Day 8 – Return to Deadwood

Well, day 8 was the last full day for us at Sturgis 2010.   Not a lot planned, other than cleaning up the site in preparation for our return trip, and a full evening at the main stage with the Scorpions.  But we did decide to take one more spin back to Deadwood.     Mike had a few things he wanted to pick up, and I had a brilliant idea to find the original Boot Hill.

But before I tell you about that, let me tell you about Karen and Ed, owners and operators of the Dog House Cafe.

We had not had a tremendous amount of success finding a good breakfast spot, until the final day, when we found ourselves at the Dog House Cafe, where there’s “no fast food, only good food fast”.    No only did we have an excellent breakfast, but they took care of us like we were long lost friends.    That’s Karen, Ed and the lads in the shot below.

Every rally week Karen and Ed leave their home and camp right behind the cafe.   They want to be up and the food freshly prepared for the hoards of early morning riders.   Not only that, but they make their now vacant bedroom available for whatever soul needs it.. no charge of course!

I hope I see Karen and Ed again.   Truly beautiful people.  If you ever find yourself in Sturgis, go have breakfast at the Dog House and be prepared for lively conversation and a full belly!

Right… back to Deadwood.   Boot Hill you may already know, is the final resting place for all those gamblers and gunslingers that had left the mortal plains of Deadwood still wearing their boots.   There were actually TWO.. The first was located close to town but lasted only a few years before the townspeople realized that the flat land better serviced the living than the dead.  So, everyone was uprooted and moved to Mount Moriah, the new Boot Hill.

It’ll cost you a buck to look, and if you can manage the climb, you should definitely go.   Beautiful place, and if you take the time, you’ll find the last last chapter in a thousand stories.   We visited Wild Bill and Calamity Jane, Potato Creek Johnny and Sheriff Seth Bullock, the mass graves of diptheria victims, and another for miners who perished in a boarding house fire..

Righto.  Back to camp for our final night.  The lads went off to see the Scorpions, and I stayed back to draft the final blogs.  Too bad they were lost (ARRRGH!).