Sturgeons Motorycle Rally

-Varmint, VV staff Motorsports Enthusiast

Sturgeons, the legendary annual motorcycle rally & road trip, featuring five days of rolling the five Great Lakes during the day, and fishing them by night, is slated for the week of August 14-18, 2006. This leaves participants with the surrounding weekends to get to Waterown, NY, and back home from Duluth. There are no entrance fees, and all bikes and bikers are welcome. Each participant is responsible for his/her own lodgings. A "Poker Run," is planned, see below for details. Since the weather is an unknown, the organizers are leaving the finalized schedule open for as long as possible to help assure a dry run. The final announcement will be made by Sunday, July 9.

The annual ride skirts all five lakes, riding by day, fishing and camping by night. It is also a planned "Poker Run." For those who haven't been on one, a poker run works like this: at predetermined stops a host awaits riders with a board-game spinning wheel. The arrow points to the cards in a deck, from deuce to ace. The rider pays the ante, spins the wheel and accrues a "card." There are five stops, yielding a five-card hand. The final card will be acquired at Jay Cooke State Park, where the winner will be announced. The winner will be awarded the entire "pot," which the hosts can do because the cards will be "dealt" at the days-end rally campsite. (Nobody has to hang out all day at an out-of-the-way stop).

This year's starting point is the Denny's at 1142 Arsenal St., Watertown, NY, breakfast starts at 8am, it's "dutch."

The rough itinerary is:

Day 1 (Aug. 14): Watertown, NY, to Lake Erie State Park, NY.

Day 2: Lake Erie State park to Lakeport State Park, Michigan.

Day 3: Lakeport State Park to Alpena State Park, Michigan.

Day 4: Alpena State Park to Illinois State Beach Park, Illinois

Day 5: Illinois State Beach Park to Jay Cooke State Park, Minnesota.

The organizers have hinted that this years end-of-ride party will feature a rock band with a plutonium rock hit. "We haven't signed yet, so we can't make a formal announcement," said one anonymous organizer.

Full-on itineraries and contact info will become available when the schedule becomes firm.

This is an unofficial event, grassroots, unsanctioned and unsponsored. The Varmint just might be there!

**Official commemorative ride shirts are available at: get the shirt