The following Ride Reports are categorised into their own headings for ease of access. Where appropriate, you may see photo's taken during these rides when there are links provided to do so.
-
YEA – ‘T2 Day’
Sunday 13 July 2008 - The Westgate Wanderers Townsville AGM Adventure
Tue 20th May to Sat 7th June 2008 - Bubba's Wet and Steamy GOR Ride
Monday 24th March 2008 - Tallangatta Ride
Friday 29th February to Sunday 01st March 2008 - Da Rev's Twisted And Lost Ride
Saturday 23rd of February 2008
Remember
This is your branch and your input is important!.
If you would like to organise a ride (or other event), contact the Ride Coordinator, John Edwards (T2) on 0421 616 944 or click
Here to email him. He can assist with maps, ride notes, distances, fuel stops, etc
YEA – ‘T2 Day’
Sunday 13 July 2008
Ride Report:
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich did not front up on the morning of Sunday 13 July for the ride to Yea but others did. Bubba, Des, Tony, Jeanne,3 x Daves (Eds) (BMW) (Djuric - Triumph) Hans, Martin, me (Doug/Dodgy) and John (T2) who lead the ride. Following a warming ‘Caltex’ coffee, & waved goodbye by Rick (what a sentimental guy he is) we headed off into the fresh morning air & slight crosswind around 9.00am & that’s the last time I looked at the time other than I think we got home around 3.30 ‘ish.
We moved along pretty briskly early on taking the highway & Ring Road thru’ to the end then hanging a’ lefty’ towards Kinglake. Just an aside here, if ever you find yourself stopped at the lights with Tony & Jeanne just behind but either side of you, you are forgiven for thinking, for just a moment, that you are back in your youth at a disco. Their pulsating headlights throw you for a moment when your peripheral vision picks up a flashing/strobe light effect. Anyway, back to business. The Heidelberg - Kinglake Rd, a twisty little bugger I’d call it, made all the more interesting by the light mist, damp & in numerous places wet road, & odd gust of wind. But that didn’t deter the boys up the front of the pack & they made the most of the challenges before them giving due respect to the conditions. Did I mention cyclists…… well they were out in numbers making it a little squeezy in spots particularly when encountered on a bend.
Kinglake greeted us with a host of motorcycles (Peter Stevens Honda Group I believe), a number of cyclists & some rain. But in the time it took to find a spot out of the wind, have a coffee & donut the rain moved on & so did we. Kinglake West, then right & follow the Whittlesea - Yea Rd thru’ Flowerdale to Yea. Now I have to be honest here. Being new to riding (still on my L’s) I had deliberately dropped to the back of the pack to make sure I didn’t slow anyone down. Having said that I was, dare I say, at times, a little over the speed limit but to tell the truth it was just me & poor Eds, who was tail End Charlie ….. the others …. they were ‘gone’. By the time I ( & poor ‘tail End’ Eds) hit Yea the others had wrapped up lunch, cleaned their teeth, refueled & had a corner marker out telling the two of us which way to go…..not true. But they were all smiling at the success of the first half of the day.
Essentially, we hadn’t sighted a straight bit of tar from the moment we pulled off the Ring Road. We had taken on cyclists, wind, rain, the odd branch covering half our share of bitumen, little bits of tree, well sticks, but sufficient to throw you off your line if connected, an old white van creeping across the double lines & yet we were all smiling, happy & safe & ready for the next challenge, LUNCH.
With usual enthusiasm we launched ourselves at the Bakery & typically caused a traffic jam akin to East Link on opening day. Numerous hot pies, pasties, fresh cakes & drinks disappeared off the shelves & spirits were heightened even further by the chatter & outpouring of friendly derogatory remarks made at each other. An inspection of the Yea public toilet (very clean) & a drink of petrol for those bikes in need & we were off again.
Exit Yea, look out Broadford here we come. We retraced our steps back along the Whittlesea – Yea Rd as far as the Broadford - Flowerdale Rd then turned right & on to Broadford via Strath Creek. The road was good & held plenty of interest for all riders, both fast & less fast. The weather had improved, sunshine had broken thru’ & the conditions were far more friendly than those of earlier in the day. The pace of the ride definitely stepped up a couple of notches, a consequence of these improved conditions.
