One Never Knows.........

There was a perfect campground waiting for me. Tucked in the Black Hills - it would have been an ideal place for a night. I'm sure it would have been really lovely.

But, as I headed for the turnoff, I spotted a name on the map and something kept me driving towards that town. I had to drive through it. To say I'd been there. To imagine what it is like when it is full of drunk and disorderly bikers and half (fully?) naked women.

Sturges, SD. A campground there listed rates of $10 a night - which would be a nice relief. I called the No Name Campground. The listed rate was wrong. It was $8 a night. I told them to expect me.

Imagine a campground in the middle of Tijuana. I'm making this up here. I've never been to Tijuana. But I expect to see lots of colorful faces, kids playing in the road, clothes hanging on lines and cars and bikes in various stages of repair. I would expect a campground in Tijuana to look much like this one. For someone who has lived on Bainbridge Island for years and who grew up in a town with one token black student per class - I was very out of place.

I liked it.

The owner showed me around. Told me I could put my tent up next to the big metal tank, or between 3 buildings around back of the showers. There was a great place at the back of the property - currently only 3 bikers have their tents back there - - - if sleeping with the boys didn't bother me…… I opted for the front lawn of the office, next to the lawn mower, some kind of dune buggy and under a tree that keeps whacking my face every time I leave the tent to go to my car.

The owner introduced me to a couple of his kids. Ones with brown faces and lovely smiles. He said he has 13 kids - or was that 17? Most are adopted. There is a story there. I'm going to like fleshing it out.

Just up the road is a veterans cemetery. I drove through it at dusk. It was an amazing place and we'll return tomorrow to find out more about that as well. And, surely I can drum up a good story in downtown Sturges - where preparations are underway for the big bikers bash which begins in just under two weeks. Sturges - to add a twist to things, perhaps they are having a Rotary meeting I can attend. Probably be a most interesting group of members.