The day was overcast with the threat of rain. Bebe and I put on our new Frog Togs and paid little attention to the smirks of the Harley riders who were our companions. Less than thirty miles into the trip, a north wind blasted us with rain and chilly gusts. Bebe and I smiled beneath our new Fulmer full face helmets. At the first overpass we had to wait while the rest of the gang dug for all the clothing and rain gear they packed.
We arrived in Falfurrias, Texas a little later than expected, but most wanted to find a store that sold cold weather gear and purchase some. Bebe and I went to the fair grounds and signed in. The town of Falfurrias is very small and obviously had never done anything of this magnitude before. Thousands of bikers showed up to find very little to look at and no place to go. I'm sure the beer venders did a good business. Almost the entire town was without power due to a transformer failure. The motels couldn't check anyone in, the restaurants were without power, and Wal-Mart was closed. Bebe and I bought a tee-shirt each to support the benefit effort that spawned the rally and took to riding the roads. We found a little Mexican restaurant open, ate lunch, and returned to our motel at 1:00 P.M. to register and take a nap. That's me sporting my too long black jeans with the John Wayne cuffs, a new goatee, short haircut, and a few less pounds.
I like Bebe in that black leather outfit and red bandana. After nap time was over we took a ride to a nearby town and got back before dark. The next morning we awoke to a very nippy north wind and a beautiful clear sky. We decided to ride to Corpus Christi, TX since we were over half way there anyway. The ride was great. Our first stop was at the Exxon station in Rivera, TX where Bebe put on another layer of clothing. The day warmed nicely and we had a beautiful ride along the shoreline of Corpus Christi bay. At lunch we crossed the bridge and ate lunch at the Pier 99 restaurant in front of the aircraft carrier Lexington. After lunch we made a leisurely two hour ride home with the north wind at our backs. Bebe was a real trooper. It was her first major ride of this distance. We logged 441 miles over the weekend. Now it's time to clean up the bike and start planning the next adventure.
If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style. - Quentin Crisp
