Tonight and tomorrow is the now annual Republic of Texas biker rally. No its not just Harleys, its all kinds of bikes. All weekend, nearly everywhere in Austin you can hear the rumble of big bikes, usually ridden by very big people. Tonight I went to the parade down Congress Avenue and took a bunch of pictures that are now on my flickr site. Other events I'll miss include roller derby girls, Molly Hatchet, Charlie Daniels Band and Johnny Winter in concert, cage fights, tattoo contests, and the Coyote Ugly girls. Your usual family weekend.
A few observations. First, years of sun exposure and smoking is very good for your skin. I haven't seen that many crevices since I went to the Grand Canyon. I wanted to come home and douse myself in lotion. Next, a rigid situps regimen apparently isn't a requirement for living the biker lifestyle. I saw guts that had their own gravitational forces...on the women. Also, most of these guys are insurance agents (I usually refer to them as "Hells Accountants"). But as the photos show, the Bandidos made an appearance. Those of you from Texas may recall the Bandidos as Texas' answer to the Hells Angels. They started in Houston, and quickly became renowned as a criminal gang. Note the "1%" diamond patch-that means they are an "outlaw club." Basically, these are a bunch of bad asses tearing around the country. Finally, I saw several kids; some moms were holding their hands over the kids ears to protect them from the sound. It continues to amaze me that parents insist on taking little children to some of these kinds of events. The parade was especially loud. Its impossible to describe just how loud those bikes get. The crowds were very thick. That's the last place I'd take a little child (well, except for Disney World of course).
Oh, and in a "only in Austin" circumstance, it turns out that this weekend is also the annual Gay Pride Festival and Parade. Wonder how much overlap there will be between the two parades? Who wants me to take pictures of that too?
Sorry so many of these pictures are blurred. Hard to capture because everything was moving, and I lost the light.
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