Q: In the summer, my husband and I are planning a car trip out west. We would like to plan the trip around bike week in Sturgis, S.D., which I believe is in August. Some of the other places we would like to visit are the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, New Mexico (Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos), etc. Also, we have a time share and will be trying to exchange it for Sedona, Ariz. — M.L.W., Plantation, Fla.
A: This letter gave me instant wanderlust. As I do every year around the spring equinox, I opened the atlas and started plotting where I want the road to take me. No flights or cruises, I prefer to drive, as do 80 percent of Americans, who vacation by hitting the road in their cars, trucks and RVs.
This couple has the right idea: They know where they’re going, although I’m not sure they realize how big the West is. It’s good to first have destinations in mind, then figure distances and routes, sort of like connecting the dots.
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is scheduled Aug. 9-15 in the little town in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 24 miles north of Rapid City and not far from Mount Rushmore and the storefront gambling casinos of Deadwood. According to Michele Ganschow at the South Dakota Office of Tourism, the week is filled with races, special rides, events and concerts. The Web site is www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com.
Sturgis, population about 6,400, attracted an estimated 502,000 bikers to last year’s rally, so the Black Hills will be alive with the sound of Harleys. This event has been going on since 1938; Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine included it in its pick of “10 places to see before you die.”
You’ll need reservations; make them at Black Hills Central Reservations at (866) 329-7566 or online at www.travelblackhills.com. For statewide information or to order a free travel packet, including the new state vacation guide, Great Faces, Great Places, the Web site is www.travelsd.com, phone (800) 732-5682.
You have chosen well for the rest of the trip, and nothing could be much better than a time-share stay in Sedona, Ariz., a very upscale resort town surrounded by gorgeous red rock canyons. For information, call the Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon Chamber of Commerce, (800) 288-7336.
Allow plenty of time for driving from place to place: Rapid City to Denver is 400 miles; Denver to Albuquerque, 439 miles; Albuquerque to Flagstaff, 376 miles; Flagstaff to Sedona, 54 miles. Santa Fe and Taos are north of Albuquerque; the Grand Canyon is north from Flagstaff and Zion is north of the canyon.
Another way to get to the Grand Canyon is by steam train from Williams, Ariz., which calls itself “the gateway to the Grand Canyon.” Williams was bypassed by I-40 but has succeeded in getting its whole downtown listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The vintage train takes tourists on day trips to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. For train reservations, call (800) 843-8724. Williams has many motels and hotels. If you prefer to stay at the canyon in the national park, call for reservations, (888) 297-2757.
