There’s a guy standing on the shoulder in Spearfish Canyon pointing something at you. It’s a camera.
That’s Bob Newland. Eighteen years now.
You’ll see his signs on the shoulder that say Sturgis.com Photos. He moves with light settings in the canyon — a curve that’s perfect at nine in the morning is worthless by two. Watch for the signs.
A million bikes, give or take
Ask Bob how many photos he’s shot down there and you don’t get a number. You get a shrug.
“Probably somewhere approaching a million photos over the last 18 years.”
And he sorts every one of them.
Wave. Smile. Look cool. Whatever you’ve got.
Give him something. Throw a hand up, grin like an idiot, or go full stone-faced outlaw down the centerline. It’s your picture.
And get it. Here’s what nobody tells you at thirty: that photo is worth more later than it is now.
Someday you’re going to be older, and you won’t care whether the chrome was clean or the jacket fit right. You’ll care that you were on that road, at that age, with those people. These are the reminders that you lived the good life.
Make the memory now. You’ll want it later.
So look up. Then go find yourself at Photos.Sturgis.com.
No automatic downloads — somebody has to actually go through the pile, and during rally week the pile is enormous. It’ll be there.
It’s the bikes. The Custom Series Bike Shows. Loud, clean, dirty, custom, classic. Parked curb to curb, lined up for blocks and blocks the streets and groups of 2, 20 and 50 roaring through the hills. We don’t just see them, we feel them.
Five roads, five shooters
Bob owns Spearfish Canyon. He’s not out there alone.
We’ve got photographers working the best rides in the Hills, all rally long:
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Spearfish Canyon
Needles Highway
Iron Mountain Road
Nemo Road
Vanocker Canyon
If the Sturgis Rally is all about the ride — this is it. This IS what it’s all about! Five of the greatest roads in America, and somebody standing on the shoulder of every one of them waiting to prove you rode them.
Ride all five. Collect the set.
About the “legend” part
I don’t throw that word around. Bob’s been a known quantity in this state for a long time. He’s run for statewide office. He’s spent decades saying things out loud that weren’t popular when he said them. His social media during rally week is its own kind of entertainment.
Some people love him. Some can’t stand him. I’ve never seen him lose a minute of sleep over which pile you’re in.
I’ve known him a long time. He’s still the guy we want in that canyon.
Bottom line: ride Spearfish Canyon. Watch for the Sturgis.com Photos signs. Wave at him — he’s seen weirder. Then check Photos.Sturgis.com and find the shot that proves you were here.
Eighteen years and a million frames in, Bob’s still out there saving memories.
