Galveston, O Galveston ...

There was a time in my life when the music of Glen Campbell played often on my radio or stereo.  I couldn't help but to hear him sing as we drove the short route south from our RV park to the city of Galveston.

We had one full day to visit, tour, shop or relax and we decided since it was only about 50 miles away it might be fun to drive to the coast of Texas and see Galveston.  As we drove along the interstate the weather turned bad and it started to rain - no pour is the better word.  This didn't deter us - we kept going thinking if nothing else we'd have lunch and drive back to the park.

What was most concerning along the way were the number of motorcycles traveling in the opposite direction - heading north towards Houston.  After a couple dozen or so bikes and groups of bikes, I began to wonder if something was going on in Galveston that weekend.  A quick google search gave me the answer.  The Lone Star Rally.  A huge, yearly motorcycle rally in downtown Galveston.  

Our riding juices started flowing and we looked forward to seeing how Texas does motorcycle rallies!  This was a weekend rally that started on Friday.  It was now Sunday afternoon, so we figured the biggest crowds were probably dwindling by now and we should be able to park and walk around without too much hassle.  

Sure enough, parking was easy and we strolled along the streets of vendors and people.  At first glance this didn't look much different than other big rallies we'd been to - Sturgis, Daytona Bike Week, Midnight Ride in Chicago, etc.  For a small city, Galveston really put out the welcome mat for bikers.  Main street was closed to traffic for several blocks and bikes were parked up and down for about 6-8 city blocks.  

Galveston is a very old city and the buildings along Main Street have been preserved to protect the charm and character of the late 1800's, early 1900's.  There is lot of shopping and restaurants and outdoor seating.   The Port of Galveston is one of the busiest ports on the Gulf, and several cruise ships were parked.  Some of the largest cruise ships you might find.  

Although the sun didn't come out at all for our afternoon stroll, we enjoyed the rally and did a little shopping before heading back to the car and drive north to the RV.