A short hop from Broadford to Kilmore & from there on to Sunbury …. Which road …. Dunno. No, I didn’t have my eyes closed (that would be silly). I assume it was the Lancefield Rd but being new to these roads I get ‘lost’ sometimes….. Did we see anything dangerous, like a policeman or anything. Yep, one police car, travelling in the opposite direction during one of our faster sections of the day but curiously, or thankfully, everyone was within the statutes.
The health & safety story of the trip… Riding into Sunbury we hit the first round-about. As I changed gear I got a cramp in my left leg. Stand up on pegs, sit down, next change “bloody ouch!”, next round-about I can only imagine child birth would be worse. Pull into a fortuitously located bus stop & crawl off the bike. Eds to the rescue, “I’ll rub it for you, where’s the pain” he askes, “my inner thigh to my groin” I respond agonizingly. “You’d better give it a rub then” he says backing off diplomatically. Well, as they say, it’s the thought that counts. Anyway, I struggled on to the coffee stop at Sunbury, recovering from my experience to the tune of “better you than me” chorused by all present.
We said out goodbye’s at Sunbury & made our way home after what I think we all agreed was a most enjoyable ride & day of variable weather conditions mixed with a good bitumen surface the whole way.
I would suggest it could have been called ‘Ducati Day’ given the pace at which the majority attacked the twisties, in all conditions, except we didn’t have a Ducati in tow so I guess we’ll call it ‘T2 Day’ in recognition of his contribution to a great days riding.
Doug (Dodgy)
[Back to Menu]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Westgate Wanderers Townsville AGM Adventure
Tue 20th May to Sat 7th June 2008
Ride Report:
Ride Pics!To begin our adventure Larry said a pray for us to have a safe ride and good weather, I would be glad of that pray more than once and so would some other Wanderers. Unfortunately due to the sudden death of Andrew’s father-in-law he stayed with Debbie and it was hard to leave him behind. The first day nearly managed good weather; however there was a heavy low lying mist when we arrived at Shepparton and some light rain. It was a good ride the country was flat, parched and most of the dams were nearly empty. We all took great pleasure in overtaking Eds running in his brand new red and black Nomad. I blew him kisses knowing tomorrow would be the last time I would get such an opportunity to go sailing passed him. This is going to be an interesting journey considering that we are all on Ali and Glen’s honeymoon and as Ali said, soon they would be sharing it with over 3000 Ulyssians, now that’s something to tell the grandchildren. We stayed in a great caravan park in West Wyalong and had a delicious meal although they did seat us down the back away from the other patrons, I suppose they expected us to be a noisy lot and they weren’t wrong. Glen commented that he was surprised no one had challenged him today; I just filed away that piece of information to hopefully use at a later date. We hit the beds early I think most were asleep by 8.30pm.
Another great ride today, the terrain was more interesting and some very nice sweeping bends and gentle hills to cruise around. Eds and Glen left early heading for Dubbo so Eds could get his Nomad’s oil and filter changed, after clocking up his first 1000kms and Glen his glasses fixed which broke yesterday, but to no avail, now he’s blind. That was the end of overtaking Eds, this afternoon as he cruised by; he blew me kisses, cheeky devil. He named his beautiful machine “Geronimo” because it flies like the wind. Eddy rode up with us as far as West Wyalong and he headed off today to see family and return to Melbourne, but it was great that could come some of the way with us on our odyssey. Peter Rigby had sustained a nasty burn on his ankle through a work accident and had expressed discomfort; I took him to the chemist to buy some Duoderm dressings which would make it more comfortable for him to ride, and hopefully it would be healed by the time we got home. Usually the truckies are a reasonably polite bunch, but today a couple were playing silly buggers with us. One double D swerved onto the other side of the road as if he were about to overtake the truck in front of him, causing his trailer to sway erratically each time a bike tried to overtake. It took us quite some time to all get passed him safely. We are starting to feel it today many riders rear ends were particularly sore from long hours in the saddle, and when we finally reached Narrabri it was a welcome relief to stand up and bend our elbows. Hummie took us to the wrong caravan park just to show us what a crappy one looked like. Then down to the RSL which was decked out as a farmers shed with loads of memorabilia, we all had a great meal. Helen and some of the boys stayed to watch the State of Origin match on a huge screen and Alan was mortified that Queensland lost, but Helen and Ray were happy.
