Lunch in Deadwood with the Bandidos

Facebook photos.

Bob likes to make new friends.

We decided on lunch in Deadwood and parked at a ramp off Main Street after a drive-through the center of town. What the heck was the name? Buffalo's? Bully's? I was attracted by the singer, an older guy with a Willie Nelson kind of voice, and outdoor dining. Unfortunately, the entertainer took a break just as we walked in, but no matter. We sat in the shade overlooking the patio and got a good view of the bar and the other patrons.

A group from the Bandidos, in town for a rally in Rapid City, shared a table not far from ours. They looked ordinary enough, wearing leather vests and looking a little old for a motorcycle gang.  The women wore vests reading something like "Proud Bandido Old Lady".  They took iPhone pictures of one another, just like anyone else. No noise, no hell raising. The vests all had a patch of the home club state, and the ones we saw read Washington and Texas. It was just a little exciting for this sissy Minnesotan. We each had a beer and split a BLT before going back out on the street.

It seemed right to try our luck at a little gambling so we hit the slots at the Celebrity Hotel and Casino. We were a little conservative in our bets so our $15 profit on a $25 investment (Bob: $5; me $20) could have been much higher if we had only "bet the maximum"! Bob has pointed out more than once that it was he who turned my $21.75 into $40, when I would have cashed it in for less than a $2 gain. And of course he's right.

I haven't been in Deadwood for about 25 years and found the city dirty and tired, though the 1880s vintage buildings are still beautiful. The ubiquitous of cigarette smoke is mostly gone, though, a happy sign of the times.