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Roar
By The Shore!
South Padre Island, Texas
Oct 2000
(Ace,
Carmen, & Larry)
Take thousands of bikers, mix in sea, sand, surf,
suds and sunsets and you have the recipe for a
really fun event.
South Padre Island in October is Texas weather
at its best. For days in advance the bikers had
been making their way South to the Rio Grande
Valley for this - one of the last major bike rallies
- of the year. The week had started out wet and
cold and everyone kept a watchful eye on the weather
forecast. By Monday it was clear that the cold
front was going to move out and make way for a
gorgeous weekend.
Thursday. When we arrived on SPI Thursday
morning it was several hours until the registration
was scheduled to open. Luckily, our PRESS pass
worked and we were able to get into the convention
center to take photos and interview the various
vendors as they were making everything ready for
the record crowds that were expected. 
One of the fun parts of covering events like
this on a regular basis is that you get to know
many of the vendors as you see them at various
events. It is interesting to get a chance to talk
with them and find out about some of the rallies
that they have attended. It is also fun to get
to know new vendors and see the interesting wares
and services that are being offered. There is
a catch-22 about Rallies - having a lot of vendors
helps to build attendance and having a good attendance
attracts more vendors. Many vendors, who have
faithfully supported the SPI Bike Fest, are seeing
their confidence in the rally pay off as the crowds
continue to increase each year.
The people of South Padre Island and nearby Port
Isabel welcome this event and show a lot of enthusiasm
for it. Even the law enforcement personnel seemed
to go out of their way to make sure everyone had
fun - in a safe manner. One thing that people
familiar with this area have come to understand
and accept is that speed limits are strictly enforced.
Fair enough. Tourist oriented areas get a lot
of vacationers who are there to party and relax.
Keeping vehicle speeds in check is a good way
of protecting those vacationers.
Thursday evening we had to make a run to the
airport in Harlingen to pick up a couple of people
and we planned to have dinner on the way back.
A combination of a delayed flight and restaurants
that closed early put us back on the island very
hungry. The plan was to meet some friends at Boomerang
Billy's and get something to eat there. We were
very disappointed to find that Boomerang Billy's
was already closed. There were some bikers sitting
out on the deck so we asked them if the motel
had a restaurant. They said it didn't but that
they had a big pot of chili we were welcome to
join them. Bikers - you gotta' love them.
The chili was wonderful and the best part was
that we had a chance to meet some really nice
people.
After enjoying the chili and the camaraderie
we headed over to Padre Boulevard to check out
a few places. Our first stop was the Black
Marlin. The band was beginning to warm up
and we could tell that they were very good. The
bikers were all in good spirits and ready for
a great weekend. After some introductions we got
pictures of several of the party goers.
Next stop was to find a full meal. It was almost
11:00 but we found that a place called Sharkey's
was open. The shrimp po' boy tasted mighty fine
along about then.
One more stop at the Wahoo Saloon. This
is one of a string of places "bayside". Facing
west across the bay these places offer decks with
spectacular views of the famous South Padre Island
sunsets.
Friday. We had heard about Rovan's
Restaurant and Bakery as being the best place
on the island for breakfast. Even though the wait
was "about 30 minutes" we decided it would be
worth it. Unfortunately, a mechanical problem
in the kitchen occurred and the announcement was
made that it would take at least 30 more minutes
to correct the problem. Since we wanted to go
to Mexico today, we decided to find another place
to eat. Thanks, though, to the staff at Rovan's
for being honest about the problem. We will make
it a special point to go there next time. We found
another place, the Grapevine Café and Bakery
that had real good food at very reasonable prices
- actually it was less expensive than eating at
McDonald's - and much better.
Mexico. With the border town of Matamoras
only a sort 30 miles away we decided that Friday
was a good day to head to Mexico to visit one
of our favorite places, Garcia's. This restaurant,
bar, pharmacy, jewelry store, souvenir shop, liquor
store, etc is just across the river from Brownsville.
Arriving at the border we decided to do something
we had never done before and drive over the border.
Our feeling was that the bike would be safer in
Garcia's secure parking building than it would
be left unattended on the streets of Brownsville.
Aside from shopping, our favorite activity at
Garcia's is to sit at one of the tables that overlook
the street and people watch while enjoying the
best (and cheapest) Guacamole available anywhere.
Somewhere, between the guacamole, the panchos
and meeting other bikers who were also visiting
we decided that a return trip on Saturday would
be in order. At Garcia's we met and photographed
a group of bikers who were also enjoying their
afternoon. (Later that night we met a couple that
had been at Garcia's and they showed us their
bruises, torn clothing and road rash. Someone
in a car pulled out in front of them in Brownsville
and they had gone down. Luckily, neither they
nor their bike, suffered extensive damage. Anyone
who has been in an accident realizes that it happens
so quick . . . )
Back on the Island we headed for Boomerang
Billy's adjacent to the Surf Motel.