Heading for Roma the roads were pretty good but there wasn’t much to look at and our old bodies were feeling the strain, each stop was looked forward too. I had trouble staying awake rather a dangerous feeling to have on a bike. After lunch we had a brief stop as Ray and Glen studied the map, Ray thought we had taken the wrong turn, we hadn’t and as soon as they said go, Ali and I were off. We were in the lead for quite a while before the boys caught up, but soon Glen, Eds, Leno and John D (Blue Napoleon) were in front. I looked at the road there was no traffic, it was straight and the boys were playing with each other, dodging in and out and generally mucking around. I weighed it up and thought I probably wouldn’t get a better chance to challenge them all, so I gunned the Yamaha and as I speed passed them I took them completely by surprise, I managed to get the front part of the bike ahead of Glen’s Nomad and pushed her as hard as I could, Glen grinned as he cruised passed me, I just let him go knowing I had challenged him and won if only for a brief moment. Then all the others overtook me with their thumbs up, it sure broke the boredom of the afternoon and gave me a real buzz. We arrived in Roma tired but relieved we had a day off tomorrow. There was a brochure in the cabin extolling the delights of Roma and I found that the caravan park was next door to the oldest winery in Queensland – Romavilla Vineyards established 1863 specialising in port. Being aware that the Rigby boys had a particular love of port I searched them out and they along with Les agreed it was too good an opportunity to pass up, so we wandered next door to do a little wine tasting. Some time later and after sampling many ports, wines, red and white we ambled back with our bootie to take home (and consume in the evenings after a long ride) very pleased with our purchases. We had a fun evening at the White Bull, the bartender’s father was an Ulyssian so he let us use the juke box and play snooker for free which was great. During in the evening Hummie told us we had to prepare for tomorrow night’s activities, we were all to come as Action Hero’s, now they could be real ones or made up ones, whatever we wanted. At least this year we had a day to prepare.
Oooh! A rest day at last ….. boy do we need it. A glorious, sunny, mild day in Roma some caught up with their washing, while others cleaned their bikes, but we took the opportunity to walk to town to look for costumes ready for tonight. We searched the toy shops, the $2 shops and even Vinnie’s for props and eventually found what we needed. I don’t know what it is about the folk in Roma but they obviously don’t eat out much, it was really hard to find a restaurant and when we did it was combined with a book shop, but the meal was yummy. We wandered back to the caravan park with our goodies and spent the afternoon talking, laughing and planning our trip home, when Ray removed all the maps stating we weren’t even there yet and insisted we enjoy ourselves. We didn’t really need an excuse to hit the amber and got into some serious drinking. Some of us thought Roma was going to be a bit of a dive to spend a day, but we had a terrific time and the locals were great. The Club supplied the barbecue and after we had eaten a delicious meal that the boys put together it was time for the night’s activities. Hummie had put the number of each cabin in his pocket and we had to pick a number out, then each person in the cabin that was chosen were required to go and get dressed up. Then the real fun started ------ first came Alan and John D as Hawaiian sluts, Alan had on a great punk wig, we laughted till our sides split they were so funny. Hummie a geriatric with a gross mask, Ray and Helen as Jack and Jill and of course Jack had a broken head. Glen – Commando Man while, Ali was the ex-wife with a horrible mask and looked fearful. Eds came as Geronimo with red lines on his cheeks with a little help from my lipstick and a feather head dress, Peter was a Spider Pig with the very effective use of his hammock, while I dressed as Dolphin Woman. Ron came as Batman, while Les was Robin and Peter was Buzz Light Year a most interesting trio. Leno came as his favourite hero – Paddington Bear, while Joe was Robo Cop, but we thought he looked more like the cop from the Village People. Finally John came as a vampire and Helmet his female victim, all in all we had a great time and laughter the night away with the odd explanation to others staying in the caravan park. I just might add that at the entrance to the park it said – if we wanted parties or were going to make load noises we had come to the wrong caravan park – perhaps it was because we were bikies that we weren’t challenged by management on that one.
From Roma we headed for Emerald this was really good cattle country, but I did notice that despite the floods they had recently experienced in Queensland their dams may have been full, but the creeks were empty, just dry rocks and sand beds with the occasional puddle. We stopped at Springsure and had a look at the Virgin Rock (wonder why they called it that?). We girls were disappointed the local craft shop was closed because we wanted to buy all their tea towels with delightful little sayings like – “I don’t have hot flushes just holidays in the tropics”, “A clean house is the sign of a wasted life” etc. the owner would have made some money that day.
