Republic of Texas (ROT) Bike Rally

ROT 2012

Austin TX

6/6/12 – 6/10/12

Wednesday June 6, 2012 our friend Lawrence woke me at 5:30 am to tell us it may be Friday before he arrives at ROT.  His friends had all bailed on him so it would be just him.  Beth wouldn’t be coming since she just started a new job and Lawrence’ boss is making him work ½ day today.   Also, he was supposed to get a generator from a friend before he came down but that fell through.  John and I told him to try Sam’s Wholesale, they have a great one.

We went back to bed till 6:30 then we got up, showered, finished packing and hit the road several hours later but before noon.  I didn’t sleep long, I couldn’t sleep; I was excited about getting on the road and seeing all our ROT buds we had made friends with over the years.

We stopped for lunch at Loves Truck Stop in Hillsboro at a Subway.  The parking lot was packed.  Trucks were everywhere even on the side of the access road.  Lucky for us Subway wasn’t as packed.  We found a small section to park at that an 18-wheeler couldn’t get into.  When we came back to the truck & trailer we noticed 2 larger trucks nudged in behind us trying to get that last bit of parking.  Luckily we were leaving.

Once we hit Temple we stopped at Horney Toad Harley Davidson.  I bought a new Toad shirt and also bought a clear acrylic double walled HD glass for my daughter Cassie.   As we were leaving we saw the Strokers Ice House truck.  I imaging it was full of Rick Fairless’ custom design bikes.

We finally got to the ROT Rally fairgrounds on Decker @ 4:30.  Right in front of us was Jerry from Harley Davidson of Dallas.  What a coincidence.  He didn’t even know he would be down here till the day before.  What an assignment!  

After we checked in we drove the gauntlet over to where we usually camp and set up.  We usually camp by Bobby but he had a larger crowd than he expected.  Instead we camped down the way next to our other friends Donna, Dan and company.  I told Bobby not to worry since we knew them too, actually he did us a favor plus we were camped closer to the amphitheater.  We could walk through the trees to it if it weren’t for skeeters and chiggers.

 We partied with the Double D gang as well as with Bobby’s group too.  We also ran the gauntlet while it still wasn’t crowded yet.  Tomorrow will be another story and lots of bikes and people.  The gauntlet will be jam packed.

 Thursday we rose around 8:30.  We tried out the shower John bought last year for Sturgis.  It was okay; you practically had to be on your knees to get a good soaking though.  The net shelves were fairly flimsy; you couldn’t put much weight on them or everything would fall off.  It makes for a better private toilet.

In the afternoon around 1p we rode for a bit.  It had rained earlier but not enough to saturate anything or make thing humid.  It had cooled things off to make it tolerable, not at all like last year.  We went on a “Ride About” instead of an Aussie “Walk About”.  We were looking for an ice machine that was supposed to be close but when John didn’t find it he decided to just keep on riding.  Worse part was I didn’t even have my camera with me.  I always have a camera with me but not this time since I wasn’t planning riding far.

On our way back to the campsite we finally stopped at Myers’ for a pulled pork sandwich.  It was only $2.99 (on special) and it was huge.  It was well worth the money, I see why they had a limit 4 on these.   

We got back to our camp around 4 pm.  Goat and Trina arrived after we returned from our “ride about”.  We all went to the Paradise Bar to see Wes Jeans at 6pm along with the Double D gang.  

 Afterwards we rode the gauntlet to look at all the activity and there certainly was quite a bit to see.  All sorts of body types, ages, female AND male.  We finally wandered back to our trailer around 11p.  I went to bed/sleep finally at 1 am after the music stopped.  Boy was the bass loud.  It was rocking the trailer.

  

Friday we woke at 8 and showered in our shower again, this time I took a stool with me and leaned my head over my knees so I could wash my hair in addition to my body.  This was a better method but still not as good as the showers at the livestock barn.  There may not be privacy when you shower since you are showering with other women but you have plenty of room to move around and although the water isn’t heated it still feels awesome.

John fixed breakfast for us.  Funny how when we cargo camp he cooks and when we Toy Hauler camp I do the breakfast.  I don’t do camp fire cooking as well as I do stove cooking.  We piddled around since more sprinkle rain came in but it didn’t last long and again gave us a cool day.  Late in the afternoon around 3 pm, after Mark and Jane arrived, we FINALLY left for Shiner TX.  I figured that would be 1 place I could get the guys to go on a ride to.  I knew if it had to do with beer they would most likely be in for the ride.

We arrived in Shiner at the Shiner brewery 5 minutes after 5.  There were no tours and even the gift shop had closed 5 minutes before we got there.  Instead, I took lots of pictures of the site to show I had indeed been there.  There was a bridge on their premises.  It used to be in Caldwell County I believe somewhere close to Lockhart.  I don’t know how they got it, I couldn’t find any history, maybe it was to be demolished and instead Shiner Brewery moved it to their site and made it all shiny again to use as a crosswalk over the nearby creek.   I can’t believe we missed everything.  If everyone hadn’t drug their feet we might have gotten there in time to take in the tour; maybe next year.

