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Tags: Possible-Presidents-Map / John McCain / 2008 Candidates Travel / → All Tags

Possible Presidents Travel: McCain Stops by the Sturgis Rally

While Barack Obama talked about tapping the nations oil reserves at a campaign stop in Michigan, John McCain said he'd rather start offshore drilling, revving up the crowd at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.

Said the Arizona senator:

We're not gonna pay $4 a gallon for gas because we're gonna drill offshore and we're gonna drill here and we're gonna drill now.

From the cheers that went up, bikers liked the idea. After all, when you're commuting between Sturgis and the new Harley museum in Milwaukee, even the most efficient motorcycle can rack up a substantial fuel bill.

Related Stories:
· Oil Drilling a Potent Rallying Cry [NPR]
· Sturgis Motorcycle Rally [Official Site]
· 2008 Candidates Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: John McCain 2008]

Tags: Summer-Vacations-With-An-Edge / Motorcycle Travel / → All Tags

Summer Vacations with an Edge: Harley Heaven in South Dakota

South Dakota may be a quiet, dusty state 358 days a year, but next month, from August 6 through 12, engines roar, black leather abounds, and hogs take over.

And no, we're not talking about pork and bacon.

Since 1938, Harley Davidson fanatics from across the country and around the world have been flocking to the unlikely town of Sturgis, South Dakota for one of the largest motorcycle rallies on the globe. It ain't for the faint of heart.

The weeklong wonder includes 12 biker-themed events, like a half-mile race, road tours and hill climbs, with more than 6,000 spectators. World-class tattoo artists line the streets for those looking to get inked, and hundreds of leather and t-shirt stands open for the once-a-year event that takes over all of Sturgis's streets.

Sturgis rally party planners even have lovebirds covered, with Harley-themed wedding packages for the happy day.

Hotel rooms go fast, so it's best to book now. And based on the looks of this crowd, we say it's best to arrive on a Harley, not a Honda.

More Summer Vacations With An Edge.

Related Stories:
· South Dakota Travel [Jaunted]
· Hotels in South Dakota [HotelChatter]

Tags: Celeb Travel / → All Tags

South Dakota: Helen Mirren Too Busy Saving America To Meet With Queen

Short etiquette lesson: No one turns down the Queen. Longer etiquette lesson: No one turns down the Queen... unless you're Helen Mirren. The Dame who won an Oscar for playing Elizabeth II in "The Queen"  finally scored her invite to meet the woman she saluted in her acceptance speech -- but she had to decline. What could be more important than royalty? South Dakota!

Mirren is working on "National Treasure: The Book of Secrets," the sequel to 2004's Nicolas Cage-starring nerd-action hit, according to the Associated Press. (Plot details are scant, but we believe she plays Cage's treasure-hunting mum.) The original "Treasure," about a secret cache of Freemason loot, was shot mostly in the Northeast, but (spoiler alert!) the new movie will feature scenes from Mount Vernon to Mount Rushmore. So, Dead Presidents: 4, Living Queens: 0.

[Photo: China Daily]

Tags: Google Earth / National Parks / → All Tags

Google Earth Views: Hovering Over Mount Rushmore

The Discovery Channel is offering up video tours of U.S. National Parks via Google Earth. You can fly from one park to the next without the traffic, gas prices, or annoying lines.

While the tour and the video is fairly cool, as usual, the coolest part to us was venturing off the beaten path a bit and flying around places like Mount Rushmore. Though it was cloudy the day Google's cameras took flight, you can clearly see the tops of four presidential heads as well as the viewing area, the parking lot, and the windy Black Hills road that leads to the monumental mountain. Turns out the park will be putting on a fireworks display July 3, 2006.  Not a bad place to see the Independence Day festivities.

Related Stories:
· Mount Rushmore [maps.google.com]
· National Parks Google Earth [Discovery Channel]
· Mount Rushmore Reviews [TripAdvisor]