Road to Sturgis – All About the Music

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Created on Thursday, 02 May 2013 20:01

Besides the scenic motorcycle rides and delicious food and drink, my favorite part of Sturgis is the world-class music. Every year, the bars and saloons vie to have the most impressive musical lineup to drum up the biggest parties. In this blog, I’ll talk about some of the musical guests that have already been announced as headliners for Sturgis 2013.

To get things rolling, the folks at Easyriders Saloon announced last week that Saving Abel will be headlining their week of festivities. According to their website, backyard barbeques, front porch jams, old-fashioned family values and hard-partying rock n’ roll is the name of the game for Saving Abel. The no-frills, no pretension and down home charm-driven compositions from these Southern boys have burned up the radio charts with soaring melodies and crunching hooks. No doubt they’ll be bringing this excitement to the stage at Sturgis.

Joining Saving Abel at Easyriders, the female duo Deap Valley has also been announced as musical guests for Sturgis. These women may on the surface appear all wild hair, short skirts, and lip-curling attitude, but they’re powerful vocals will impress everyone. Don’t miss their impressive mix of hard rock and soft ballads.

Simultaneously vying for those hard partiers is the Buffalo Chip bar. They’ve lined up The Cult, one of the most influential and well-respected British rock bands to break onto the American charts. The Cult will be mixing trailblazing hard rock from the 80s and 90s together with they’re recently released 2012 album Weapon of Choice. Look for these chaps to tear it up at Buffalo Chip.

More bars will be announcing their musical lineups in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. For now, check out this new montage from Sturgis last year and get excited for Sturgis 2013!

Road to Sturgis—The Knuckle Saloon

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Created on Tuesday, 02 April 2013 13:07

In the second part of our Road to Sturgis blog series, I’m going to highlight perhaps one of the best parties in Sturgis—The Knuckle Saloon. Located in downtown Sturgis, The Knuckle rests on land once owned by Sturgis’ namesake Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis.

One of the best parts of the Saloon is the wide selection of events. Between bull riding, sport fighting, rooster roping, car shows, billiards and live music, they’ve got events for everyone. The Knuckle Saloon also houses its own radio station! KNKL is the only station in the country that is totally dedicated to a motorcycle event.

The Knuckle has also been featured in a variety of television shows and national magazines. In 2010, the History Channel filmed “Only in America with Larry The Cable Guy” there. The episode chronicled his trip riding with the Hells Angels motorcycle club through the Black Hills and to the 2010 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Clearly, this was one of Larry’s favorite destinations.

Of course, no trip to Sturgis and The Knuckle Saloon is complete without delving into a hearty Knuckle Sandwich. Voted best food in the Black Hills, the daily lunch and dinner specials also make The Knuckle Grill an affordable place to bring your family (but make sure you’re there when the sun is still up). Finally, the Knuckle museum is a great place for kids to read about the rich history of the Black Hills and browse through the great antique collection.

So, next time you’re in the Black Hills, make sure you stop on by The Knuckle Saloon and have a drink (or three)! Just make sure you’ve got a ride home!

Tesla on the Rise?

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Created on Friday, 12 April 2013 16:40

For the first time since its initial public offering in 2010, Tesla announced that it will close a quarter in the black. In stark contrast to 2012 Q4 in which Tesla lost $75 million, the electric car company shipped 250 cars more than it expected in 2013 Q1, helping generate a profit it will reveal in the coming weeks.

Despite a recent New York Times article that detailed an awful test drive of Tesla’s Model S Sedan, the company has seen a nice bump in share price over the last few weeks. No doubt, this is bolstered by the hope that the company’s ultra-luxury electric cars will finally gain traction in areas outside the San Francisco Bay Area. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also personally responded to the poor Times review, helping reassure investors that the $465 million loan from the federal government wasn’t a waste.

Tesla has been making headlines for other reasons too. Notably, Elon Musk visited Texas to try to overturn legislation that currently bars the electric car maker from selling cars directly from its retail stores in the state. Tesla has also committed to a very unique advertising strategy—not spending a dime. Much of the publicity for the company comes directly from Musk’s activity on social media sites. While certainly unconventional, analysts are remarking that this tactic is largely working.

Like Tesla, we have done our best at A1AutoTransport to implement green car shipping practices to reduce our carbon footprint. In association with SmartWay Transport, we’re committed to making sure our transport initiatives meet all EPA environmental standards. So, next time you’re considering shipping your car, make sure you choose the Green alternative!

Road to Sturgis—Mayor’s Ride

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Created on Tuesday, 19 March 2013 18:05

Every summer, my high school buddies and I reunite at the greatest biker event on Earth—the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. Leading up to our time there again this year, I will be writing a series of blog posts about the best rides, restaurants and bars, motorcycle shops, and best-kept-secrets that keep us going back to Sturgis every year. 

For this blog, I want to highlight one of my favorite rides of the week—the Mayor’s Ride. This ride combines an abundance of scenery and landmarks with great company and a great cause--the proceeds from the ride will go to the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department.

Like any ride, it’s only as good as the people you’re with. True to the name, we’ll be riding with Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen, as well as plenty of other motorcycle enthusiasts and biker legends. We’ll start the early morning ride in Sturgis along Highway 385, winding our way through Vanocker Canyon, and past the Pactola Reservoir. There will be regular stops along the more scenic parts and landmarks of the road, so don’t worry about having the opportunity to take pictures.

After passing the Reservoir, we’ll continue on Highway 16 through Keystone, stopping briefly at one of the greatest landmarks in the United States—Mount Rushmore. It truly is a majestic sight to see those American heroes enshrined on the mountain. Finally, we’ll finish off the morning by stopping in Custer State Park to enjoy a delicious lunch with Mayor Carstensen.

Of course, if that’s not enough of an incentive, riders also get a limited edition decanter of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, a 2013 Mayor’s Ride t-shirt, and an 11^th Annual Mayor’s Ride pin. If you’re in Sturgis this summer and have got $150 to spare for the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department, this is a ride you can’t afford to miss.

As always, let us know if you’re planning to ship your motorcycle to Sturgis 2013. See you there!