"Rally is the peak of the summer. We've got a 10-day stretch that we're all working really hard, but hopefully it'll pay a lot of people's winter bills."

Tammi Dewsbury is the owner of the Bumpin' Buffalo restaurant in downtown Hill City. She says the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally translates into a big 'bump' in business for the Bumpin' Buffalo.

Dewsbury says, "To give you a picture, between early spring and now, I have 20 wait staff a day. In early spring, I'm lucky if I have 2 or 3 per shift, so maybe 5 or 6 for the day."

She says Hill City serves as the perfect location to catch all the two-wheeled visitors as they make their way to various destinations throughout the Southern Hills and even farther south, the Custer Area Chamber of Commerce agrees.

Custer Chamber office Manager Robin Bagley says, "We have the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road, and Highway 385 and 16, so it's nice riding. It brings them down here and then it's friendly and there's lots of things to see and do. We're not quite as crowded as Sturgis, so it's just nice to get away a little bit, come down and have some fun in the Southern Hills."

Bagley says it's the small town charm of the Southern Hills that keeps bikers coming back and that's why vendor sales in downtown Custer seem to be on the rise over last year. So whether it's the friendly attitudes of residents, or just the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of Sturgis, it seems the Southern Hills are becoming ever more appealing for crowds of two-wheeled visitors.

Brendyn Medina