"On the road again, biking on the road again, eats along the ride, biking on the sales tax road again." It is that time of the month, the Avalara Sales Tax Trip Tuesday for October that concludes our 2-part series covering the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Last month, Murph rode his 2009 Harley Davidson Rocker Softail from Moore, Oklahoma, to the 85th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, with some stops along the way and scenic rides in the area. In that trip of his imagination, and this concluding article covering the trip, he uses memories from road trip of long ago along with 'modernized facts' to share with you, our readers. And Murph conditions his travel log with Sales Tax facts at the various locations since these trips are brought to you by our friends at Avalara,"Tax Compliance Done Right".
When we left off last month, we had just arrived in Sturgis for the big Rally. This is a long event spanning ten days of activities, with much to do, not only at the event itself, but also in the surrounding areas. I’m sure the story of bike after bike, the rides, the parties, the vendors, the bands, and such would be more than you want to hear if Murph were to cover them all, so we’ll condense many of those activities and focus on a few side-trips in this article.
Believe it or not, one of the first events, even before the “grand opening,” is the guided ride through the Northern Hills led by Geody VanDewater, who happens to be the Sturgis Police Chief. You must pre-register for this ride, which begins at the Sturgis Community Center. The ride benefits the Sturgis Police Reserves, who help tremendously during the annual Rally. It’s a good way to see the ins and outs of the countryside and support a good cause at the same time.
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The opening ceremonies include a parade. I mean, what would you expect otherwise, a parade of bikes? Bike after bike, many carrying the American Flag, down Main Street.
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But bikes aren’t the only thing in the parade down Main Street, Sturgis. If you time it just right, you’ll see the Budweiser Clydesdales during the opening ceremonies. If you miss them that first day, you’ll have the opportunity to see them again when they take to the street one more time during Military Appreciation Day, five days after the official start of the Rally.
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Speaking of Military Appreciation Day, there was a B-1 bomber flyover, honored guests, and the Ellsworth Air Force Base “Green Knights,” who ended their ride to help kick off the celebration.
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Did you know that former Oklahoma City Blazers hockey coach Doug Sauter still raises and trains Clydesdales in the Oklahoma City metro? The Express Clydesdales are every bit as impressive as the Budweiser team, and Oklahoma City is every bit as much the home of great rodeo as Las Vegas (which is hosting the National Finals in December).
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However, the weather wasn’t always cooperative during the entire ten-day event, resulting in the cancellation of several traditional rides, including the Mayor’s Ride. A few of the concerts also got rained out, but it doesn’t matter; there are countless others at Sturgis.
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In fact, it really doesn’t matter what type of music you prefer; it’s all here. Over the 10 days and nights, you’ll find some of the best local, home-grown, regional, and national performers.
Time for one of those side rides I mentioned as we head over to Deadwood, South Dakota. Many people are only familiar with what they think they know about Deadwood from the television series that aired several years ago. While that was somewhat representative of just how “wild” a Wild West gold-boom town this was, it isn’t precisely a hundred-percent historically accurate, but it does capture just how lawless a town it was.
In fact, from the moment of its inception, Deadwood was one big illegality, having been settled in 1870 on land granted to the Lakota tribe. Many disputes over land ownership even found their way to the U.S. Supreme Court for decision, especially after gold was discovered in 1874 on many of those early squatter claims. Within 18 months, more than 5,000 were “in the camp”, and by 1878, nearly 20,000 people had settled within and around Deadwood.
Almost everyone who knows anything about Deadwood knows that Wild Bill Hickok was killed on August 2, 1876, while playing cards at Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon No. 10, when he was shot in the head from behind by a drunk named Jack McCall. To this day, a pair of black eights and a pair of black aces are still known as “the dead man’s hand” because Hickok was reportedly holding those cards during a game of five-card poker.
At 624 Lower Main Street in Deadwood, South Dakota, a building built in 1898 stands on the site of the original No. 10, which burned down in 1879. There is still a Saloon #10 in Deadwood, but it isn’t located at the original site and has no actual connection to it. Even so, the #10 of today is a frequent stop for tourists and Sturgis bikers stopping in Deadwood for refreshments.
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In fact, just as there were many saloons in Deadwood back in those Black Hills Gold Rush days, there are plenty of these watering holes in modern-day Deadwood, almost all with stories of “days gone by.”
