Each year the Ulysses MC Club - Lockyer Branch - holds a Toy Run. Bikes laden w/ toy gather at a certain shopping center. At 10:30am the throng rides along a set route complete with police escort and police traffic control. Finally ending at a Turf Club (horse racing) at which point the toys are taken off of the bikes and loaded into a pantec truck to be given to kids in hospital and the like.

This year I was one of the marshals. Those of us who were marshals arrived early to help set up. I dress my black baby in some pink tinsel (far left).


As the bikes rolled in we mustered them into parking areas. This shows two full shopping center parking bays. There were more behind me when I took the shot as well as to the left. All up, 750 bikes came on the ride. AWESOME! And there were many people (adults and kids alike) who cheered us along as we went. I hadn't even gotten out of my driveway when the woman across the road, seeing my decorated bike came and Thanked me for giving to the kids. Just to see the spontaneous smiles on the kids along the route - as well as the smiles on the moms and dads - made my day. And they couldn't see me grinning inside my helmet.


The GS again, pic by another rider as the parking areas filled - note the pink tassels  


Oh... and the ever popular Promo Girls



Michael

that's awesome man ! the pink - what's that about ?



are shopping areas normally covered like that in your area ? nice !

Here are a few more pics...

1st. I think they were inspired by GhostRider's "Mini Moto" as they came into the marshaling area only minutes before we left.


Here's a semi close up of the front of the ride. If you follow the left side of the group you'll see a rider with bright orange (one of the marshals still wearing his flouro vest) followed by a rider with a green top, then a guy with red sleeves who sits a head above the others. That's Me!


And this is the money shot for mine. Just bloody awesome...


PINK. I said to myself...

Michael Michael rhymes with motorcycle, what color tinsel shall I use?
Nothing Xmas green or red but to stand out with the bike's black hues?

Pink it was. And I don't recall anyone else having pink. So even though the pink wasn't a lot, it was a good color combo with the black and helped the bike stand out along the ride just that little bit.

Ride left from the Brassal shopping center - covered as you see. Booval Fair also has such coverings in most of the open car parking spots. And the Riverlink Shopping Center is mostly basement parking. All three are within 10 minutes of each other. An hour or so away is Chermside and Toombul shopping centers and neither have such full on shade sails. Nor do either center within 5 minutes from where I work, but they aren't large either - just supermarket and that's about it. But we live in a hot and humid environment - you can get a sunburn in like 10 minutes literally. And the shade sails are becoming more the norm now. Though there are still some centers in our main city who haven't come to the party yet. It seems to depend on competition - if one center has them the other center Has to have them otherwise they'll lose shoppers to the one with them.

We have them in pretty well ALL daycare centers to keep the sun off the kids. Schools have them more and more as well. They are everywhere in this town.

Michael