Tag Archives: motorcycle

Hitching posts for Harleys

I’ve mentioned before that I always seem to end up in the Black Hills right in the middle of the Sturgis Rally. Well, last summer I didn’t just sneak by on the highway—I jumped right into the fray. My destination wasn’t Sturgis proper, but rather nearby Deadwood, that infamously lawless frontier town of yore. I hadn’t been since I was a tiny child, so I figured it was high time I stopped by again.

And when I got there, I had a good long chuckle. Because somehow seeing all those motorcycles lined up like horses at their hitching posts, and all the weather-beaten wild-west road warriors who belonged to them… Well, somehow the scene fit the setting better than any costumed reenactor could have done.

Road hogs

I have no idea why, but it seems like every time I pass through eastern Wyoming or western South Dakota, it ends up being in the thick of the Sturgis Rally. (Hmm…I wonder if the Hell’s Angels are there right now…) It’s really the one time of the year where taking the back roads in that part of the world doesn’t guarantee you a highway all to yourself—as evidenced by our attempt at stopping for gas in the tiniest of towns. Still, the long wait for the pumps provided plenty of sketchbook gold—so I’m not complaining.

If you happen to be reading this from the Black Hills, have a great time at Sturgis this year—and drive safely!

Heaven and Hells

I never pass up a chance to visit my friends Sarah and Jesse. Not only are they some of my favorite people on the planet, but they also happen to live in one of my favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco: Dogpatch.

(How could I not love a place where my friends live on the same block as the Hell’s Angels?)

Dogpatch is home to beautifully-preserved Victorian architecture—

—and some of the best food in the city, whether you eat in or out.

It’s the kind of place where the residents are deeply invested in their neighborhood: many of the local business owners live right there, and everyone is passionate about Dogpatch’s history, pride and charm.

And beignets. Everyone is passionate about the beignets.

In fact, I’d say they’re the final tasty touch on making Dogpatch a little deep-fried slice of heaven—with or without the Angels.