Once again Martin Resendez and his merry men, Rolling Deep for 4 Charities, make a run for the border for the Ninth Annual Rosarito Beach Harley Run which is one of Southern California’s premier biker charity events. This year’s launch location was Laidlaw’s Harley-Davidson in Baldwin Park, where several hundred riders gathered to have coffee, donuts, rekindle old friendships, listen to DJ tunes, purchase last- minute road items and for the blessing of the the bikes bikes by Pastor Mike Foster from In The Wind. Our first stop was Quaid Temecula Harley-Davidson (in West Covina, 70 miles from Baldwin Park) where we fueled up, picked up more riders, had a quick hot dog, and then headed to our next stop: Sweetwater Harley-Davidson in San Diego. Here’s where the party really starts to build steam; by this time we’ve gathered more than 600 riders and the excitement is building since we’re all getting ready to embark on a new thrilling adventure into Baja California. The consensus from the riders is that this is a very worthy cause because not only are we able to help hundreds of underprivileged children with school supplies, hygiene products, bicycles, toys, and clothing, we also have an opportunity to meet new friends and enjoy our collective ride across the border.

Once we cross the Mexican border, we have a dozen Federales waiting to assist us in parting the sea of traffic as we maneuver our way through Tijuana into Rosarito Beach. Many of the new riders are pleasantly surprised that with a police escort the procession of bikes is nonstop all the way to Papas and Beer. With military precision the Federales are able to control all traffic, allowing the 600 riders to smoothly make their way to the beaches of Rosarito. It’s definitely the safest ride south of the border, and thankfully we did not experience any incidents.

Once we arrive at the final destination Papas and Beer the party goes on until late in the night. All riders are treated to a Mexican buffet with plenty of cold cervezas, live music, DJ, and dancing girls. There is definitely a unique energy in the air unlike no other run knowing that such a large number of riders gathered for the common goal of crossing the border and helping the underprivileged children of Baja California. The hospitality in the nearby hotels and at Papas and Beers could not have been any better. Everyone who made the trip had nothing but positive comments to make about their own personal experiences.

Sunday morning is when the Rolling Deep for Charities Crew embarks upon their final mission of delivering the entire batch of toys and goods to the kids. This is the most rewarding and emotional aspect of the event, where hundreds of kids gather with the assistance of DIF (Desarrollo Integral de la Familia), a Mexican organization that supports children’s charities to help distribute the toys. It’s quite a moving experience to see the faces and the excitement in the children when receiving their toys, skateboards, bicycles, and soccer balls. Some of the riders even volunteered to give the children rides on their own Harleys, and they got just as much enjoyment out of it as the kids did.

Next year’s run will be the 10th Anniversary of the Rosarito Beach Harley Run, and it promises to be a very special event. Stay tuned with details to follow soon, you do not want to miss this upcoming memorable event.

• Ralph Gallegos