It was time to head out to a little city called New Orleans for the Steel Pony Express Rally. It was held at the University of New Orleans Arena with lots of room, just over 150 Acres. Held on the last weekend in October, Halloween weekend, Steel Pony turned seven this year, and it held a big show with over 70,000 people walking though the gates to see over 300 vendors. The industry's biggest names were there, like Kendall Johnson Customs, West Cost Choppers, Jim Nasi Customs, Desperados Motorcycle, Dave Parewitz, Exile Cycle, Jesse Rooke Customs, and Chica Customs, along with Bourget's Bike Works, and many more - the list goes on and we can't name them all, but if you've seen them on TV, you can bet they were there. There were also the top guys in the parts and accessory biz, like Supreme Legends, Custom Chrome, RC Component, Drag Specialties, and lots more.
There was a long list of food and beverage vendors to keep the people well fed and cool. The weather was warm, a little too warm for someone like myself, but with cold drinks in hand and cool bands playing on the main stage all day, no one could complain.
The band list this year was composed of some well-known talent, including Big & Rich for the country lover on Friday, and Lynryd Skynryd performing all their old favorites on Saturday. The last night was host to Blood, Sweat & Tears rocking a full house - everywhere you looked, you could see someone singing along. There was something for everyone, from a freestyle Motocross show and street bike stunt-show by Team X-treem to helicopters rides, if you could stomach it. The hot and lovely were running around passing out free T-shirts and hats, and the girls from Coyote Ugly were on hand doing what they do best: pouring drinks and dancing on the bar. The Steel Pony show is just going to keep getting bigger and bigger every year.
If that was not enough, the city itself was it's own party. After the gates closed at the arena, the crowds headed back to the French Quarter for more fun. We don't know if it was crazy because it's New Orleans or if it was Halloween weekend, but everywhere we went there was a party. The main strip was full of people that were having a wild time. We meet some locals that showed us that Bourbon Street was cool, but there was a lot more places to see. We found ourselves out on the town on all the side-streets, witnessing some of the craziest sights and people who were waiting to be seen.
To the girls that helped us find our way back to the main drag when we were lost, thank you - you know who you are. We would also like to thank all the guys and gals with Scooter Promotions - they worked their butts off to put this rally on. They are a bunch of friends and family, like Carol and her sisters, as well as Skipper Bond and his buddies. Thanks everyone, and hope to see you all there next year.