I woke as the sun was just pulling itself up over the horizon lighting up the tent.  I felt crunchy.  The skin on my face felt tight and burnt.  My eyes felt as though they’d been filled with sand.  My joints were complaining as if they’d been run without oil.  As I searched for the reason why I felt this way I remembered where I was and suddenly none of my afflictions mattered.

I unzipped the tent door and walked out into a beautiful South Dakota morning.  The air was fresh and cool.  The sky was a bowl of blue and even the sun seemed friendlier, our battle from the day before forgotten in the manner of close friends.  I looked about my surroundings and was pleased with the amount of greenery I’d been able to acquire in this dry terrain but as I surmised the track of the sun I realized that my shade wouldn’t actually become effective until sometime in the afternoon.  Well, that’s when it’s hottest, right?  Then I realized that I’d camped pretty close to the amphitheater.  If this huge party lasted all night long I was probably going to be in it for the duration.  I like to party as much as the next guy but all night every night could get to be too much.  I had been pretty hasty when I picked this location yesterday.

So I decided to take a shower.  I gathered up my necessaries and walked on up the back hill to the south showers.  I had the place to myself and the water got nice and hot.  I was sure glad they had it running a couple of days early.  As I left the showers refreshed, rejuvenated and almost hydrated I noticed the old barn.  I walked on down and checked it out.  The wood is very weathered and age has given it some funny angles but it looked serviceable.  I walked out the back side of the barn and saw a beautiful little grove of trees.  Once I entered the grove I realized the spot I was standing in was perfect.  There was shade from every angle.  The barn could serve as shelter for bikes in a hailstorm.  This place was further from the maelstrom I expected the party to become.  I ran back to my tent.

Rather than try to pack everything the way I’d hauled it, I took 3 trips to move all my stuff.  This spot was so sweet.  There was one other tent set up in the grove but no one was around.  There was plenty of room for 50 more tents and bikes so I expected company but for the moment it was all mine, sort of.  I had a little driveway so I could park the bike right by the tent and a little spot to park the trailer.  A dry creek bed runs around the back of the grove that separates the whole area from the rest of the campground.  It was my home for the next 10 days.  Once I got everything situated I decided to go visiting.

Back in the days after I’d first visited the Buffalo Chip’s web site I used to hang around the bulletin board page where folks would talk about The Chip, ask questions and generally keep in touch.  Mostly I just lurked but I did strike up a conversation with one Chipster named De.  She seemed to have all the answers.  She gave me the directions to where she and Dave camped during the rally in a place called Tramp Camp.  I didn’t quite understand what that meant or who Dave was but I followed the directions through a gate into what looked like a camp for tramps.

Straight ahead there was a lineup of various vehicles that were obviously being used as lodging.  There were truck campers, a Volkswagen van and some full size vans.  None of them looked as though they were going anywhere.  A few tents were scattered about.  Off to the right a Sunbeam trailer sat with a good size awning along the side.  The awning was made of well weathered wood and looked permanent.  There were a couple of chairs up against the trailer, a picnic table and grill under the right side of the awning and two more tables out in front of the awning.  A man and a woman sat in the chairs.  This looked like the place De had described.

At the time I knew nothing of biker’s road names.  As I’ve stated before I’m not a mechanic and I’m not excited by custom bikes.  I’m also not a member of a club or what might be described as an “Old School Biker”.  I’m just a guy who likes to get in the wind and stay there as much as possible.  My friends at home referred to me by the nickname of “Beeb”.  I’d used that same handle on the bulletin board for The Chip’s website.  I decided I’d stick with that and see how it went.

As I walked up to the folks sitting by the trailer they watched me with calm curiosity.  The woman, a cute little blonde, wore a contented smile.  I introduced myself, “Hi, I’m BeeB”.

The blonde jumped up and came over to give me a welcoming hug.
“Hello, we’re glad you made it.  I’m De and this is Dave”

I shook Dave’s hand.  De was full of questions, “How was your ride out?  How do you like The Chip so far?  Did you find a good campsite?”

I started to answer and was beginning to think De did all the talking when Dave said to De, “Get him some coffee.  Beeb, have a seat.”  De scampered into the trailer and I sat at one of the picnic tables feeling at ease with my new friends.  In a moment De was back with an appreciated mug of morning wake up.

We chatted for quite a while.  I learned that Dave was basically The Chip’s facilities manager.  He was in charge of the power, water, bathrooms, outhouses, garbage pickup and had constructed many of the buildings around The Chip.  I told them about the fine spot I’d found and expressed my gratitude for the hot shower.   I learned that Tramp Camp had evolved over the years as various free spirits arrived along with summer to work at The Chip.  It seems that The Chip had started out nearly 2 decades earlier as a party for some friends during the Sturgis Motorcycle rally.  The rally had grown from thousands to tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands to half a million bikers, RUBS, enthusiasts and party hounds.  The folks at The Chip got more beer, better bands some food and just kept offering up the best party they could muster until it had grown into the most amazing entertainment venue imaginable.

As we talked various people would ride in on 4 wheelers or in pickup trucks with questions or information for Dave regarding the last minute preparations.  Eventually a situation arose that required his attention and he headed off.  I handed De back the empty mug with my thanks and walked back to my campsite feeling even more at home.  Along the way I noticed a couple of guys working with barrels and some young trees that looked like they’d been planted within the last year.

“We’re freeing the trees”, the taller fellow said.
“Wudda ya mean?” I asked.  I’m clever that way.
“Well, we punched holes in the bottom of these barrels and wired them to the tree so the wind wouldn’t blow them over.  Then we would come around with the water truck and fill up the barrels.  It would run out kinda slow and water the tree.  Rally’s gonna start so we’re cutting the barrels loose and now they’ll be trash cans.”

That probably doesn’t sound like much but it struck me as ingenious and efficient.  After my talk with Dave and De and looking around The Chip I began to get this feeling that it was a magic place.  There were very few campers but it was still 2 days until the 1st concert.  A sense of anticipation is the best way I could describe the mood.  Everything seemed to evolve rather than being forced into place.

After noodling around for the afternoon I decided to ride into town and look around before the crowds showed up.  I stopped at the Full Throttle Saloon to look around then headed for Main St. in Sturgis.  Some of the vendors were still setting up.  There were a lot of bikes but it was easy to find a parking space.  It was easy to tell there would be many more rally attendees expected.  I found a couple of the web cams and stood in front of them waving but not for long.  Standing there waving to no one in particular made me feel like an idiot.  I got a bite to eat then sat and people watched for a while.  It felt good after all the planning, preparations and long ride to realize that I’d really made it.  I had a great camp, new friends and it was all going to just keep getting better.