[ExI] sturgis rally again

[spike at rainier66.com]

I have some early fun numbers for yas, and a comment by friends who just
returned last night from that bike rally in Sturgis.  First the numbers:

The rally was officially cancelled (some claim), but it was for show: the
bikers and vendors came anyway.  The town of Sturgis has little going for
it.  They make their living on half a million bikers coming every summer to
party and participate in recreational irresponsible behaviors for a week.

There is a local university with about 4000 students, which opened for
classes the same day the rally kicked off.

This year they expected about 250k bikers, but the turnout was about 460k,
which is only a little below normal, perhaps 8% down from last year.

Regarding covid, the U has 4k mostly young indestructibles (as we all were
at some time in the past (distant past in my case.))  The rally had over 100
times as many proles, but they are largely the destructibles: if you have
ever been to a Harley rally, it is definitely the geriatric crowd, median
age I would estimate at about late 50s.

The U had mandatory masks, estimated 95% compliance.  The bike rally had
mandatory masks, estimated 5% compliance, but with a stipulation: those 5%
made sure everyone knew the reason they were wearing one was because they
want to, not because anyone told them to.  It works that way with helmets
too.  But anyway...

Numbers so far: the U opened for a week, shut back down with 3 new cases.

The bike rally has one known new case, so they are tracking those who were
at the bar where the one feller is thought to have been infected.

My friends just returned yesterday, they feel fine, had a blast, want to go
again.  The T-shirts ran out before the demand did, so yahoos were scalping.
Scandalous profit opportunity missed, damn.

spike