Off to Charters Towers, this was an interesting ride as we really felt like we were in the outback despite the fact that there was a lot of traffic – bikes and road trains. From here on it was Brahman country, cattle every where, often no fences so every now and then there was a sign to warn road uses that cattle might be crossing. We stopped at Belyando Crossing which was a petrol station and supposed café with little food, 2 big freezers for ice creams and if you wanted one, bad luck they were empty, it was quite hot and an ice cream would have hit the spot. The petrol pumps didn’t register in the shop, so we had to tell them how much we’d put in. I don’t think they had seen so many people all at once, and it wasn’t just our group, there were lots of other Ulyssians as well plus the truckies. From here we had about 90kms of good road then 25kms of a rough single lane. We were hoping being a Sunday we wouldn’t meet any road trains while we were travelling that part of the road. We were lucky most of the way and were only passed by cars that didn’t reduce their speed for us; we nearly got to the end and most of the Wanderers were back onto the 2 lane road when some of us had to stop to let a road train pass by. It was to dangerous to continue to ride on the edge of the road as it was hard to see the potholes and we were so close to end of our journey it would be a pity to damage our bikes. We arrived at Charters Towers and were invited by the local Ulyssians to a barbeque and drive-in, but it was quite a way out of town, so many of us decided to have pizza and a few drinks in the cabin and then crash we were so tired. After days of travelling it starts to take its toll.
We left early with the aim to find a roadhouse for breakfast and fuel just outside of town, unfortunately all we found was the road. It was cold, so our glasses, visors and windscreens fogged up. As we were heading east the sun was shinning directly into our eyes. I followed the white line on the edge of the road but was fearful of hitting road kill. It was a hard ride until the sun rose higher. Some members had not fuelled up the previous night so had to switch to reserve. Eighty kms later we found a roadhouse, but not soon enough for Ali who ran out of fuel; fortunately Ray had a supply and came to her rescue, a good reason for having a support vehicle as tail-end Charlie. The boys found a dispenser that sold rings – skull and cross bones – so they all bought and wore them, and with knuckled fists punched each others rings as a greeting, it was really quite funny watching grown men behave as children – but then what’s new with this lot. We rode into Townsville and registered which didn’t take too long and then off to Show Grounds. Although we had registered fairly early in the day all the best camping sites under the trees were taken. However, Hummie found us a great spot close to toilets and showers but alas, the ground was rock hard and pitching our tents was no easy task, as our tent pegs bent, but as usual Ray came to our rescue with very large tent pegs. Soon we were all settled and our tents organised for our stay, we wandered over to the trade stalls that were still setting up. That night I think we all slept well after a fabulous week of riding.
Hummie, Alan, Peter and I decided to go into town we wandered around the mall and it looked derelict and abandoned, many shops were empty and boarded up, there were very few people it was not the bustling town we expected. We later found out that the mall is to be redeveloped. We went to the Omnimax theatre to see the building of the USA space station. We lay back in the seat and the screen went from the floor all over the ceiling, it was quite an extraordinary experience. We had an enjoyable lunch at an Irish pub and were served by an Irish lass staying for 12 months. Down to the Strand to the Coral Sea Memorial, there was a tall steel box with the outline of a hand on top. Alan put his hand on it and to his surprise music start and a narration began, he jumped back so quickly we all laughed. Helmets brother-in-law Leroy arrived with a woman he picked up on the way – Shelley. He came across her speeding along the highway on her own, stretching her legs while riding her sports bike; he offered to swap bikes which she did so she could have a rest. She told me later that although he looked like a rough bikie she couldn’t have been accompanied by a nicer man, she ended up staying with the Wanderers for the rest of her time in Townsville. Shelley was an interesting lady who had ridden to Townsville from Mudgee to join the Ulysses Club, stay a couple of days then head home. But we had other plans for Shelley.
Quite a few Wanderers and their wives who had flown in to join their husbands headed up to Cairns for the night. They apparently had a great time but would have liked to have spent more time up there. Helen and Ray went to the caravan meeting, which is a new group of Ulyssians who can no longer ride, but still want to be involved in the club. They would like to meet up with their mates about 4 times a year, it sounds like another great idea as the club goes from strength to strength meeting the needs of its members. Many had test rides on the numerous bikes available, while others went up to Mount Stuart for a nice little twisty ride, I thought I’d meet them at the top cognisant of Hummies wisdom, “just ride at your own pace”. The road was narrow and there were quite a few cars who don’t expect to come across motorcycles. The views were great and we walked around the top taking loads of photos Much to our surprise Andrew arrived, we were so pleased to see him, he had put so much work into organising the trip it was such a pity he missed the ride up.
