{"id":50027,"date":"2026-10-06T05:26:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T05:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"urn:bikerpress-source:rotrally2001\/index.html"},"modified":"2026-10-08T23:08:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T23:08:46","slug":"bikerpress-republic-of-texas-rally-2001-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/?p=50027","title":{"rendered":"Republic of Texas Rally – 2001"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published in BikerTrash. By Larry Gore.<\/em><\/p>

\n

Republic \n of Texas Rally – 2001
\n <\/b> Carmen \n
\n <\/b>Photos \n <\/a><\/p>\n

Friday, \n June 8, 2001 Very very early a.m.<\/b><\/o:p><\/p>\n

When \n the alarm went off it felt as if I had just layed down.\ufffd It was one of those nights when you are just \n too excited to sleep, thinking about the next day and the anticipation \n is running through your brain.\ufffd \n When the alarm screeched on at 5:30 a.m. I lay there staring \n into the darkness thinking a few more minutes would do me good.\ufffd \n Then I remembered where I was going today\u2026 the ROT \n Rally in Austin.\ufffd I headed for the kitchen and coffee to begin \n the day.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

The \n bike was packed and ready so all there was to do was to wipe the \n sleep from our eyes, throw on clothes, and hit the road. And we \n did, and it was drizzling and foggy and generally nasty.\ufffd \n I thought \u201cOh, no, not a repeat of last year!\u201d\ufffd \n But by the time we were pulling in at the convention center, \n there had only been the drizzle, long gone, along with the fog.\ufffd It stayed cloudy most of the way, which was actually a relief from \n the sun blazing down.\ufffd Since \n it was so early, there were not a lot of people to meet along \n the way, plus we made only two stops, one for pictures I wanted \n to take of a little town and the other for gas.\ufffd \n <\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

At \n the gas stop, we ran into some folks heading to the ROT Rally \n who said I had taken a picture of one of guy\u2019s trike at the \n SPI “Roar by the Shore” \n <\/a>event in October.(South Padre Island).\ufffd I took another one anyway.\ufffd After gassing up, we headed the few miles to \n the convention center.\ufffd It \n was still quite early but the registration was already bustling \n with activity.\ufffd The volunteers were pleasant, helpful, and \n ready for the crowd.\ufffd The \n registration tents had been moved to the other side of the road, \n it was a good move.\ufffd Parking was ample and closer and the flow was \n much improved.\ufffd We checked \n in very quickly, checked out the goodies on sale, and then headed \n for the vendors.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

The \n vendors were at least double this year.\ufffd \n I talked to the people with the R.U.B<\/a>. \n bike cleaning products.\ufffd We cussed and discussed various rallies the \n good, bad and ugly.\ufffd\ufffd We \n both agreed that the ROT Rally was only going to get better.\ufffd I wished them luck and moved on.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Cindy \n Berry, one of the new \u201cowners\u201d of Bryant\u2019s in Katy, \n Texas (NOW Bryant\u2019s Iron Horse Ice House) was there.\ufffd \n She told me that she and her brother Jack have taken over \n Bryant\u2019s and have their focus on returning the bar back to \n it\u2019s original \u201chey-days\u201d when bikers spent most \n every weekend stopping by at least at one time or another during \n their rides.\ufffd I spent many wonderful times there and honestly \n wish them a lot of luck.\ufffd They \n also have t-shirts with their new name and logo available for \n sale. \ufffdBlack, of course!<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

When \n the sun got high and my lips caught fire, I stopped for a cold \n drink at the indoor vendor.\ufffd For \n $3.50 I got a lukewarm Pepsi (I\u2019m a Coca Cola girl and I \n have to be desperate to drink Pepsi \u2013 and then it better \n be COLD).\ufffd I could practically \n count the ice cubes in the cup.\ufffd \n It was the last one I bought there.\ufffd \n I heard a lot of complaints about the food\/drinks and the \n prices.\ufffd At one point, the inside vendor ran out of \n bottled water and was selling tap water for the same price as \n bottled!\ufffd <\/o:p><\/p>\n

Usually, \n I pack my own stuff and always eat off site (besides the prices, \n the food is always much better outside the center).\ufffd \n I did find out one thing, the folks that put on the event \n have no control over the food and drink concession stands – not \n what is served nor the prices.\ufffd \n <\/o:p><\/p>\n

