Originally published in BikerTrash. By Larry Gore.
Republic
of Texas Rally – 2001
Carmen
Photos
Friday,
June 8, 2001 Very very early a.m.
When
the alarm went off it felt as if I had just layed down.� It was one of those nights when you are just
too excited to sleep, thinking about the next day and the anticipation
is running through your brain.�
When the alarm screeched on at 5:30 a.m. I lay there staring
into the darkness thinking a few more minutes would do me good.�
Then I remembered where I was going today… the ROT
Rally in Austin.� I headed for the kitchen and coffee to begin
the day.
The
bike was packed and ready so all there was to do was to wipe the
sleep from our eyes, throw on clothes, and hit the road. And we
did, and it was drizzling and foggy and generally nasty.�
I thought “Oh, no, not a repeat of last year!”�
But by the time we were pulling in at the convention center,
there had only been the drizzle, long gone, along with the fog.� It stayed cloudy most of the way, which was actually a relief from
the sun blazing down.� Since
it was so early, there were not a lot of people to meet along
the way, plus we made only two stops, one for pictures I wanted
to take of a little town and the other for gas.�
At
the gas stop, we ran into some folks heading to the ROT Rally
who said I had taken a picture of one of guy’s trike at the
SPI “Roar by the Shore”
event in October.(South Padre Island).� I took another one anyway.� After gassing up, we headed the few miles to
the convention center.� It
was still quite early but the registration was already bustling
with activity.� The volunteers were pleasant, helpful, and
ready for the crowd.� The
registration tents had been moved to the other side of the road,
it was a good move.� Parking was ample and closer and the flow was
much improved.� We checked
in very quickly, checked out the goodies on sale, and then headed
for the vendors.
The
vendors were at least double this year.�
I talked to the people with the R.U.B.
bike cleaning products.� We cussed and discussed various rallies the
good, bad and ugly.�� We
both agreed that the ROT Rally was only going to get better.� I wished them luck and moved on.
Cindy
Berry, one of the new “owners” of Bryant’s in Katy,
Texas (NOW Bryant’s Iron Horse Ice House) was there.�
She told me that she and her brother Jack have taken over
Bryant’s and have their focus on returning the bar back to
it’s original “hey-days” when bikers spent most
every weekend stopping by at least at one time or another during
their rides.� I spent many wonderful times there and honestly
wish them a lot of luck.� They
also have t-shirts with their new name and logo available for
sale. �Black, of course!
When
the sun got high and my lips caught fire, I stopped for a cold
drink at the indoor vendor.� For
$3.50 I got a lukewarm Pepsi (I’m a Coca Cola girl and I
have to be desperate to drink Pepsi – and then it better
be COLD).� I could practically
count the ice cubes in the cup.�
It was the last one I bought there.�
I heard a lot of complaints about the food/drinks and the
prices.� At one point, the inside vendor ran out of
bottled water and was selling tap water for the same price as
bottled!�
Usually,
I pack my own stuff and always eat off site (besides the prices,
the food is always much better outside the center).�
I did find out one thing, the folks that put on the event
have no control over the food and drink concession stands – not
what is served nor the prices.�
The
only way around it is to not purchase anything.� Many times at these kinds of things, that’s the way it is.� Anyway, I saw a tamale place on the side of
the road right near the center, as well as the big long bar-b-que
pit place by the “This Is It” bar.�
And later I found a fantastic place for breakfast, as well
as lunch,� not far at all from the convention center and very reasonably priced
(see Donn’s later in this story).�
I refuse to be abused and so should you!
After
chatting with a lot of the vendors and talking and walking and
snapping pictures, it was time to head out into Austin.�
We went to the HD shop on Braker Lane and checked out the
merchandise.� I didn’t see any real bargains that I
couldn’t live without and could also cart home on the bike,
but they certainly do have a lot of goodies to check out.�
We then rode around Austin taking in some old and new sites.� Never got to half of the things I had intended
because we planned to make the Daiquiri Factory by 5:30 p.m.�� The day just flew by.
We
were positioned for the parade to begin when the clouds rolled
in.� Once again, flashbacks to last year’s
rally when the parade was held in a down pour.�
It did rain but it cleared up in an hour or so leaving
us with the lovely humid and sticky weather for which Texas is
popular.�� For some reason this year, the bikes were
not allowed to park on 6th Street until the parade.� I never got a clear reasoning behind this and
none of the police seemed to know.�
It seemed plain silly to me and I am sure a lot of bars
lost money as the bikers drove around and around looking for parking
and being run off from 6th street.�
I know they probably didn’t want it to get too crowded
for the parade to safely progress down 6th Street –
but, hey, was it ever a problem in the past?� I don’t think so!
