The 75th Sturgis Rally may draw a million bikers to South Dakota the first week of August. Thousands ride through Cody, Wyoming. Why? They like to tour Yellowstone on the way.
Cody city streets are lined with motorcycles. The bikers are spending money in bars, restaurants, hotels, the museum complex and night rodeo. But there are other impacts too.
Phil Farman is the Cody area supervisor of the Wyoming Highway Patrol. He said there’s more traffic, and that leads to accidents.
Farman explained, “Motorists not seeing them because they are small and not paying attention to those small vehicles that are going down the highway and then motorcycles that are busy looking at all the scenery and not paying attention to the road.”
Allan Wooster drove his camper, and motorcycle filled trailer 200 miles out of his way to go through Yellowstone, and Cody.
Wooster said, “It’s gorgeous. It’s spiritual. It’s a beautiful place. And Cody was wonderful, too. I mean it’s. We got to see the museum this morning, it’s, I mean you could stay four days in Cody, just absorbing everything Cody has to offer.”
Wooster said he may come back this way after the Sturgis rally ends. Many bikers do.