 

 

 

 

After taking pictures we headed back to camp to fix dinner before we started partying later.  Once back at camp I made a comment to Goat, Trina and John about me choosing Shiner cause if it had to do with beer they would be going for it and I had only wanted to go to McKinny Falls State Park and we have never gone there and it was so close.  Goat then popped off with his attitude that when I got a bike then I could decide where we went.  What a Class “A” jerk.  Does he even remember who muled all his shit down to Austin for him these past few years?  Even Trina noticed how rude he was.

Beth and Lawrence arrived today.  Woo Hoo I was glad to see them.  They got to ROT after we had returned.  Lawrence called when they arrived so John could lead them to our campsite.  We saved a spot for them.  After Beth & Lawrence set up their camp the guys smoked ribs and potatoes. 

We listened to the concerts from our campsite.  We thought Beth and Lawrence had gone to see the concert, vendors or gauntlet but weren’t sure since we never saw them again tonight.  I later went on by myself to see the vendors.  Most had already closed up but there were a few still open.  I guess they close around 9.

Saturday we woke at 8:30 and had breakfast.  Even though our cargo trailer is pitch black since there are no windows it is hard to sleep.  It is like at a certain time the motorcycles start revving their engines and running the gauntlet and such.  After we ate we went up to the livestock area to take a REAL shower or as REAL as you are going to get here.  This year it was curtained in half.  It appeared those in bathing suits were on one side and the naked ones were on the other side furthest from the shower enttrance.

We left at 12:30 (yes in the heat of the day AND the hottest day so far) for Marble Falls.  We never made it.  Mike had Trina following the HD Austin area map.  He had her following the purple route but she didn’t know to then veer to the left on the same RR 1431.  Instead we veered to the right on 1174 to 1869 on to Liberty Hill.  Once at Liberty Hill we stopped to get our bearings and decide what to do next.  Since we were quite a bit off course and it was getting late we decided to take the fasted way back after we stopped to eat at Chili’s.  

After we ate we headed down 183 back to our campsite at 6:30.  It was a lot faster getting back to our campsite.  It is amazing how long it takes to do the curvy roads.  You don’t realize how little progress you are making going forward when you are going side to side instead.  I had wished we had made it to the Bluebonnet Café in Marble Falls but maybe next time.  This was Strike Two, Shiner being Strike One.

Later in the evening we walked to the amphitheater to see Ted Nugent.  He was just as good here as he was at Full Throttle in Sturgis.  This was a worthwhile concert to actually see.  Afterwards John, Lawrence, Mike and Trina walked the gauntlet.  Beth and I stayed behind and went to our trailers to rest.  I had run the gauntlet for so many years I decided not to do it this year.  There is so much havoc on the last night; it isn’t worth riding the bike unless you want to risk it overheating.  Still this year there were plenty of naked females and craziness going on.

Sunday I woke up at 4 (too early) and I was still in my clothes and no John.  I figured John was out with the neighbors visiting and having one last night of partying.  I skivvied out of my clothes, put my jammies on and went back to sleep.  Thirty minutes later John came in.  He had told me that EMT had to take Trina to the hospital.  John said she and Lawrence got pretty toasted; they were doing shots while walking the gauntlet.  She later sat at one of Donna & Dan’s friend’s toy hauler.  The person was wonder who she was.  She was sort of non-responsive / incoherent to what was going on around her but not comatose or anything.  Goat tried to get her up and was saying she was faking and to get up.  John finally told Goat he didn’t think she was faking.  About that time Goat flagged down help and they called in the EMT to assist her.

The EMTs asked what she had done through the day.  When she told them she had been out riding then stopped for lunch and ice tea.  They pretty much told her she had gotten dehydrated and took her to the hospital to get a couple of IV’s in her. 

John then brought a totally drunk and useless as a nurse Lawrence back to his trailer.  John said he had to hold his hand to get him back to his trailer and then nudged him inside.  John was saying Lawrence was so drunk he was weaving all over the road.  That was from only walking.  Good thing he wasn’t driving.

After John’s story we went back to sleep.  When we woke up we thought Goat and Trina were still at the hospital.  I later looked in their slightly unzipped tent and saw them asleep holding hands.  I was ready to get things packed up and get on the road but until Goat and Trina woke up we couldn’t leave.  We had most all of our stuff packed up so when they finally did wake we could pack their stuff and then hit the road.

Goat finally wakes up but Trina was still asleep.  Trina finally wakes, we get all their stuff packed and John and I leave out at noon.  Goat and Trina went to his Mom’s first for Trina to get some food in her belly before they leave to go back to Dallas on the bike.  We offered for her to ride home with us but she didn’t want to ruin Goat’s day.  

We got home around 4 and unloaded the cargo trailer.  I had forgotten how much work went into loading the trailer.  I am truly spoiled by John’s toy hauler.  I hope we can find a spot next year to bring it to ROT.

NOTE:  Some of the names have been changed to protect the innocent and embarrassed.  J