Elliot Heads Cordalba Biggenden Ride

Transcription

1 March - April 2013 Issue 93 Branch Committee 2013 President Keith Robins Ph Elliot Heads Cordalba Biggenden Ride Vice President Kev Timms Ph Secretary Dianne Reily Ph A/H Ph A/H Treasurer Wayne Russell Ph Welfare Officer Heather Hagar Ph Ride/Social Coordinator Wolfgang Waerner Ph Take a look at that sky. Does it get any better for riding? Quartermaster Keith Robins Ph Committee Member Robert Taylor Ph Newsletter Editor Kev Barker Ph Cordalba Pub. Have you ever been there?

2 Kev s Korner When I was young I was scared of the dark. Now when I see the electricity bill I am scared of the light. G day Folks Welcome to the May June newsletter. Thanks again to John Hansen, who always manages to give a ride report for the newsletter. Thanks also to Dave Woody for his report, and for mentioning the new bike. I was intending to keep it quite for a while. This newsletter we have a report from Brian Tanner in regards to an afternoon tea that he and Christine were invited to attend at Ipswich. This was in recognition of World MS Day on the 29 th May The report deals with Brians battle with MS and how he has been able to deal with its issues. Also Brian and Christine are on the move again. They are heading back to Gympie and we wish them all the best with their relocation. It s great to see all the new faces attending the socials and rides. If you do see a new face, make it your business to introduce yourself and others and help the newbies to settle in. This time of the year has some of the best riding weather, make sure that you don t waste it. Keep on Reading On Kev What s Coming Up Sunday 30 th June Ride to Eidsvold Via Gayndah, return via Mt Perry and Gin Gin Total Distance 475km If KMart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?

3 Ride to Kandanga pub 2/6/13 RIDE and SOCIAL REPORTS We had 10 bikes and a total of 11 people including two new members Gary and Scott. Scott was on his second ride. Good effort Scott on coming back for a second ride after his first ride was led by Dave White. Just kidding Dave. We departed the tennis court in Maryborough at 8.30am and had a pleasant ride down the Cooloola Coast Rd (which is now in great condition) to the Silky Oaks Tea Gardens for morning tea. I never new old bikers were so fond of scones with jam and cream. After morning tea we headed down the Cedar Pocket Rd which was in good condition with the only a few slippery patches under some trees on a few corners to keep us focused and alert. We continued on through Kin Kin, Pomona, and stopped in Cooroy for fuel. Then we headed back west over the highway along the top of a couple of ridges at Ridgewood and Carters Ridge and down to the Mary Valley to Kandanga for lunch. We all had a good lunch and donated many dollars to the local football club by buying lots of meat tray raffle tickets. After lunch we headed back to Gympie Via Amamoor and Dagan and on to Curra for a brief stop before heading home. John OLD people have problems that you haven't even considered yet! An 85-year-old man was asked by his doctor for a sperm count as part of his physical exam. The doctor gave the man a jar and said, 'Take this jar home and bring back a semen sample tomorrow. The next day the 85-year-old man reappeared at the doctor's office and gave him the jar, which was as clean and empty as on the previous day. The doctor asked what happened and the man explained, 'Well, doc, it's like this -- first I tried with my right hand, but nothing. Then I tried with my left hand, but still nothing. Then I asked my wife for help. She tried with her right hand, then with her left, still nothing. She tried with her mouth, first with the teeth in, then with her teeth out, but still nothing. 'We even called up Arleen, the lady next door and she tried too, first with both hands, then an armpit, and she even tried squeezin' it between her knees, but still nothing.' The doctor was shocked! 'You asked your neighbour?' The old man replied, 'Yep, none of us could get the jar open.