Leno organised a ride to Ingham about 100kms away, this was a busy town, people everywhere. We decided to ride to the Paluma Range National Park it was 18.4kms of twisties, there were wonderful views all the way up. When we reached the top we chatted to many other Ulyssians. On the way down we stopped at Crystal Creek. The road and bridge had been built between 1931-1935 by unemployed labourers who received 2 bob a day, they had 2 tractors and 2 trucks as their only mechanical help. Everything else was done by hand including the making of the stone bridge. You could see where the steps ended how high the water once flowed under the bridge, one wonders if it will ever be that high again. There were still small waterfalls and rock pools which made it a wonderful place to explore up and down the creek. One Ulyssian stripped off and jumped into the pool and said it was beautiful, the water tasted good too. That night 10 of us went to the Frog and Toad pub for the best meal of all. We had an enjoyable evening back at camp, warm night, clear skies, stars shining, a few tinnies and good company ….. just bliss.
More test rides – Alan, Peter, Les and Jo took the spiders out for a spin and I heard they played up, naughty boys on their new toys. They thought the Harley’s they rode weren’t bad either. But it was interesting after riding all these different bikes when questioned, they came to the conclusion that they each liked the bike they were presently riding, testing out the other bikes just made them appreciate their own bikes more. Later everybody prepared for the night’s party – the theme was Going Troppo, loads dressed up in great gear. Jo, Les and I were duly sent off to stand in the queue and get a good table for the Wanderers. Now this wasn’t an onerous task, as we were able to mix with other Ulyssians and chat about our adventures. To our surprise when we were eventually admitted into the Hoekker the Rigby boys and their wives already had a table reserved for us. As usual the Ulyssians were a mischievous lot, sending bras, G strings (that one woman actually took off), hula skirts skywards attached to the helium balloons. The meal was delicious and hot and the rock band had most up on the dance floor, many dancing the night way into the wee small hours of the morning.
The day of the big parade – once all the bikes arrived the police had the route well organised with flashing amber lights, no hold ups, just a straight run to the Tony Ireland Stadium about 13 kms away. There were loads of families with happy children who were delighted by a couple who wore Elmo and Fozzy Bear covers over their helmets, while another rider had Kermit the Frog as his pillion as they happily waved to us. The Townsville Mayor thanked us for coming and said we had spent $15,000,000 and to think the town’s folk initially didn’t want us to come. Kim the president said – 3717 members had registered for AGM and the club now had 51057 members in its 25th anniversary year. He thanked the organising committee and all the volunteers and we were told that the 2011 AGM would be held in the Lower Hunter Valley. Old Number One spoke about how vibrant the club was and he felt proud and happy that the idea had become so successful nationally and internationally. Also how much he enjoyed meeting Ulyssians from all over the country. He gave us a little pearl of wisdom by saying “Remember …… never buy a bike you can’t push”. Donations for the Arthritis Foundation for 2007 were $50359.25 not a bad effort, and so far we have raised $28,000 for 2008. The winner of the Apprentice of the Year Award was Adam Gilmore from South Australia who had completed a diploma in mechanical engineering before turning his hand to motorcycles; he was delighted to win the RS 125 Aprilia. In the afternoon Ray and Helen attended the AGM to elect the new committee and as Ray said “to decide how to spend your money”. Another party with some Ulyssians dressing in more formal attire, it was a little more subdued as many had partied hard last night so were a bit tired. Others were thinking of home and preparing to leave in the morning.
Many prepared to leave for home in varying directions. Jo and Les decided to go via Longreach to see the Hall of Fame and the Qantas Museum. Alan and Peter decided due to the heavy rain not to travel with me down to Gold Coast as previously arranged but instead go back the way they came. Leno and John D were going to travel together while others were staying on to do more touring. Shelley decided to travel with me and we left rather late in the morning with the intention of reaching Rockhampton. She set a cracking pace; however we only encountered a few brief showers, drying off quickly. There were signs of flooding, the countryside was lush and the creeks and rivers were full. We were glad to reach Rocky at about 7pm and found a motel with a restaurant. Glen did his usual ring around to ensure all Wanderers had reached their destinations safely, he was rather surprised we had reached Rocky.