The \n only way around it is to not purchase anything.\ufffd Many times at these kinds of things, that\u2019s the way it is.\ufffd Anyway, I saw a tamale place on the side of \n the road right near the center, as well as the big long bar-b-que \n pit place by the \u201cThis Is It\u201d<\/i> bar.\ufffd \n And later I found a fantastic place for breakfast, as well \n as lunch,\ufffd not far at all from the convention center and very reasonably priced \n (see Donn\u2019s later in this story).\ufffd \n I refuse to be abused and so should you!<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

After \n chatting with a lot of the vendors and talking and walking and \n snapping pictures, it was time to head out into Austin.\ufffd \n We went to the HD shop on Braker Lane and checked out the \n merchandise.\ufffd I didn\u2019t see any real bargains that I \n couldn\u2019t live without and could also cart home on the bike, \n but they certainly do have a lot of goodies to check out.\ufffd \n We then rode around Austin taking in some old and new sites.\ufffd Never got to half of the things I had intended \n because we planned to make the Daiquiri Factory by 5:30 p.m.\ufffd\ufffd The day just flew by.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

We \n were positioned for the parade to begin when the clouds rolled \n in.\ufffd Once again, flashbacks to last year\u2019s \n rally when the parade was held in a down pour.\ufffd \n It did rain but it cleared up in an hour or so leaving \n us with the lovely humid and sticky weather for which Texas is \n popular.\ufffd\ufffd For some reason this year, the bikes were \n not allowed to park on 6th<\/sup> Street until the parade.\ufffd I never got a clear reasoning behind this and \n none of the police seemed to know.\ufffd \n It seemed plain silly to me and I am sure a lot of bars \n lost money as the bikers drove around and around looking for parking \n and being run off from 6th<\/sup> street.\ufffd \n I know they probably didn\u2019t want it to get too crowded \n for the parade to safely progress down 6th<\/sup> Street \u2013 \n but, hey, was it ever a problem in the past?\ufffd I don\u2019t think so!<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

The \n parade was without incident and included tons of bikes of every \n make, model, and color.\ufffd The \n Daiquiri Factory did not have a cover charge this year and was \n totally packed by 9 o\u2019clock.\ufffd\ufffd Later we made our rounds and stopped by Amazon, \n Shakespeare\u2019s, Maggie Mae\u2019s, the Library, and ended \n up with a piece of pizza for dinner before heading back to the \n hotel for a prearranged meeting at the bar.\ufffd \n We met up with some of our co-harts in misdeeds for a nightcap \n and discussion on how the rally was progressing this year.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Apache, \n who now works for Indian Motorcycles on Beltway 8, was there as \n well as Raymond, Jim, Bill, Pam and one very sleepy guy whom I \n won\u2019t name (Zzzzzzzz \u2013 you know who you are Toy Man!)\ufffd \n By 1 a.m. I was done for the night and ready to head to \n the room.\ufffd Tomorrow would be another day.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Saturday, \n June 2, 2001 <\/b><\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

I \n heard the roar of bikes all night hazily in my dreams but they \n started coming through into reality and serving to rally me round \n to conscience around 7 a.m.\ufffd The \n piece of pizza was long gone and my stomach was begging for breakfast.\ufffd \n It took about an hour to finally get packed up and head \n out in search of nourishment before going back to the convention \n center.\ufffd We headed to Dan\u2019s Hamburgers, which you \n may have seen mentioned in the ROT Rally story 2 years ago.\ufffd This is located on Airport when you are headed \n towards the convention center.\ufffd \n Excellent food and friendly people and good breakfast.\ufffd Once we were loaded with coffee and huevos \n rancheros, we were human once more.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

The \n rally was in full swing and the registration area was packed.\ufffd I could not believe my eyes at the amount of \n campers, tents and RVs.\ufffd There \n were campsites set-up where there had previously been no camping \n at all!\ufffd It was truly amazing how much it had grown \n in just one year.\ufffd I had \n friends camping somewhere and we never were able to find them \n (Peggy, Jerry I LOOKED!)\ufffd They even had set up additional cold showers \n since there were not enough to adequately take care of the crowd.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