The
parade was without incident and included tons of bikes of every
make, model, and color.� The
Daiquiri Factory did not have a cover charge this year and was
totally packed by 9 o’clock.�� Later we made our rounds and stopped by Amazon,
Shakespeare’s, Maggie Mae’s, the Library, and ended
up with a piece of pizza for dinner before heading back to the
hotel for a prearranged meeting at the bar.�
We met up with some of our co-harts in misdeeds for a nightcap
and discussion on how the rally was progressing this year.
Apache,
who now works for Indian Motorcycles on Beltway 8, was there as
well as Raymond, Jim, Bill, Pam and one very sleepy guy whom I
won’t name (Zzzzzzzz – you know who you are Toy Man!)�
By 1 a.m. I was done for the night and ready to head to
the room.� Tomorrow would be another day.
Saturday,
June 2, 2001
I
heard the roar of bikes all night hazily in my dreams but they
started coming through into reality and serving to rally me round
to conscience around 7 a.m.� The
piece of pizza was long gone and my stomach was begging for breakfast.�
It took about an hour to finally get packed up and head
out in search of nourishment before going back to the convention
center.� We headed to Dan’s Hamburgers, which you
may have seen mentioned in the ROT Rally story 2 years ago.� This is located on Airport when you are headed
towards the convention center.�
Excellent food and friendly people and good breakfast.� Once we were loaded with coffee and huevos
rancheros, we were human once more.
The
rally was in full swing and the registration area was packed.� I could not believe my eyes at the amount of
campers, tents and RVs.� There
were campsites set-up where there had previously been no camping
at all!� It was truly amazing how much it had grown
in just one year.� I had
friends camping somewhere and we never were able to find them
(Peggy, Jerry I LOOKED!)� They even had set up additional cold showers
since there were not enough to adequately take care of the crowd.
K-Bob
and Harry were heading for the poker run line and I gave Harry
a hard time about Friday night (insert tequila – no explanation
needed) and also ran into Big Dave who had an excellent point,
he came for Saturday only but still had to pay the $30 bucks.�
He said this was his last year coming to the convention
site unless they made day passes available.�
Now that would be an excellent idea.�
I know tons of people who come to 6th Street
who might make a day of the rally if they had a less expensive
rate for a 1-day pass.
Traffic
on I-35 was horrible so we attempted to find another way to make
it to the new Austin Harley dealership on I-35 South and ended
up on Barton Springs at Congress where we stopped for lunch at
Jalisco’s.� Yummy.� They had a really
cool chandelier of Corona beer bottles.�
We were the only ones in the place since it was officially
too late for lunch but the staff made us feel loved and wanted!� All I can say is that the tacos are delicious and the salsa the
freshest ever.
We
finally made it to the dealership and were really hot and thirsty.� We walked in to be given (FREE – GRATIS
– NO CHARGE!!) a bottle of ice-cold water.�
It was a wonderful change to be offered something for free.� They also had a bar-b-que going outside as
well as a sidewalk sale.� The
place was full of activity and the staff remained friendly and
helpful although I am sure they were stressed.�
I was told that this location was temporary and they would
soon be moving to a new and larger location.�
The place was plenty large so I am wondering about this
new place and will have to check it out on the next trip to Austin!
Leaving
there, I realized that it was time once again to prepare for 6th
Street so off to the hotel we headed for a much-needed shower
and change of clothes.�� I
won’t go into the evening and night but it was a repeat of
Friday’s, just as fun, just as hot only with even more friends
in attendance!
We
ate dinner at the Pecan Grill and met a group from Dallas: Dax,
Jociam, Sophia and Maricella (Please forgive me if I got anyone
wrong!).� They were enjoying themselves and posed for
a few pictures while we talked about the rally.
Sunday, June 3rd.
Of
course, there are always the things that happen that you never
forget.� Some good, some bad but all memorable.� One that I will always remember happened when
leaving the hotel to head home, carrying the packs, cameras, etc.� The elevator stopped a floor below ours.� There stood two “civilians” who looked
at us, fear clearly in their eyes, and took two steps back from
the elevator.� The decided to wait for another elevator rather
than join us.� We laughed
when the door closed and wondered exactly how long they would
have to wait before an elevator without bikers came by and what
would happen if they entered and it stopped to let a biker on.
We
stopped back by the convention center on the way out and watched,
as people were packing up and cleaning up.�
Our last stop, breakfast at Donn’s, a fantastic place.
(Go South on Decker to FM 969 and then left for � mile) �They
recently won 1st, 2nd and 3rd
place for various bar-b-que stuff, like sauce, ribs, and brisket.� We just ate breakfast but that was scrumptious
and next year I will make it a point to hit there for lunch.
The
ride home was beautiful and most of it was very pleasant weather-wise
until Eagle Lake when the sun decided to stay out.�
Our final stop, the County Line to tell everyone we survived
another incredible R.O.T. Rally and to begin planning next year’s
trip…I’ll be leaving May 31 or maybe May 30th
or the 29th . . . “Hey, boss.�
Can I have the week of May 25th off next year?”