The 2016 Sturgis Kentucky Bike Rally

Our 700 mile round trip was rain-free, which was an answered prayer.

We arrived at the Union County Fairgrounds, home of the Sturgis Kentucky Bike Rally, at 3:00 P.M. on July 13. July 13 is the Early Bird day to arrive at the rally and if you want a shady camping spot, this is the day to get there. The day was still sunny and fairly clear when we arrived.

Storm clouds over the Sturgis Kentucky Bike Rally at the Union County Fairgrounds on July 13, 2016. 

However,  a pop-up thunderstorm appeared an hour after we arrived. 
Thankfully, Bill and I had our instant tent up and most of our gear inside the tent when strong gusts of cool air announced the storm's arrival. The gusty wind and rain was fairly brief, maybe twenty minutes long. The already saturated ground formed water puddles after a minute or two of rainfall. 

Large pickup trucks pulling enormous RVs kept arriving after the rain stopped.
Bill and I watched one driver in a four-wheel drive truck spin all four truck tires in an effort to move his RV, but it didn't help. All evening we watched this same scenario play out over and over. A tractor, or a tow truck, would appear and carefully pull the stuck rigs out of  the mud so they could continue to look for a drier, less muddy, parking spot.

Wednesday - See the enormous RV pulling a motorcycle trailer on top of  the hill? A smart choice!

Being a Christian biker at an adult only bike rally can be tough. 
Bill and I wear T-shirts that have a large Christian Motorcyclists Association patch on the back and a small one on the front. This way, passersby are aware of who we are when they see us on our way to the hospitality tent, or vendor area.

We are not supporting the rally by attending, we are practicing lifestyle evangelism in the midst of a biker rally. 
Jesus called us to this ministry because of our past lives, the before Jesus lives. Both of us lived the biker-party hard lifestyle before we made our decision to live our lives for Jesus Christ and follow the teachings of the Bible. Our past lives have uniquely equipped us for motorcycle ministry to bikers. We know what it feels like to live like this.

Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen                                                                                                              Hebrews 13:21 AKJV

The Hospitality Tent
The goal is to be of service and witness to rally goers while providing coffee, free water, and free Gatorade. Bill and I work at the hospitality tent, help bless bikes, pray for people, and try to show a little bit of Jesus' love to those around us.

Additionally, free travel-size toiletries,toothbrushes, bug spray, sunblock, and other helpful articles are usually available. A variety of faith-based, biker pamphlets and New Testament bibles formatted for bikers assist with the witnessing.

On one of the tables, prayer request forms and a prayer box are provided for people who don't want to talk about prayer needs, but still want prayer. The prayer request form includes spaces for contact information, too. However, most prayer requests are anonymous, but Jesus knows who filled it out.

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially to them who are of the household of faith.                                                Galatians 6:9-10 AKJV

Thursday
Thursday morning, we walked to the hospitality tent and assisted with making coffee, filling the water cooler, and making Gatorade.  We were able to witness to several people throughout the day. Bill gave away two New Testament bibles, Hope For The Highway, and helped bless motorcycles.

We also witnessed to a young man who sought us out while we were eating supper. In fact, he pulled his bike up in front of the hospitality tent, parked it, and approached us. He talked to us for almost half an hour and then he asked to have his motorcycle blessed.

After a long hot day, we went to our tent about 6:30 PM. Our usual evening routine is to talk to our camping neighbors for a short while before retiring to our tent for the night before the evening parade of motorcycles begins to move through the camping area.

Bill at the end of a long, hot day. 

The parking lot by adjacent to the vendor area.

Friday morning we worked at the re-entry gate, or the CMA gate, from 8:00 AM to noon. 
At the end of our gate shift, Bill and I rode our bikes to the vendor area. We walked through the vendors looking at all of the biker themed equipment, motorcycle clothing, and food.

During the walk through the rows of vendor booths and tents, we talked to the vendors that were not busy with customers, told them we hoped they sold everything, and witnessed as much as possible.

Happily, I spotted a small seat that we both thought would attach to the rear fender of my bike, between the solo seat and the luggage rack during our walk through!

The First Baptist Church of Sturgis and F.A.I.T.H. Riders had a small tent set up in the vendor area and they were giving away faith-based pamphlets and cold bottles of water. Bill and I talked with our brothers-in-faith and happily accepted bottles of cold water to help combat the humid heat.

Afterward, we went back to the hospitality tent and sat in the wind of the large fan that kept the air moving in the shaded area under the tent canopy until 4:00.

At our tent, we talked to the neighbors while we prepared to ride into town for supper. Unfortunately, another pop-up thunderstorm appeared and kept us tent bound until 7:00 PM. We decided to stay at the tent because it was so late. Supper was chocolate chunk granola bars that I had brought with us.

