Warning: Way too Many Moto pics

Attended the Sturgis North event, set near the Head of the Lake and O'Keefe Ranch north of Vernon.  My overall impression is that the event is a bust, in terms of the expected numbers, as well as the costs to visitors.  I know that there were some significant bands lined up for the event, and being a newbie to concerts, perhaps I am being a bit naive about complaining about a cost of $112.00 for a day ticket.  Actually, I did attend a concert for the Guess Who in Winnipeg in 1973, so I am not completely new to the rock and roll scene.

It was hot,hot, hot, so I kept myself hydrated with Silver Creek Elementary School PAC supplied water.  Great that the parents had the initiative to take advantage of an opportunity to sell water for the parched bikers, but one still rails against the inequity of funding for public education in this province.  As one parent told me, we have 60 kids in our school: "How can we compete with West Vancouver?"

Maybe there needs to be more of a focus on the simple aspects of the curriculum, such as spelling and grammar..

Given that my bike's moniker is "Blondie" (speaking of grammar, is it Blondy or Blondie?) I thought I would add this pic.  $6 smokies were a bit much, I thought.  There again, I may be dating myself regarding concert pricing.

I wandered around, as I arrived on site about 11:00 AM.  Did not seem like there were huge crowds, and in fact the vendors section was seriously under populated.  I did, however, see lots of cool bikes and motorcycle-related bling.

My sister rides one of these three-wheelers....

Interesting breakdown of  the transmission for a three wheeler build for a tryke, another option for riders..

 Made in Alberta..

Had a conversation with the ladies selling ladies' things about the correct spelling of Cait...

Surrounded by Harleys

 Another Beemer in the mix..

Some very cool rides...

An auxiliary tank made from a beer keg, or perhaps a beer keg hydration station?

One big truck...

 Amazing worksmanship and art on this build.

These builders are truly artists.  The engraving on the bikes are beautifully intricate..

A nicely done build, simple and elegant...

Did I mention the artists??

And then of course, we have the big toys...

A little bit of Musical Interlude..

This truck is so big that it has to be parked on its side...

This truck is suspended!

 
There appears to be a number of drive shafts and related gearing...

 Somebody rode down from Yellowknife on a Harley

Just checking to make sure that no Harleys try to breed Blondie....

 Top winner in the show and shine.  The bikinis were offering to wash and shine up the rides for $25.  Even old guys have standards, and besides, I like to stay a little dirty...

A smoke up from an old Honda

I think that this is the bike being raffled off at the end of the show.  Overall, the messaging and infrastructure for the event was seriously underwhelming.

I took a quick ride past my boyhood home on the shores of Kalamalka Lake.  The present owner is from Toronto, where my Mom was born.   Dad built this house in 1947 and '48.  The new owner has upgraded the house and redone the front lawn.  I am impressed with the new look, and I am sure that Mom and Dad would approve of the improvements.  63 years ago, I was able to ride my trike on the dirt road in front of the house, and the surrounding hills were sagebrush.  Another bout of nostalgia which will probably drive most of my visit to the Okanogan and Vernon in particular.