K-Bob \n and Harry were heading for the poker run line and I gave Harry \n a hard time about Friday night (insert tequila – no explanation \n needed) and also ran into Big Dave who had an excellent point, \n he came for Saturday only but still had to pay the $30 bucks.\ufffd \n He said this was his last year coming to the convention \n site unless they made day passes available.\ufffd \n Now that would be an excellent idea.\ufffd \n I know tons of people who come to 6th<\/sup> Street \n who might make a day of the rally if they had a less expensive \n rate for a 1-day pass.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Traffic \n on I-35 was horrible so we attempted to find another way to make \n it to the new Austin Harley dealership on I-35 South and ended \n up on Barton Springs at Congress where we stopped for lunch at \n Jalisco\u2019s.\ufffd Yummy.\ufffd They had a really \n cool chandelier of Corona beer bottles.\ufffd \n We were the only ones in the place since it was officially \n too late for lunch but the staff made us feel loved and wanted!\ufffd All I can say is that the tacos are delicious and the salsa the \n freshest ever.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

We \n finally made it to the dealership and were really hot and thirsty.\ufffd We walked in to be given (FREE \u2013 GRATIS \n – NO CHARGE!!) a bottle of ice-cold water.\ufffd \n It was a wonderful change to be offered something for free.\ufffd They also had a bar-b-que going outside as \n well as a sidewalk sale.\ufffd The \n place was full of activity and the staff remained friendly and \n helpful although I am sure they were stressed.\ufffd \n I was told that this location was temporary and they would \n soon be moving to a new and larger location.\ufffd \n The place was plenty large so I am wondering about this \n new place and will have to check it out on the next trip to Austin!<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Leaving \n there, I realized that it was time once again to prepare for 6th<\/sup> \n Street so off to the hotel we headed for a much-needed shower \n and change of clothes.\ufffd\ufffd I \n won\u2019t go into the evening and night but it was a repeat of \n Friday\u2019s, just as fun, just as hot only with even more friends \n in attendance!<\/o:p><\/p>\n

We \n ate dinner at the Pecan Grill and met a group from Dallas: Dax, \n Jociam, Sophia and Maricella (Please forgive me if I got anyone \n wrong!).\ufffd They were enjoying themselves and posed for \n a few pictures while we talked about the rally.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Sunday, June 3rd.<\/b><\/p>\n

Of \n course, there are always the things that happen that you never \n forget.\ufffd Some good, some bad but all memorable.\ufffd One that I will always remember happened when \n leaving the hotel to head home, carrying the packs, cameras, etc.\ufffd The elevator stopped a floor below ours.\ufffd There stood two \u201ccivilians\u201d who looked \n at us, fear clearly in their eyes, and took two steps back from \n the elevator.\ufffd The decided to wait for another elevator rather \n than join us.\ufffd We laughed \n when the door closed and wondered exactly how long they would \n have to wait before an elevator without bikers came by and what \n would happen if they entered and it stopped to let a biker on.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

We \n stopped back by the convention center on the way out and watched, \n as people were packing up and cleaning up.\ufffd \n Our last stop, breakfast at Donn\u2019s, a fantastic place. \n (Go South on Decker to FM 969 and then left for \ufffd mile) \ufffdThey \n recently won 1st<\/sup>, 2nd<\/sup> and 3rd<\/sup> \n place for various bar-b-que stuff, like sauce, ribs, and brisket.\ufffd We just ate breakfast but that was scrumptious \n and next year I will make it a point to hit there for lunch.<\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n

The \n ride home was beautiful and most of it was very pleasant weather-wise \n until Eagle Lake when the sun decided to stay out.\ufffd \n Our final stop, the County Line to tell everyone we survived \n another incredible R.O.T. Rally and to begin planning next year\u2019s \n trip\u2026I\u2019ll be leaving May 31 or maybe May 30th<\/sup> \n or the 29th<\/sup> . . . \u201cHey, boss.\ufffd \n Can I have the week of May 25th<\/sup> off next year?\u201d<\/i><\/o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n

<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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.\ufffd It was one of those nights when you are just too excited to sleep, thinking about the next … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[372],"class_list":["post-50027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rallies","tag-r018"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50027"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":900517,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50027\/revisions\/900517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}