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Bikers Descend on Sturgis for Annual Motorcycle Rally

If you are driving anywhere around Wyoming or the Dakotas this time of year, you can’t help but notice the large number of motorcycles on the road.
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If you are driving anywhere around Wyoming or the Dakotas this time of year, you can’t help but notice the large number of motorcycles on the road. Every August, thousands of bikers descend on tiny Sturgis, South Dakota, for its annual motorcycle rally. Participants figure that about a half million will come through town this year.

Picture big roaring bikes with bearded, leather-clad riders on board. While they may look kind of scary, they are most often more chamber-of-commerce types than Sons of Satan.

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The Black Hills are a great place to ride. Mount Rushmore is nearby and so is the Crazy Horse monument. The Lakota have long said the hills are sacred. There may be a spiritual force at work here. Maybe it’s why the bikers come back year after year.

Harry Smith's full report tonight on NBC Nightly News.

Harry Smith talks to biker J.B. Hayer, a financial advisor from Florida that has been coming to the Sturgis Rally for 20 years.
Harry Smith talks to biker J.B. Hayer, a financial advisor from Florida that has been coming to the Sturgis Rally for 20 years.