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At least one central character from the Deadwood television series is still easily found in the historical records of Deadwood. Seth Bullock, a frontier business proprietor, sheriff, politician, U.S. Marshal, and even a hotel innkeeper, was a prominent citizen of Deadwood from 1876 until his death in 1919 (from cancer, then considered “natural causes”). His grave can be found at one of the local cemeteries in Deadwood.
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One of the historically accurate photographs from those early Deadwood days is that of the GEM Theater and Dance Hall, which was actually a bar and brothel.
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If you did watch Deadwood (the TV series) you know the GEM was owned by Al Swearengen. Historians believe that the GEM earned as much as $10,000 per night from the drink and entertainment it provided to miners with gold to spend. Swearengen is one of the original heavy hitters from Deadwood, whose corpse you won’t find in a local cemetery. After the GEM burned down in 1899, Swearengen was found just a few years later, dead in the streets of Denver, Colorado, reportedly alongside his twin brother.
By the way, if you compute not inflation since late 1800s but also the change in gold prices, the GEM was raking in about $4,800,000 per night, about the same as a modern five-star Las Vegas casino.
We’ve timed our arrival just right to catch the end of the breakfast buffet and the start of the lunch buffet at the Silverado Grand Buffet inside the Silverado Franklin Hotel and Gaming Establishment. The Franklin, as I’ll call it, was erected in 1903, just a few feet from the Silverado claim, the first gold strike in Deadwood Gulch. It was considered one of the most luxurious hotels between Denver and San Francisco due to the luxuries incorporated into it. For example, over half the rooms had private bathrooms, something rare at the time.
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In its heyday, the hotel had guests ranging from Buffalo Bill Cody to Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft. Unfortunately, the stock market crash of 1929 led to the hotel’s closure, and it subsequently underwent numerous changes in ownership and purpose, being used as apartments, a gambling hall, and even an office complex. In 2005, new investors set out to totally remodel the facility back to its ornate decor of 1903, but with all of today’s modern luxuries, like a bathroom in every room (hahahaha).
The Grand Buffet serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and has been voted the #1 buffet in all of the Black Hills. It’s closely akin to the buffets you would find at big-name Las Vegas hotels, but less pricey.
Due to our arrival time, we are paying $18.95 for the breakfast buffet; however, they transitioned to lunch without stopping just after our first complete pass through the breakfast serving. Eggs or omelets (your way), at least four different breakfast potatoes, ham, at least three different kinds of sausage, three kinds of bacon, biscuits and three types of gravy, pastries, muffins and bagels, pancakes, waffles, frybread, fruit of all kinds, hot and cold cereals, and so much more.
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As they transition from breakfast to lunch, among the first things I notice are fried chicken, beef tips, meatloaf, and pot roast, as well as carved ham, carved roast beef or pork, and a couple of fish offerings. Peas, carrots, cabbage, white beans, brown beans, green beans, lentils, broccoli, fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, au gratin potatoes, mac and cheese, and more. Now, add the salads of all types, tossed with various add-ons, including Caesar, macaroni salad, cucumbers and tomatoes, seafood salad, potato salad, Jell-O salad, and more. It was all being brought to the forefront.
I won’t even try to describe the various pies, cakes, and other desserts that accompany the noonday buffet offering. By the way, your tea, juice, coffee, or milk is included in this feast.
And what does Avalara tell us about the sales tax on our $18.95 breakfast (with lunch to boot) buffet? Well, prepared foods are taxable in South Dakota, so a state sales tax of 4.2% plus the local Deadwood sales tax of 2.0% yields a total of $1.18 in tax. In other words, this scrumptious, stuff-yourself-until-you're-ready-to-explode buffet cost me $20.13. I decide it’s worth it to hand over $25.00 total, including the tip.
If you arrive later in the day and decide to stay for the supper buffet, it’s $24.95 Sunday through Thursday nights, and $45.95 on Friday and Saturday nights when they include crab legs and prime rib.
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By the way, this hotel is also host to Legends Steakhouse, a prime-class steakhouse serving both dinner and breakfast. If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary for most places, try their Dry-Aged Bone-In South Dakota Buffalo Ribeye. And why not splurge with some Banana Foster Crème Brûleé for dessert. I won’t even put a sale-tax-related price tag on that meal.
