Hogs On The High Seas Rally - Arrrrrrgghhhhh!

Thursday: 11/8
Our third stop was Georgetown, Grand Cayman. The water here was an incredible hue of light blue that made the vibrant colors of the sea life look like something out of a Pixar movie. A little more upscale and pricey than the previous two stops, but that made sense (home to lots of offshore banks and Internet gambling). There were a couple party locations, the Hard Rock Caf and Jimmy Buffett's. We spent the day enjoying the amazing coastline of Seven Mile Beach. Once back on the ship there were tech seminars from the vendors and more prizes to be won at Biker Pirate Bingo. Tonight they drew the winner for the $31,000 Kustom Culture Cycles Dialysis Bike at the nightly giveaway show-congratulations to Bruce Wakefield. The night was capped off with the HOHS pool party with free drinks, an ice carving show, and the Topless Man contest-we opted out of this one to give someone else a chance to win.

Friday 11/9
Our last stop of the trip was Cozumel, Mexico-by far our favorite of all the stops. We're sort of partial to Mexico (probably because of our close proximity, and we love to use our excellent Spanglish skills). While most of our time was spent bartering for local goods (souvenir bottles of tequila), friends partook in on-shore excursions, such as snorkeling off a secluded island, tearing through the Mexican jungle on ATVs, and exploring ancient ruins. And while we had been warned, at the end of the day we meandered over to the major party stop, Carlos' n Charlie's-all we can say is bedlam! And it was awesome! Everyone was dancing, laughing, shooting tequila, shooting tequila, and shooting tequila.

Somehow we made it back to the ship (thanks to Dean and Debbie, keeping a close eye on as many people as they could handle). On the ship it was biker attire night again during dinner. At the giveaway show a $60,000 ground-up custom trike, a collaboration between Gear Gasm and Prime Suspect Choppers, was given away-congratulations, Brad Zepka!

Saturday 11/10
This was our last full day on the cruise, and we spent it out at sea making our way back to Port Canaveral, but that didn't mean the fun had to stop. We watched the Best Beard Contest, and then finished up our list of things to do on the ship (take over Captain Johnny's seat and drive this behemoth). After a long nap by the pool, we wandered in to the theatre to check out the HOHS auction where art pieces from Segal Fine Art, HOHS banners, and dialysis blankets were auctioned off-all proceeds were donated back to the dialysis fund. The night was wrapped up with yet another giveaway bike. This one was a $45,000 custom FBI HOHS bagger with parts donated from on-board vendors like Dragonfly and Kryakyn. Congratulations Thomas Dance.

Sunday 11/11
We were slow to wake up this morning, partially because we were completely exhausted, but mostly because we knew we had to leave the ship and go back to the real world. We packed up, wrote down names and e-mails of our new friends and family, and said our good-byes, and then it was off to the airport. Sitting in the airport in a daze we tried to recall ever attending a rally or motorcycle event where we never once had to worry about getting our bike stolen or getting popped for a DUI. We had never met so many people, done so many things, had so much fun, and experienced so many beautiful locations-all while helping raise money for a good cause. But the best part of the entire trip was getting to watch the people we were helping get to experience everything we did and have just as much fun, if not more, all while creating a bonding experience where everyone from first timers to five-time repeat attendees felt like one big family.