RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — Bikers are starting to head home after spending time at this year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

After a full week in the Black Hills, Michele McCarthy and her group are headed back to Massachusetts.

“It was our first time here so it was a good experience so we drove around a lot, a lot of sight-seeing places. We didn’t get to make everything we wanted to but we had fun. There was 13 of us so it was hard to keep up with everybody,” visitor Michele McCarthy said.

By shipping their bikes across the country, McCarthy says it saved the group time for more exploring in the Hills.

The Rapid City Regional Airport reported its largest number of semi-truck reservations for shipping bikes for the Sturgis Rally.

“The bikers are able to fly in here. They get their bikes unloaded. They are able to come right out, get on and their motorcycle and ride off into the hills,” Executive Director Patrick Dame said.

However, Dame says this year is not the busiest Sturgis Rally week the airport has seen.

“We know that based on the pilot shortage and the crew shortages that the airlines are suffering from this year. We don’t have as many routes; we don’t have as many airplanes coming in,” Dame said.

That isn’t stopping rally-goers like McCarthy from coming back in the future.

“I definitely want to come back. It’s beautiful. It was hot, but it was hot, but it is a beautiful place,” McCarthy said.

The Rapid City Regional Airport also just added bike rentals on site for the first time this year. The Executive Director says that program went well.