Let me slip in that Norman, Oklahoma, home of the University of Oklahoma Sooners football (Go Sooners), is also home to another restaurant called Legends, which has been one of my favorites for eons. I have absolutely no reason to believe that the two restaurants have any relationship with one another, just thought I would use this as another opportunity to promote my ‘home state’ (“OOOOOOklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain”).
Following our return to Sturgis in preparation for the evening activities, parties I can hardly describe, we plan to take the classic motorcycle route from Sturgis to Mount Rushmore the next day. We’ll travel up Iron Mountain Road (US 16A), known for its scenic beauty and curves, curves and more curves, not to mention numerous switchbacks. There are also three tunnels along this route. Including a few scenic stops along the way, it’s about a 90-minute ride.
In fact, one of my favorite views of Mount Rushmore occurs when you pass through “the Tunnel” as they call it and emerge at a perfect viewing spot.
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The majesty of the mountain monument changes day by day and hour by hour throughout the seasons of the year. The position of the sun in the sky can shift the color from ashen, almost white, to amber and anywhere in between.
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Without direct sunlight, the natural tan color of the sandstone is revealed. In the shadows, the deeper gray flagstone takes hold of the monument.
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Though I have never been to Mount Rushmore at night, the National Park Service has perfected the lighting to reveal a true national treasure.
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It goes without saying that everyone in this vast country of ours should, at least one time in their life, be among the more than two million visitors who take in the wonder of this place each year. If for no other reason than to marvel at the beauty of the monument and recognize the efforts that went into its creation. It was a labor of love that led to this special place that captures our nation’s history.
After departing Mount Rushmore, we’ll take another two-and-a-half-hour ride to Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, using Interstate 90 through Rapid City and Spearfish. At Sundance, Wyoming, we take I-90 and follow US-14 (WY-110) to Devil’s Tower.
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When you see Devil’s Tower for the first time, it’s natural to ask, “What is it?,” “Why is it here?,” and “How long has it been here?”
From the mystery of its geologic foundations and the histories passed down through Native lore, to the stories told by the first white settlers in the area, and the science fiction films of Hollywood, almost everyone who experiences Devil’s Tower has their own thoughts and feelings about what, why, and how long.
I’ve chatted with those who drove long distances to see Devil’s Tower, countless Sturgis riders who made this side-trip, and younger folks who first saw the Tower in one of those sci-fi movies.
I once heard an older couple say that it was “the Tower of Babel”, and a young girl asked, “Isn’t it where Noah’s Ark came to rest after the flood?” One middle-aged man told me he was confident it was “Mount Sinai, where Moses received the commandments.” I wondered to myself, in each of these cases, “Don’t you know your geography? This is North America, not the Middle East?”
Two young people told me that they planned to climb to the top to see the military base where the aliens communicate with scientists. Another asked me if I thought a helicopter would be capable of lifting a ski boat to the lake in the crater.
No matter what you believe… really, you won’t be alone. There are more than half a million visitors to this National Monument each year, and you can count on the fact that a few of them are just as convinced as you are regarding what, why, and how long. As for me, all I can say is, “No matter what, why, or how long, Devil’s Tower is a fantastic place to visit, and everyone should do it at least once in their lifetime.”
And with this, I’ll sign off. I’ve shared some of the excitement that surrounds the Sturgis Rally, along with its history, and a glimpse of the majesty along this relatively short trek. While you may not be a bike rider, you can make the same treks by car. Get out of your day-to-day and explore what America has to offer that you have yet to see, and don’t forget to pay that sales tax all along the way.
Whether you are in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, New Mexico, Mississippi, Georgia, Virginia, Delaware, or wherever, you can count on Avalara to have the right Sales Tax answers for your specific sales tax inquiries. We here at Insightful Accountant to say thanks to our friends at Avalara for making this series possible. If you have sales tax issues, need answers to sales and use tax questions, or want to find the best way to always remain accurate in your sales tax administration, whether you have 'Nexus' situations or not, reach out to Avalara for "Tax Compliance Done Right".
Disclosures, Acknowledgements and Credits
Disclosures
Content published by Insightful Accountant is furnished for educational purposes only.Some content, including graphics may have been artificially generated by GenAi.
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