A CHRISTMAS STORY
by Warren Fuller

Yeah, Christmas arrived early for me this year! Or at least the spirit of Christmas....thanks to Vinnie and the guys down at Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson who helped arrange (with the local Hog chapters) a very special toy run. I guess they've been doing this for years, but being the scrooge-like caracter that I am, this is the first Children's Hospital Toy Run I've ever gone on. I can tell you this for sure - it's not gonna be my last.

I got up early on Dec. 7th and put the battery charger on the Softail 'cause, brother, it was a cold morning. As I headed down Broadway in Denver to RM Harley Davidson, I passed a car dealership with one of those thermometer signs - it read 28 ball-chilling degrees. I was dressed for it (as were most folks), but that's still the kind of cold that finds it's way through the chinks in your leather. I thought "Who else would be crazy enough to come out on this bleak, sun-less morning?"

Well, as if to answer my question, I pulled into the rapidly-filling up parking lot pictured above. There were all kindsa people, all kindsa bikes and they were loaded to the gills with presents for the kids. The local news hounds were out in force and even Blinky The Clown showed up. It was people a'plenty and the Denver Sober Souls M/C were there in force. Even Theresa rode up on her Road King all the way from Erie...that musta' been a bone-chilling run!

Speaking of runs, the local Hog chapter guys got all the Road Captains together and organized this thing so well that we got to ride from RM Harley all the way to Children's Hospital without stopping. Denver Sober Souls M/C members Ty-Stik and Mudd helped block traffic (but I think all the "blockers" were just digging the fact that they got to run Broadway at a slightly faster rate than legal without any hassles!)

All told 300-plus bikes made the column, and it was a site to see! People came out from their houses and businesses to see what all the noise was about - they cheered us as we went!

Finally (hey, at 30 or so degrees even a little run is a LONG run) we pulled into the parking structure and rapped our way up to the sixth floor. As we played Santa (by giving TOYS, of course) the Hospital folks were good enough to have coffee and Christmas cookies for us. But the thing that made it all worthwhile was seeing the faces of those kids as they watched the toy pile grow!

They had several kids there in wagons and wheelchairs who were getting helped for a variety of ailments. Let me tell you, as a father myself, there's no feeling in the world like seeing a child in the hospital, especially yours. But Santa make the rounds and got 'em smiling - then he gave out gifts and we listened to a couple of folks from the Hospital give little appreciation speeches.

There was another run over to No Frills Grill where food was served and general partying commenced, but I decided to head on home. I just wanted to be with my wife and son, because, after all, it was almost Christmas.