There is only one thing you need to know in Rapid City this week. The 79th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally officially begins Friday, but many of the almost 500,000 people will begin arriving early and some will wait to arrive until later in the week.

It's hard to miss hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists riding through the Black Hills for the 75th Sturgis motorcycle rally, but they're not the only thing that's noticeable. Many ralleygoers are opting for minimal body coverage, dressing themselves in pasties. I thought this image of John…

One of my favorite parts of the Sturgis motorcycle rally has been attending some of the many great performances in the area. Not only is it fun to photograph to a soundtrack of killer tunes, but the spectacular light shows can make for some interesting images. I took this photograph right as…

Please don't do what this guy did.

If you never have been to Sundance, Wyo., for the burnout competition you are missing out. Granted it is no longer done on the floor inside the Horseshoe Bar but it is still a spectacle to behold.  

I grew up in Wyoming and will always call it home. So I was extremely pleased with getting to cover Wyoming Wednesday for the Sturgis motorcycle rally. 

A terrifying name, the American Wall of Death performance, but worth the show. 

As I was walking around this morning I saw a giant cutout of a man. First I thought it was a promo for a country singer but after awhile I realized it wasn't. 

Not a bad way to spend the afternoon at the Pappy Hoel Classic races. A beer in one hand and man's best friend at your side.

The Dungeon Bar in Sturgis is certainly aptly named.  It's dark and houses some suspect characters.

Willie G. Davidson, grandson of William Davidson co-founder of Harley-Davidson, popped into great fans during the official opening of the Harley-Davidson Rally Point Friday in Sturgis. 

It doesn't matter what it's about — swimming, gardening, math or motorcycles — everyone has a story to tell about their passion. 

Journalism has given this small-town South Dakota girl many opportunities over the years to interact with many well known people, but nothing compares to what I've seen at the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

Grace Lutheran Church in Sturgis fed bikers breakfast Tuesday morning, and all proceeds they raised goes back to the church and to local and outside organizations such as the Crisis Center, Star Academy in Custer or anyone else in need. The church also sold quilts during the breakfast feed.

Actor R. Lee Ermey, best known for his role as a grumpy yelling marine in "Full Metal Jacket," was all smiles Monday outside the Franklin Hotel in Deadwood before the Legends Ride. He searched out the red Victory motorcycle he would be riding, jumped on and said, "Oh yeah, I could get used t…

Today I had the chance to tag along with Meade County Times reporter Deb Holland to the Sturgis Regional Hospital senior care facility to see the Christian Motorcycle Association members in action.

STURGIS | As of 8 a.m. today, the City of Sturgis had issued 607 temporary vendor licenses. This compares to 627 at the same time last year.

The Sturgis motorcycle rally is now digital. No more packing up your 110 camera and film and waiting until you get home to see your images. Rick Hughes of Cold Spring, Ky. and his friend David Hosea of Fort Thompson, Ky. say they have been sharing photos with friends who can't believe the Ma…

STURGIS | As of 8 a.m. Friday, the City of Sturgis had issued 510 temporary vendor licenses. This compares to 528 at the same time last year.

Rick Hultman was just a youngster when he went on the tour rides during the Sturgis motorcycle rally with his dad, Neil Hultman. On the left is Rick in 1966 with his leathers and helmet. On the right is Rick today. He attended the opening ceremonies for the rally on Main Street Friday noon. …

New at the 2014 Sturgis motorcycle rally is the zip line which runs from the intersection of Main and Junction for a block to the east on Main Street. Instead of "zipping" the Chip, as in the Buffalo Chip which will operate the "experience", rallygoers can zoom across ground zero at the rally.

With all the hype about the craziness of the rally, we wanted to see what a night out looks like. We spent the night at the Buffalo Chip, camping with the masses. While we ran into some lively folks, the over-all rowdiness was markedly more benign than we expected. Is the rally crowd getting…

A decade-long tradition at The Knuckle Saloon encourages women and men to sign up for the ultimate test — a fist fight with a stranger. The fights happen everyday throughout the Sturgis motorcycle rally and pack the two-story venue. The scene conjures images of amateur fights from a century …

On Tuesday I was able to get back to my roots a bit and shoot a series about being over 55 at the Rally with 120 film. Shooting the portrait series with a 1960's TLR medium format camera comes with it's own challenges and it's own excitement.