Earlier start today with the aim to reach the Gold Coast about 740kms away, the journey was pleasant and at each petrol stop we ran into other Ulyssians we had met last week. At one stop we meet up with Leno who had left John to do some sightseeing. We parted company with Leno at Gin Gin who wanted to have a look around. We continued on and just out from Brisbane the weather deteriorated and down came the rain. Visibility was so bad that at times we were down to 60kms on the Gateway Freeway. It eased a little as we reached the Gold Coast but the wind whipped up making it even more difficult to ride. When we turned off at the Nerang/Broadbeach exit Shelley said “are we their yet”, “nearly” I said not realising it would take another 20 minutes to reach Pam and John’s place (my sister and bother-in-law). When we arrived we stripped off wet clothes, showered, got warm and ate a hot meal and celebrated our safe arrival and for me a few days rest.
Shelley left in the morning heading for Mudgee with a stop over in Armidale. Apparently she met up again with Leno and was pleased for the company. I spent the next two days catching up with family. I proudly showed off my motorcycle to my father who was suitably impressed and amazed that a daughter of his could ride such a large machine (in his eyes) and on such a long journey. I visited Auntie Von who was seriously ill and as I looked into her eyes I knew she did not have long. We spent time reminiscing and when I said my final goodbye before heading home I knew it would be the last time I would ever see her. Wednesday night Ali texted me to find out what I was doing Thursday “leaving in the morning heading home”. Margaret called telling me Eds, Glen, Ali, Ron and Peter were leaving Bundaberg and would reach Brisbane around lunch time and I should hook up with them rather than ride alone. I arranged a rendezvous, you can’t imagine the huge sigh of relief my family gave as they were really concerned about me riding home alone.
I asked Eds to call me once they reached Brisbane, he called when they stopped at Loganholme, that was only 25 minutes away and they were going 100kms and I was 20 minutes from the freeway travelling at 60kms and red lights, I wondered if I would make it. I had just stopped to wait for them, hoping I hadn’t missed them when they went flying passed waving …… my that was close. We headed for Grafton this was definitely not the best place to stop for the night. We wandered down the street only to find unless we rode our bikes there was little to eat. However, the petrol station had a few bits and pieces and we decided to manage. The caravan park was disgusting …..cockroaches running across the floor, the kitchen and bathroom were not very clean, but the worst thing of all were the bunk beds, the mattresses were about 2” thick and the hard wooden slats dug into to the boys bones. There was much complaining and they were painting pictures about how uncomfortable all their bits were, I must admit they had me in stitches as I lay in the double bed a good deal more comfortable than they were.
At breakfast the owner asked where we had stayed, we told him how dissatisfied we were with the accommodation, he was upset and told us Grafton needed all the tourist they could get and would we mind if he told the Tourist Bureau. We were quite happy for him to do this as we wouldn’t want others to spend such an uncomfortable night and they weren’t cheap either. We had intended to ride inland to Glen Innes but there had been mud slides from the heavy rains they had recently and the road was closed for repairs, so we decided to continue down the Pacific Highway to Goulburn. We would get onto the freeway and skirt around Sydney but from Hornsby to Parramatta there is just an ordinary road and we were stuck in traffic and unfortunately we became separated from Eds and Ron, and it took a few hours before we were able to regroup. We carried on to Goulburn planning to stay in the same place we stayed last year, but they were booked out, we went down the road and we managed to get a house at the back of the motel. Now this place was rather palatial, there was even a honeymoon suite with a huge spa. We went to the restaurant and enjoyed a delightful meal. It was wonderful to spend our last night together in such a lovely place.
Heading home …… our 3 week adventure was nearly over we went down the Hume Highway which took longer than expected due to the major road works building a 4 lane highway in NSW. Then over the border into Victoria now that was a good feeling and deserved a shout of glee. We were met by Margaret and Greg outside of Melbourne a fuel stop, quick feed, a chat and home. I have to say this Townsville trip was an adventure of a lifetime and although it sounds a long way, doing it the way we did in easy stages, made it not as taxing as it could have been. One thing about this trip it made me hungry to explore more of Australia, but at a more leisurely pace. With time to stop and spend a few days in some of the beautiful towns we went through without the time constraints of work or having to be somewhere on a particular day. In conclusion I would like to thank Andrew for organising a well thought out trip that despite him not travelling with us went as smooth as clock work. Thanks to all the Wanderers who came with us on our adventure, without you the trip would not have been such fun. One sad note for me …. Auntie Von died on the 14th June and I shall always be grateful that I was able to say goodbye to her.
