The world-famous Sturgis motorcycle rally, attracts more than a half-million bikers for a week of craziness every year in early August. This year, the rally is expected to draw as many as 700,000.

The route is easy, even scenic. Ride through Nemo, avoid the mess of clownfish all over the highway, then through beautiful Vanocker Canyon on Forest Service Road 26.

From Rapid City, it’s 42 miles to Sturgis. We take the road less traveled to get there, mostly through the Black Hills.

Many of our Harley colleagues, impatient to arrive at the rally, hop on I-90 for a shorter and far less interesting ride to Sturgis. Their journey takes half as long, and is about 10 percent as fun.

Sturgis has a population of 6,267 – until the first full week of August each year – when it swells to a half million or more. The city is named after Brigadier General Samuel Sturgis, who served as a Union general in the Civil War. A sculpture of him mounted on horseback sits at the town’s eastern entrance, on South Dakota Highways 34 and 79, not far from the Full Throttle Saloon.

The 80^th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is why we’re here.

It began in 1938, originally held for stunts and races – and has since evolved into a meeting for motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world. It’s mostly about Harleys, but other bikes are welcome.

The city of Sturgis estimates the Rally brings more than $800 million to South Dakota every year.

We’re spending the entire day in Sturgis, so today’s blog post is intentionally light on words and heavy on photos. If, by chance, you stumble across any non-family-friendly photos, send the kids out of the room, and remind yourself that what happens in Sturgis stays in Sturgis.

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Day Fifteen Summary: 74 miles. Sturgis. Nuff said.

Click here to see today’s complete route from Rapid City, South Dakota, to the Sturgis motorcycle rally, and back to Rapid City.

Today’s fun facts, favorite foods, funky place names and famous folks:

South Dakota fun fact: The Black Hills hold two national caves: Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument. Jewel Cave is presently the fourth-largest cave in the world, with more than 182 miles of surveyed and mapped passages. (Largest cave in the world is central Vietnam’s Son Doong, said to be 1.4 billion cubic feet.)

South Dakota favorite food: Here’s a tasty combo – chili and cinnamon rolls. This unlikely pair is a South Dakota favorite. You can’t go wrong with a delicious warm cinnamon roll dipped in a bowl of chili. Together, they’re a school lunch staple, dating back to the early 1960s. You can eat them in the same bowl, but the most common approach is to enjoy a cinnamon roll for desert after polishing off a hearty serving of chili.

South Dakota funky place name: During the Black Hills gold rush of the 1870s, a miner found gold in a narrow canyon that became known as Deadwood Gulch, about 40 miles northwest of Rapid City. The name Deadwood came from the many dead trees that lined the canyon walls at the time. One hundred forty-five years later, the town of Deadwood remains a popular tourist haven that even has its own Harley store, Deadwood Harley-Davidson.

South Dakota famous folk: Game show host Bob Barker spent most of his youth growing up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in Mission, South Dakota. Now 97 years old, Barker hosted CBS’ The Price is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American TV history.

Vroom.

A look ahead @ tomorrow: Heading home.