A lot of people have been asking me how the trip to Sturgis, S.D., for the 67th Annual Motorcycle Rally went.

I'd like to respond, "great, one of the best times I've ever had," but that wouldn't be true. Actually, it was sort of boring.

There were some high points and low points but for the most part it was the same old, same old. The ride down and back, about 650 miles, was arguably the best part as Scooter, riding his new Harley, and I, on my trusty Victory Kingpin, experienced good roads and weather going both ways.

While headed to Newell from Reva we did run into some turbulence as the skies got cloudy and the wind was blowing hard. We started moving a little faster, maybe 70-plus mph trying to skirt what looked to be a thunderstorm. We were pushing pretty hard with that strong wind hitting from the side making things difficult.

All of a sudden this little 750cc Honda Shadow blows by us. It was difficult to tell who the rider was, but it was a smaller person curled over the tank bending the bike into the wind.

Well, we got to Newell and stopped at the gas station to fuel up. Sitting there with the bike that had just gone by us was none other than Lincoln's Ines Dunn, originally from Slovenia. She probably doesn't tip the scales at much more than 100 pounds and lets say she's a likely candidate for AARP membership.

Dunn was making her first trip to Sturgis, planning to stay with some friends. From what I understand she has been riding for 40 years and this was a minor excursion compared to what she's used to.

Harley-Davidson held its annual show at the Rapid City Civic Center, where tens of thousands of Harley enthusiasts make the annual pilgrimage to pick up the all important Harley pin along with seeing the lineup of motorcycles and of course the clothes. It was interesting to watch the throng enter the center to partake in all things Harley. Most were gray-haired carrying a few extra pounds and dressed as only a biker can.

I admit to getting a little caught up in all the fervor and started to scheme on how to come up with the scratch to buy a new Harley, even though my Polaris-made Victory has been more than faithful. Sanity eventually returned.

We did get to sit side-by-side with Harley-Davidson guru Willie G. Davidson, who was taking a lunch break at the civic center. I managed to keep from running over and asking for an autograph or picture, though others didn't.

Scooter's momentary trip from reality came early one day in Sturgis when he decided to get his wife's name carved into his arm at Buhda's Tattoo emporium. Then for the remainder of the trip attempted to cajole me into getting ink injected into my skin. I didn't succumb.

Over the nearly weeklong trip we managed to make the usual rides and visit the usual vendors. It was obvious that numbers were down at the rally this year - roads and venue were not nearly as crowded as the last couple of years. In 2000, an all-time crowd of 633,000 was recorded. In 2005, the rally's 65th anniversary there were about 550,000 people. Last year the number was estimated at closer to 450,000 and I suspect this year will be under 400,000.

For the most part the blame was put on prices. Gas prices, lodging prices, food prices, beer prices, it was at times even difficult to get a bottle of water for less than $3. Others pointed out that the rally has spread throughout the Black Hills. While Sturgis remains the focal point, other communities such as Rapid City, Custer, Hill City, Deadwood and Huellet offer plenty of biker-type entertainment.

This was the first trip that I didn't get caught in a downpour. Not that there wasn't any rain, I was just smart enough to stay out of it. One of the worst storms dumped more than 2 inches of rain in less than an hour and in some areas was accompanied by softball-size hail.

Scooter and I managed to escape the deluge at the Sawtooth Saloon, a little bar about midway between Sturgis and Rapid City along I-90. There we watched as motorcycles came to a low spot in the interstate where water was probably more than 6 inches deep. They carefully managed to navigate through sending water flying without loosing control. One group of bikers decided to pull over to the shoulder only to have vehicles of the four- and 18-wheel variety pass through sending waves 10 to 12 feet high cascading over them. A lot of soaked riders made their way to the Sawtooth that afternoon.

The worst part of the trip was the realization that set in after returning - summer is at an end. Kids are going back to school in about a week, football is already under way and soon we'll be talking about the first frost.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 701-250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)