Tent bound during the Friday evening thunderstorm. Yes, the sun continued to shine during the downpour.   

Friday - The down pour stopped, but it continued to sprinkle rain intermittently all evening. 

Sometime in the early morning, blaring, emergency vehicle sirens woke me up as they drew closer.
Looking out the back tent window through the trees, I saw the flashing lights of an ambulance and police car as they passed by on  the highway. Listening, the sirens seemed to remain in the same spot and I decided they had to be at the front entrance of the rally. Sleepily, I prayed briefly for the safety of the emergency responders and whoever was injured before I went back to sleep.

Saturday, we were free until noon.
After we woke up and dressed, we rode out of the rally to take a shower at the First Baptist Church of Sturgis. The church had arranged for a disaster relief shower trailer to be on their parking lot.  Plus, the church ladies were serving coffee and breakfast in the community auditorium.

I had not realized how much the rally had been wearing on me until I sat down to eat breakfast with Bill at the church.  It was a welcome relief from the adult rally.

 At 11:00 AM,  we returned to our tent at the rally. Our neighbors were friendly and we talked with them quite a bit before we left for our gate shift. 

As we began our shift, one of our Christian Motorcyclists Association members told us that a man had died early in the morning. 
Instantly. I thought back to the sirens that had disturbed my sleep that morning. This was why the emergency vehicles had come to the rally. 

We were told that the man had lost control of his motorcycle, hit two other motorcycles, and ended up with the motorcycles on top of him. Sadness crept into my heart, but we all are responsible for the choices we make. It was too late to change what had happened. However, I could pray for the dead man's family and friends.

What a long, hot afternoon!
Several bikes came up to the re-entry gate without a rally pass. We directed them back to the highway and the main entrance. By now, we recognized many of the bikes and riders that were going into town and coming back from town. We waved them through the gate and I called, "Thank-you" to the ones that held up their left arm so we could see the rally band around their wrist.

At 4:00 PM, we left the gate and returned to camp.
We talked to the neighbors beside our tent. On our left, the neighbor was a guy who was camping by himself. Bill was able to witness to him for about 20 minutes because he was curious about why we were there. Our other neighbors on the right were a group of three couples. However, we mainly talked with one couple about bikes and life in general. Hopefully, we planted a seed or two just by being ourselves.

About 5:30, we rode our bikes through the CMA gate ourselves to eat supper at the Roadside Diner, a local diner that had good online reviews.

Upon our return at 6:30 PM
The evening parade of bikes through the camping area had started early. A half dozen spectators had set up chairs in front of our tent, but they apologized and moved so that we could park our bikes. Bill parked his RoadGlide, but I stayed on my Softail Custom waiting for him to move the motorcycle trailer and attach it to the trailer hitch on my bike. After the trailer was attached, Bill was ready to cover up his bike and I was ready to retreat to our tent for the night.

While Bill finished putting the cover on his bike, I  was in the tent praying for Jesus to let the walls of Satan's stronghold fall like the walls of Jericho.

Spiritually, this prayer was a flicker of light amid the darkness around me.
However, I knew our home church prayer warriors were adding their prayers to mine. Happily, the crowd around our tent seemed to disappear in a remarkably short amount of time. Answered prayer? I believe so.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.                                                                                                          Hebrews 11:20 NKJV

We zipped our front tent windows halfway up to help block the outside noise, before we started repacking our bags in preparation for leaving in the morning.

After talking for about an hour, we went to bed. As I lay there listening to roaring motorcycle engines and blaring country, rap, and rock music intermingled into a chaotic noise without harmony,  I prayed for the safety of everyone at the rally and repeated my prayer to let the walls of Satan's stronghold to fall like the walls of Jericho.

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3 With praying also for us, that God would open to us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.                                                                                                                                        Colossians 4:2-4 AKJV

Sunday in Kentucky
Bill and I woke at 5:30 AM to silence. We hadn't heard stillness in three days and we savored the early morning quietness.

I got up about thirty minutes later to dress and finish packing my clothing bag. As Bill started his morning routine, I unzipped the tent and emerged into a calm and cool Kentucky morning. Silently, I thanked Jesus for the cool morning. Working together, Bill and I had everything packed in about an hour.

The morning was no longer silent as other early risers finished packing and began leaving the rally.
Bill and I held hands, bowed our heads, and prayed aloud for our safe travel before we started up our bikes.  My bike and Bill's bike rumbled as we rode up the hill to the CMA gate at about 7:00 AM to begin our ride home.

The Rally Was Over 

Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God's grace.                                                                                                                                             2 Corinthians 1:12 NIV