Many of our friends were there and we spent a
pleasant afternoon sitting on the deck, enjoying
a view of the ocean and just relaxing. The only
bad part was that the entire Texas Coast was suffering
from "red tide" which is an algae condition that
occurs when there has not been enough rain. The
results are massive fish kills and spores in the
air that make breathing difficult for anyone with
hay fever or any other kind of respiratory problem.
Casino Night. The organizers of this event
really offered a lot for people to do. Friday
night was "Casino night" and also offered a live
concert. The exhibition hall was open and I stopped
to talk to the people at BJs Specialties. They
sell, and install, the Little Big Horn air horns
for bikes. (If you want people to be aware of
your presence then these horns are $150 well spent.)
They had those little LED lights (both running
and brake) that mount near the license plate and
can be seen for a long ways. We decided to invest
$65 in purchasing a set and having them installed.
While they were installing the lights I mentioned
that I had lost part of the cover on my horns
and would like them to install another cover.
It turned out that the horns have a full 18-month
warranty and, based on my word of when I purchased
them, they replaced the entire set with a brand
new set. I was impressed, to say the least. I
have heard people say they wouldn't buy equipment
from vendors because they wouldn't have any recourse
in case of defects. These vendors are hard working,
honest folk who will stand behind their products.
If you buy something just make sure you get a
business card in case you do need to contact them
later. We all love these biker rallies and it
takes both bikers and vendors to make them successful
- support the vendors. Buy Stuff!
Saturday - Parade. 
Saturday night there was the traditional bike
parade that starts in Port Isabel, crosses the
Causeway and then moves up Padre Boulevard to
the convention center. We were surprised to see
the vast number of local citizens lining the parade
route, sitting on tailgates or lawn chairs, partying
with friends or picnicking with their kids and
just waiting the bike parade to begin. The bayside
of South Padre Island is famous for its incredible
sunsets and the parade is timed to cross the bridge
just at sunset. There had been some rain and clouds
earlier in the day and everyone assumed that we
would not be rewarded with a fabulous sunset this
year. About 10 minutes before the parade began,
the sun broke through the clouds and it became
obvious that no one would be disappointed this
year. Even after years of being a biker and seeing
many large groups of bikers, the wonder of watching
thousands of bikes pass hasn't dimmed in the slightest
for me. Once the lead riders came in view as they
neared the end of the causeway it seemed like
the bikes would just keep coming forever. The
two BikerTrash.com photographers snapped photos
just as fast as they could but were probably able
to only get about 5% of the total.
The only disappointing, and disgusting, part
of the parade were the antics of two immature
jerks on crotch rockets. We don't care what anyone
rides - that is a personal choice. But any rider
that places other bikers in jeopardy by stupid
antics cannot be tolerated. We will not grant
these guys the recognition of recounting what
they were doing, but I do hope that the riders
who were near them took them aside for some guidance
counseling when they got to the convention center.
The parade ended at the convention center in
time for everyone to get ready for the big Saturday
Night Concert with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
Sunday. The ride home on Sunday began
with an early start in the crisp, cool fall air.
Although this reporter had ridden down with a
group from Houston the trip home was a solo ride.
There is nothing like the solitude of making a
long ride by yourself. Just you, the machine and
plenty of time to relax and enjoy doing the thing
you love best - riding.
Just out of Raymondville I fell in with 4 riders
headed for Midland - a 620 mile run that ensured
they were going to have a long day ahead. At a
gas stop in Corpus Christi we split in our different
directions. My feeling about biking is that there
are two kinds of bikers; the friends that you
know and the friends that you just haven't met
yet. That is the beauty and the bond of the biking
brotherhood. You meet people, like I did these
4 men from Midland, you ride together and share
a common love and you depart without ever knowing
much about them other than the fact that they
are fellow bikers. Were they laborers or lawyers,
Doctors or ditch diggers? None of that matters
- you accept them and they accept you at face
value as a fellow biker.
The wonderful weather didn't last forever though.
Just as I entered a two-lane road construction
area near Refugio the clouds, which had started
looking dark, broke loose with torrents of rain.
The rain was blowing in hard from the side limiting
visibility to about 20 feet and in this area of
Texas the intersections are all at grade level
so the chances of finding an overpass were nil.
With heavy traffic and 18-wheelers coming on fast
I decided the safest option was to pull to the
side of the road and wait it out. These were fast
moving storm cells and within 15 minutes it was
safe to hit the road again - until the next group.
This happened over and over for about 50 miles
until everything cleared up and the roads were
dry and the weather hot for the last 150 mile
dash to Houston.
I talked to bikers who were 30 minutes behind
and 30 minutes ahead of me who never got a drop
of rain. Some days it is just the luck of the
draw.
Next year? October 11th - 14th. Same time.
Same place. My plans are already made - when it
is time for the South Padre Island bike fest we
will point the scoot south and head out. This
is one rally that will be part of our regular
schedule.
The event was well planned, well organized and
well executed. We have a small idea of the amount
of work, effort and planning that go into an event
of this size and for that we offer a sincere "Well
done" to all the workers and volunteers who gave
up their time to make this event a reality.
Photo Album
Larry Gore
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