ALBANY VINTAGE & CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE CLUB

December 2020 Club News

Yearlering Pub Ride 10-11 October

by Trudy

It’s been quite a while since I had been on a ride with the club and I was really looking forward to the short break away. With the bike loaded we headed to Mercer Road to meet up with some of the mob going our way.

There to greet us were Garry, Ruth and Bob (new members) and Steve and Chrissy. Off we went as far as Baker’s Junction where Ron and Petra were waiting for us. Then Chester realised that we had communication issues and we had to go home for a headset cable. Not a good start.

Everyone else carried on to Gnowangerup. We caught up with them all at the garage. John and Kerry were there too. Kerry was driving their car.

And then we were off to Dumbleyung- “Bluebird” country. The scene for the 1964 water speed record set by Donald Campbell.

While we waited for Phil to arrive from Kojonup, we all had lunch. But there was a problem – Phil had lost his favourite pillow off his bike. Drama! He rang John to let us know he was turning back to find it. We would see him when we saw him. So off we went again and arrived safely at the Yealering pub about 4pm.

Carol was already there having called in on her way back from a tour with friends. She was in Garry’s camper. We settled in to the beer garden to await the arrival of the mob from Perth. First to turn up were Huw and Elena, and John and Louise. Bruce and Kylie followed them with Kaz from Broome. Bruce had run out of fuel so there was another delay.

Phil eventually turned up without the pillow. I hoped he would get a good sleep. Tina and Clive joined us too. They were camping in the camp grounds. So there was quite a mob of us in the beer garden with the mozzies. The publican had kindly left a can of Aerogard for the patrons to use.

It would seem that mosquitoes are a problem in Yearlering, with the lake so close by. This was confirmed when there was a big ruckus around dusk, as a jeep went past with a noisy motor on back generating smoke and a lot of noise to scare away the mozzies.

Tea was ordered from the bar and we sat at the long bendy table to eat in turns. I don’t think the pub owners were used to so many people wanting to dine at the same time. After our hearty meals we sat in the lounge. Louise and John brought out their Jenga set and proceeded to set it up (Japanese Style) on a small table.

Before long they had a crowd taking part or watching. Jenga is very much a game for steady hands and strategy. This was made more difficult by the wobbly table and creaking floorboards.

Several people enjoyed going past and doing a dance on the spot that made the most noise or movement. It was no fun for the person whose turn it was. Our best effort was a tower nine stories high. Great fun when it came tumbling down, so long as it wasn’t your turn.

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast in the dining room. It was continental style. When we ran out of bread and milk and cereal, so we raided the pantry as there was no staff about. We couldn’t use the toaster and the kettle at the same time without blowing the fuse. An interesting meal time.

Then it was time to pack up and head home. We waved off Tina and Clive and then the mob from Perth and Phil. The rest of us rode to Wickepin. The two ladies that were driving (Kerry and Carol) followed the bikers. Our first stop was for fuel at Narrogin and then on to Wagin.

When we got there, there was no sign of the ladies following. So Garry stayed with Chester and me while we waited to make sure everyone was ok. The rest rode on to the Dome in Katanning. Garry tried to ring Carol with no success. He said that Carol drives with the radio full blast so she doesn’t hear the phone.

After half an hour or more and having eaten all our snacks, Chester and I started back-tracking to make sure there was no trouble behind us. Just as we reached the outskirts of town Garry rang. “She’s okay- she’s in Katanning waiting for us”.

So we turned around and headed for the place ourselves. After a pleasant lunch at the Dome we all split up making our ways home. We decided to have a short stop to check out the fantastic display of orchids just out of Albany.

Garry and Carol were raving about how good it was when they were there the week before. There were some really rare ones. Not only were they rare, but they were scarce as well by the time we got there - only a bottle orchid or two to be found.

This was a great weekend and I hope to do it again before too long.