Wendy
[Back to Menu]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bubba's Wet and Steamy GOR Ride
Monday 24th March 2008
Ride Report:
Ride Pics!Ali and I woke Monday morning to grey skies and the chance of a few showers we both decided “bugger the showers lets go anyway”,it was a good choice.
We got to Maccas at 7.30am expecting to be the only one's but low and behold there was T1, T2 (on time for a change), and the Rat all waiting for us to arrive, we ordered breakfast and was soon to see Tommy, Tony, Jeanne, Joe, Bill(Papadum), Rick and of course the Frog who was late as well, slept in I believe.
We headed off at 8am and rode the freeway to Geelong then on to Anglesea for our first quick stop. Not a lot of traffic and only a couple of showers but it did not dampen our intrepid group. So it was on to Lorne, where Tommy was departing and heading back home for some retail therapy with the missus (I noted a big thumb print on his forehead). We copped a few showers between Anglesea and Lorne so decided to have coffee there and bid farewell to Tommy before heading off to Lavers hill and fuel.
Being ride leader has a few advantages sometimes and T2 and I had a ball on the twisties between Lorne and Lavers Hill.
The rain had gone by the time we got to Lavers Hill and the sun was heating things up beautifully. The boys were removing their wet weather gear and basking in the sun. Rick took his seat off only to lose one of his rubber supports. Ali's 2way button had come adrift so I did a quick fix and had it back on in no time.
We got a road report from some other riders and were told there was a lot of gravel and a few washaways from the previous nights rain between Lavers Hill and Princetown.
Ali led the ride from there to Princetown at a very sedate pace. I cannot express the helpfulness of our UHF radios as Ali was calling the road conditions and those of us with them had plenty of notice of the conditions, as well as time to warn the others without them. They were a great addition to ride safety and it seemed to make group riding a lot more fun,(We can only hope Leno does not get one).
We arrived at Princetown around 1pm to be greeted by Alison's Mum and Dad (Lloyd & Chris) who had obtained a menu from the pub, and Lloyd had brought out cold refreshments for us. Chris then gave us a guided tour of the property including the bat cave (Lloyds retreat from the world). Lloyd had already pre-ordered our lunches, so we walked up to the pub where we enjoyed a great meal and a view that was to die for. The meals were cheap (fish and salad $9.00), a good size and ready on arrival.
Once again it was time to farewell our hosts and hit the road for home. T1 was over the tailend Charlie stint so I took the rear and T2 took the lead for the home run, down through Simpson,Colac(fuel) and on to Moriac for a break.
Arriving home at around 5.45pm, 500K for the day and I can't thank my fellow travellers enough for a great day of many laughs, great riding, plenty of twisties and long sweeping corner's, from me especially thankyou everyone. Ali and I had a great day.
Bubba
[Back to Menu]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tallangatta Weekend
Friday 29th February to Sunday 01st March 2008
Ride Report:
Ride Pics!Friday afternoon 4.00pm, Bubba, Ali, John (Froggy), Ratty, Lorraine, Helmut, Rose, Linda (Seagull), John Tout, Eds, Helen and I on bikes with Mags and Margaret in the car, left the Mobil Servo on the Ring Road to wind our way thru very heavy traffic toward the Hume where we picked up Gumnuts (Gordon) somewhere along the way.
First stop was Avenel for a filling and un-filling plus a much needed coffee and munchies. It was here that I had an upset tummy, not good. Think I lost a couple of kilos.
Onward to the BP between Benalla and Wangaratta for a top up of fuel and for a drink etc, Oh and still had the upset tummy.
Ali, Bubba, Eds, Gumnuts, Helen and I on bikes and Mags and Margaret tagging along in the car toddled just around the corner for the obligatory grog stop and then Eastward Ho to the farm, BUT, hang on, missing Gumnuts, Oh shit…….of course, he is on a Harley.
Eds went back only to find the Harley with a broken throttle cable, in the main street just as well and after a quick repair it was on to the farm.
“Rustic” said Ali, “Plenty of room” said Bubba. Yep, but not for this many people. Bubba &Ali in the main bedroom, Eds & Mags in the other, Gumnuts on the kitchen floor (foldout bed), Helen & I on a foldout divan in the lounge and Margaret on a pump up mattress on the lounge floor. Cosy?
