went out
11:41I had to sit and let it so a point
11:43apparently is more a lot of moisture I'm
11:47assuming or in my clutch
11:50we here I'm good I'm back making it
12:04Iron Mountain Road is a beast it's 17
12:07miles with 314 curves 14 switchbacks
12:11three tunnels and three pigtails along
12:15with four presidents and it was simply a
12:18and our next stop will be the famous
12:36so they ran to Alaska
12:40they left from Brazil
12:42they're going to Alaska
12:44I met them here as we they were pulling
12:46in just in front of me and they don't
12:49speak any English and I think a tiny bit
12:52of uh Portuguese and uh so I figured I'd
12:56help and uh so they're still up there
13:00uh they're going up to Alaska and then
13:02they're going back down to uh
13:05that's like Patagonia oh very southern
13:08end of uh Argentina and then back to
13:10Brazil what's your name I'm Matt how you
13:13doing man call me G you're what g g okay
13:18that's okay I call my son t
13:29hey when we went through that tunnel and
13:32I I looked twice I say wait that's it
13:48I left my dog in the Seas man like I
13:51can't be cool right now love my shoes
13:53something that you have to come out and
13:55see yeah no pictures
14:03so it was it was definitely worth it
14:07definitely working look at it
14:11it was something about
14:13Mount Rushmore that was very Majestic
14:16very Regal or maybe it was just the aura
14:20of the people that were there
14:23hey remember I said I like your dinner
14:30oh I said I like your duck man it looked
14:34they didn't duck my bike down oh he got
14:35he got the add-on now
14:37at BTN whiskey Jeeping
14:41so I gotta put Doug on something I gotta
14:43tell you to put on some other you can
14:50good morning good morning good morning
14:51good morning good morning good morning
14:52good morning good morning good morning
14:54good morning good morning good morning
14:57temperatures much hotter than uh
15:00normally since we've been here
15:03it doesn't seem as cool but we're gonna
15:05head to Devil's Tower with a quick stop
15:08by the Harley dealership in Sturgis and
15:11then we're gonna be on our way now check
15:13back in with y'all later peace
15:43electric light standard polish
15:48no blackouts just a standard bike
15:51and then I asked you Levi at moonshine
15:55Customs B L Customs I went into them and
15:59I said I'm looking for a paint job for
16:01this I think it's graphics and then I
16:03just opt in there's a tie Dodge
16:12first of all introduce yourself to the
16:15world Butch is Butch can you tell me a
16:21what would you what would you classify
16:23it's a three-wheeler it's a
16:25three-wheeler yeah that's right
16:26originally a smart car right it was in
16:30an accident and I took the front end off
16:32and put this on from the windshield back
16:36I mean how did you even come up with the
16:41my son started me on the idea okay yeah
16:44he does computer-aided drafting so we
16:47pretty much designed it so yeah this is
16:51awesome the whole front end is made I
16:54made the whole front end that's probably
17:04take a break and everything is still on
17:21that's awesome that is simply
17:28did Minnesota twice man
17:33what it's got heated seats right
17:39yeah man this is look at this y'all look
17:43how cool how cool man
18:17Kitty the GM of One-Eyed Jakes gave us a
18:21personal tour after eating and we would
18:23check out the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum
18:25for more awesome bikes and even more
18:44good morning y'all we getting ready to
18:46roll up we're gonna hit Devil's Tower
18:48and then stay signs we're gonna start
18:49making our way back and um I'll check
18:51back in Charlotte later
18:53our last and final day in the area will
18:56have us going to visit one of the most
18:58awesome spectacular sites this country
19:01has in the first national park which
19:04would be the Devil's Tower
19:24check that out I mean just look how
19:27beautiful it is just like
19:39you just sit up there it makes you think
19:40like how all of this stuff was like
19:44really really do something
19:48like for real for real do something
19:52I'm gonna take a few pictures
19:57make it on back home
20:00witnessing the tower was a sight that
20:02will forever be a core memory of mine
20:04and as we headed south there was a true
20:07sense of peace and Tranquility that
20:09wrapped around us and we would stop to
20:12view that piece in environmental form
20:50that's just gorgeous y'all just simply
20:59we will make our way South through
21:00Wyoming and down to Colorado just to
21:04and I'm so glad I was able to share this
21:07experience with people who have played
21:08an important role in my life those who
21:11have been there for me in ways I
21:14and this is what traveling across
21:16America on my Harley means to me
21:18I guess extremely emotional on this rise
21:22because in my opinion it's the very best
21:24way to see America the Beautiful and the
21:27amount of appreciation that I have for
21:29the land that I live in will never waver
21:32and it will never be taken for granted
21:34much like the people who I call my
21:47everybody is breaking off at this moment
21:50so we splitting up going on separates
21:59um a thousand miles to get straight home
22:01or I might just break it up in two parts
22:05and take it easy who knows depends how I
22:13our final Days on the Road have a
22:15splitting up at some point and heading
22:17back to our respective homes and as I
22:20head back to Louisiana the reasons why I
22:23took this trip rubber banded back into
22:26how can anyone say that anything isn't
22:29for me how can anyone say what I
22:32shouldn't do this misinformation that
22:35can be shared amongst all people can
22:37spread like a poison but I for one will
22:40always seek to find and provide a cure
22:43for all of us and at the end of the day
22:45we are all one thing and that is human
22:49no matter how much money you have no
22:52matter how poor you are no matter what
22:55color race or cream you are we are all
22:59and when we put aside everything and
23:02come together we will soon realize how
23:04much alike we are and how much we have
23:08these motorcycles have afforded me an
23:10opportunity to meet and be among so many
23:13great individuals who will look after
23:15each other like their own and as I
23:17reflect on this trip I have this thought
23:20don't let the ignorance of others stop
23:23you from being your best self because
23:25when we are at our best we always shower
23:28others with peace love and joy and to
23:32the people who I met in Sturgis thank
23:34you I'll definitely be back and if you
23:38enjoyed this video please like share and
23:40subscribe to the channel and check out
23:42my road trip playlist for more
23:44adventures and this is GQ the leader of
23:46the piece on me telling you guys to be
23:48safe be cool and most importantly be you
23:51and peace out until we meet again
