That Time I Went To Thunderdome For Happy Hour

"McMike" (mcmike)
08/28/2015 at 12:00 • Filed to: McSturgis, twowheelsbad, tutu153

This proves what I have known all along. I will drink anywhere.

Note: Little did we know that exactly one month after we visited, it !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

As some of you know, I rode my motorcycle from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! during the first two weeks in August. It’s only now that I’m putting all the photos together, and trying to come up with some interesting parts of the trip to share. I wrote nothing down, and only have time-stamped images and a future credit card bill to freak out about sort it out

Typical mid-day Full Throttle customer, taking a 280x370dpi photo of probably boobs

Full Throttle Saloon. I had never seen the TV show, but I knew what it was. I knew it was a few acres of real estate just outside of Sturgis that had their own bars, campgrounds, showers, concert stages, ziplines, merchandise, vendors, and old hotel furniture. They geared up for the annual Sturgis Rally, and were only fully open for a few weeks a year. The only thing missing was housekeeping, food sanitation, a clean place to sit, and dignity.

Don’t let the rainbow fo0l you, it was it’s own little city of filth.

I can’t even describe this place. People pay to stay here in garden sheds, tents, and RVs. I hear no one ever sleeps (by choice or not), and there are drunks riding their bikes to the bathroom at all hours of the night.

Via StreetView !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

We were only there for a few afternoon hours and didn’t see any bands, but I can tell you this.. If I was there any longer, I would have wanted to have all my shots, burn by clothes afterwards, and shower immediately before leaving.

McMike, exiting Full Throttle, just after paying his bar tab.

I don’t know if part of it is open year round, or how they use that open space for the camping/motorhoming. We just pulled into the facility on the right, and hung out for a few hours and walked into what appeared to be the end of a two-week bender. There was shit everywhere. I watched a special about Hurricane Katrina last night, and pointed to the TV when they were showing some footage of the aftermath, and said, “Hey honey, look... Full Throttle”

Superdome or Full Throttle?

The remaining portion on this post will be a photodump of our short time there. Mrs McMike didn’t want to touch anything, sit on anything, or drink anything that wasn’t in a bottle. She didn’t even use the railings when going up/down the stairs.

DISCUSSION (21)

Hermann > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:02

Kinja'd!!!

Keep classy, Sturgis!

Mattbob > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:07

that moment where you are about to take a picture and realize your ladyfriend might look through these later.... How many times did that happen?

ttyymmnn > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:10

Jesus. It looks like that city in Waterworld without the water, but complete with pools of shit to drown strangers in.

HammerheadFistpunch > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:11

I once went beyond thunderdome, but it was strange so I left.

Kinja'd!!!

ttyymmnn > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:12

Kinja'd!!!

Hot Tub Slime Machine

Kinja'd!!!

Jcarr > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:12

Well...

Kinja'd!!!

McMike > Mattbob
08/28/2015 at 12:22

We shared a Dropbox for the trip. We both took photos of the sights.

Kinja'd!!!

For better or for worse.

Zerofret > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:23

Kinja'd!!!

McMike > ttyymmnn
08/28/2015 at 12:24

Hot Tub Slime Machine

Brilliant. If I could recommend this more than once, I would.

ceanderson920 > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:24

I have been there before and it wasnt nearly as dirty as it was in those pictures. They must have been overwhelmed by all the people! As for the people, it is a pretty trashy place, did you go check out the Buffalo Chip? The chip is even wilder.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:27

Kinja'd!!!

Two men enter! One Man leaves!

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:30

This really makes People of WalMart look pretty tame.

nermal > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:32

Was there a lot of drinking and biking going on here? Seems kinda dangerous in that regard.

McMike > ceanderson920
08/28/2015 at 12:33

No Buffalo Chip. My buddy was a fan of the FT show and needed to pay it a visit. We were only in Sturgis for two full days, and didn’t see everthing we wanted to in the first place.

We were there on the last day of the rally, as they were running out of everything. (beer, limes, hygine, etc) I understand it was a pretty big year up there.

McMike > nermal
08/28/2015 at 12:36

I’m sure there was, which is why we always wanted to be off the bikes before dark. We have a strict “two wheels two drinks” rule.

The one day we tied one on in Sturgis we took the bus from our hotel.

ceanderson920 > McMike
08/28/2015 at 12:41

It was supposed to be the biggest one ever, they predicted about 1.2-1.5 million people to be there over the week. When I was at Full Throttle they actually had that hot tub going and people were sitting in it, talk about some disgusting shit.