Bubba’s cousin Andrew called in for a couple and after a belly full to help the sleep, it was off to bed…….crap, toss, turn, toss, turn, toss, turn…get the picture. By morning, (dark morning), the lounge crew started the giggles so it was out of bed and of course the rooster call had to be done because all the rest were still in bed.
Gordon did temp repairs to the Harley so that he could get into town while the rest of us headed to “The Tout’s” for brekkie and to meet up with the rest of the bunch.
Top brekkie guys worth the ride just for that. A look around the caravan park, chats with the locals, cackling and taking photo’s at the boat ramp sign at the lake with no water in it, hilarious.
Next it was down to the oval for registrations for the Rally, a quick look around then to the main street for the bike “Show and Shine”.
Gordon arrived with “The Anti-Christ” running again so Andrew then led us all on an extremely picturesque ride thru to Corryong for a fantastic lunch then back to the oval via Tintalora and Walwa, what a road for bikes, what great friends, bloody marvellous.
Margaret’s Greg had arrived early morn so the “Rustic Farm” was going to be a little more crowded so Helen and I booked into a motel in Wodonga….king size bed, party.
Bed early and next morning it was shower, shave, shampoo and off for brekkie to Andrew Pollards nursery just up the road where The Farmhouse mob were meeting us. What on earth did we do to be punished in such a way?
Over brekkie we were told the tale of how Bubba, leading the ride from the oval to the farm, got lost and some having to go to reserve on their tanks, just made it back.
From brekkie to Beechworth to meet the rest of the group, a bit of a look around then off to Brown Bros. Winery for the tasting, (Ratty bought heaps) then to the Cheese Factory for lunch.
Now so far I have failed to mention how may wrong turns were made but all I will say is that the producers of the TV series Lost will be contacting some people in the club.
The long trip home was in a word….long. The old clacker valve was as flat as a…… and as sore.
Total distance Helen & I travelled, 1045.6km.
To all who were on the ride, Helen and I thank you for your humour but most of all your friendship, it really makes life worth living with friends like you all in our club.
[Back to Menu]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Da Rev's Twisted And Lost Ride
Saturday 23rd of February 2008
Ride Report:
Ride Pics!Well that was a great day with great people.
At 9am 11 intrepid explorers headed for regions that looked positively polar, leaving behind a motely collection of wooses broadcasting inane comments like 'Can you still hear me Rev?' No dave, I can't.
We rode at the speed limit ('tis true) to fair Colac with hardly a cloud to be seen, and after filling with fuel and emptying of bladders we proceeded to Duff's and met the Otway Ranges Ulysses.
Tasty cakes and coffee, meeting new friends, discussions of rides etc. took up the next 45 minutes before heading out for Lavers Hill at 11.30, accompanied by 4 Otways and 5 Geelong members.
Regretably the sun decided to hide behind some rain clouds about that time, so it was a great opportunity to brush up on wet weather riding skills for the next 20 klms before the roads dried out and we started to really enjoy those twisties.
Lunch at Lavers Hill was a repeat of morning tea - great venue with excellent catering and an Italian bike parked in the entrance way.
LOVE that ride between Lavers and Apollo Bay, and owing to the promise of inclement weather there was hardly anyone on the road, but the road was mostly DRY and FAST. Bubba Eat your heart out.
Straight through AB and back up over the ranges through Forrest where some of us got waylaid by a pack of treddlies. But excellent riding none the less. Back roads to Deans Marsh and more coffee, cake, bladders relieving, tall stories, Rob doing his block 'cos I didn't get him his red cordial. Then off to Winchelsea for a fuel up.
Farewells all around and head for home.
I clocked up 450klms door to door. 250klms was highway but 200klms was TWISTIES. Some of it was a bit damp, but most of was pure joy. 9am to 5.30pm, quite a day, and by the time I'd washed Gutzi, answered some phone calls, had tea and watched Top Gear, all the adrenalin had drained away and I was left feeling pretty washed out.
But that's what a twisties ride is all about, and no one got lost, apart from those who couldn't find their way out of the M1's car park
Thanks for the great company guys and gals, and especially thanks to T2 for doing such an admirable job as Tail End Johnny.
[Back to Menu]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- [Archived Reports]
Click here to see all Archived Reports
All Ride Reports prior to June 10th 2007 have been removed from the Website to save space. They are still available on CD from the Webmaster. Click here to contact me via email
