I have been in South Dakota for the past few days, attending the 63rd annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

There are so many motorcycles and so many bikers that it is a bit surreal. Downtown Sturgis right now consists of wall to wall motorcycles in all directions. And in a couple of days, there will be no room to even walk! They're pouring in from all over the country.

Here is an sample of what it sounds like outside my Super 8 Motel right now. (I recorded a 10 second clip with my camera for any interested readers.)

Incredibly cool, and actually calming to my nerves. There is something soothing about the sound of a Harley Davidson. (Maybe I got brainwashed by hearing the sound at so many Grateful Dead concerts when I was in the right state of mind for things like that to soak deeply into the recesses of my neural tissue....)

Equally soothing, for that matter, are the sounds made by an Indian.

Here is a photo of a brand-new Indian Chief, Springfield Edition. The famous Indian flowing script logo dates back to 1917, and the red color is exactly the same color used in the 1920s -- and looks it!

A classical motorcycle if ever there was one.