The Big Texas Toy Run

I rode in the 2011 Toy Run and left from the Dallas start, and it was my third year to ride. Previously I’ve left from Grapevine and the AAC. This year’s was as good as any, and I left with such a good impression about the organization, attendees, the route support and logistics, and most importantly — the «cause.» The 2011 version of the Big Texas Toy Run benefited MHMR of Tarrant County and Dallas Metrocare Services. The BTTR is impressive: Even with 50,000 bikes or more, it has no official sponsorship from any source and no one group of motorcyclists organizes and executes this event. It is a cooperative effort of independent clubs and organizations from all walks of the Biking Community. All bikes are welcome — Harleys to sport bikes, choppers to trikes, beat-​up commuters to customs. The riders are just as diverse: heavily inked outlaw-​types wearing their colors; empty-​nesters with a mid-​life crisis; 20-​somethings with a death wish; even the occasional Harley chick. Regardless, everyone is there for a good time and a good cause.
The Fort Worth route started in Gateway Park; the Dallas route started at the Dallas Convention Center. At the Dallas locale, they had Porta-​Potties and a couple of food trucks, which I don’t recall from previous years. The route is really straight-​forward: Get on I-​30 from either embarkation and head to Grand Prairie’s Quick Trip Park. My ol’ lady and I got to the Dallas start early — too early, really — about 9:30. The ride was to take off at 1pm, so we walked around a giant parking lot on the fringes of downtown, looking at bikes for nearly four hours. Sounds fun, no? Actually, it is, if you like motorcycles, which I do — all kinds. There are some sweet bikes out there and everyone is just standing around shootin’ the shit about their rides. The Convention Center venue is OK. The benefits are that parking is virtually inexhaustible and has nearly direct access to I-​30. The downside is that there isn’t anything down that far south in Downtown, so the food trucks are a necessity.
The ‘admission’ to the parking lot is $ 10 and a toy, and the toy was to be dropped off at Quick Trip Park. We left exactly at 1pm. Given that I arrived so early, I was about the 10^th person out of the lot, in front of maybe 20,000 bikes. I have no idea how long it took for everyone to get out — maybe an hour — but I got to Quick Trip within maybe 30 minutes, averaging probably 30mph on I-​30, dropped off a toy, walked around looking at vendors and buying more of the same biker bling I already have, and walked back to my bike and people were still coming in an hour or so later.
The QT Park venue is fantastic, much better than the Arlington Convention Center. For starters, the food vendors at QT Park are open, selling ballpark fare — and that includes beer. TIP: Bring cash. Lots of cash. Not only for the donation but for beer and ‘ritas at the park. The alcohol vendors had «Cash Only» signs up. Probably because the baseball park was closed for the winter they didn’t want to mess with the credit card POS for a one-​day event. Whatever the reason, just bring some cash, or I’m sure there was an ATM there somewhere (but the ATM may very well be empty in off-​season).
Overall, if you have a motorcycle of any kind, you need to do this ride at least once. Bring a cash donation and a toy, get ready to enjoy a short ride with 50,000 of your brothers, and make some kid’s Christmas a little brighter.