4 Brian Tanner My name is Brian Tanner and I was diagnosed with Primary Progressive MS in August I was working as a TAFE Teacher teaching Heavy Vehicle Mechanic Apprentices at Mt Gravatt TAFE. After diagnoses I continued working but was having more and more difficulty standing during classes and could see myself in a wheel chair so I retired to see Australia before that happened. In 1999 I retired and had a Honda Goldwing motor cycle converted to a Trike. This replaced my Harley Davidson which my Neurologist said I needed (I was having trouble coordinating the clutch and brake in the car so he said to get hand controls, Harley s have hand controls). I also bought a Cub Camper Trailer to tow behind the trike. In 2000 I met a Lady named Christine who accepted my MS and became a good friend. Christine stored my belongings while I travelled around Queensland and up to Darwin and Kununurra. Travelling around by yourself is very lonely so I went home and asked Christine to travel with me. I had an old school bus converted to a motor home and put the Trike in the back of the motor home. We travelled around Australia for 3 years until the size of the motor home got too big for me to drive. We settled in Gympie and sold the Motor Home and down sized to a small motor home we called Little Trips. We travelled around Queensland and Northern NSW for a few years but because it was a manual we had to sell it. Since 1997 I have been a member of the Ulysses Club and while we travelled around Australia we met with as many Branches as we could. I sold the Goldwing Trike in 2008 and we bought a 4wd and a caravan and set off to travel around Australia again seeing the places we missed the last time. While in Adelaide I had some alternative treatment for MS and this allowed me to walk into Kings Canyon and around to look at Aboriginal rock paintings. While in Darwin we were invited to a wedding in Cook Town. By the time we reached the east coast the treatment seemed to be wearing off a little. We headed south from Cook Town and in Townsville I was a little depressed so Christine took me to a bike shop. There it was a Harley Trike. I took it for a test ride and left before I bought it. We settled in Gympie again and sold the caravan and I couldn t wait to buy the Trike. Caught the train to Townsville and rode it home. It is still my pride and joy. We are very active in the Ulysses club and we attend the annual AGM of the Club every year. This year it is in Maryborough and we are volunteering to help. I am coping OK with my MS however walking is getting more difficult, luckily I don t need my legs to ride the Trike. Brian with Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale Brians trusty trike

5 In the 60 s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird & people take Prozac to make it normal. Ride to Coffs Capers Chris and I decided that we would attend the Coffs Capers this year. We usually take a few extra days when we attend any rally, and this time was no exception. We left home on Tuesday morning looking forward to a couple of days of riding. It was a beautiful clear day and good riding weather. That was until we had gone past the servo at Morayfield. The sky opened up and it bucketed down. By the time we found a safe spot to stop and put on our wet weather pants it was too late and we were drenched, so we kept travelling and the rain kept coming down. It eventually stopped when we got to Tweed Heads. We planned to visit and old friend at Cabarita Beach and were able to get a motel to stay in at Kingscliff. After a hot shower, we cranked the AC up to near boiling, so we could dry our luggage, and went across the road to a club for dinner. The next day we had a leisurely breakfast on the beach front at Kingscliff and eventually made our way to meet our friend for lunch. After lunch we moved on and made our way to Ballina for the night. It was a perfect day and we just ambled our way from one beach village to the next. This may sound easy, but it wasn t, because of all the decisions we had to make while we were doing this. Things like, which cafe should we stop at for coffee or which pub for a drink. It was quite difficult. Anyway we eventually made Ballina and unpacked our gear and were soon off to the RSL for dinner. If you haven t been there it is a very nice place. The club is on the river bank and is quite large. After dinner we caught a taxi back to our motel, and guess who the driver was? Another bloody Ulyssian who had just been to the Fraser Coast AGM. After quite a lot of discussion we let him get back to work and made it back to our room. The next day we headed off to Grafton to spend the night with some friends. Once again we visited all the beach villages on the way. While we were in Yamba we managed to break one of our footplates. A repair with zip ties and gaffer tape fixed the problem and we were soon on our way to Grafton. Reaching Grafton was a relief for Chris, because she had to ride with her boot on the exhaust pipe heat shield, which, as well as being quite hot wasn t very comfortable. Just as well it wasn t too long a trip. Repairs were made in Phil s shed and a prototype was fabricated so that I can eventually make a permanent fix. After an excellent night with our friends, we made a late start towards Coffs, where we arrived late in the afternoon. We weren t the only Fraser Coast members at the Capers and we soon met up with Wayne Russell and Kathie and Steve Blundstone, who also had stories to tell about pouring rain on the way.

6 Friday night at the Capers was a meet and greet BBQ where we were able to renew friendships from times past. On Saturday, we had a choice of going on an organised ride, having a coffee morning or do your own thing. Wayne went on the ride, which went for most of the day. Kathie and Steve spent the time touring around Coffs Harbour and Chris and I went to have a look at Urunga, which is a small village south of Coffs. We made our way back to the harbour for a feed of fish and chips for lunch and then took a tour around town. Saturday night was a catered meal which was excellent and the dress theme for this year was the letter S. I won t begin to explain the outfits except to say some were very outstanding. Some people have unbelievable minds. Sunday morning and all were heading for home. We had intended to visit a few places like Kyogle, Casino and Lismore on the way. We turned off the highway at Grafton and travelled up the Summerland Way to Casino and then onto Kyogle. It was at Kyogle that the rain started again. We stopped at an information kiosk to put our wet weather gear on and were talking to a local who suggested that the road we intended to take wouldn t be a good idea because of the rain, so we decided to go to Tenterfield. The road up to Tenterfield was all right, but not great, with many bends, which can be hard work on the trike. It is up hill all the way and at many times we were riding through the clouds. As it was raining quite steadily it became colder as we went higher. By the time we arrived at Tenterfield we were in agony because of the cold. We turned into the first motel we could and quickly settled in, turned the AC up to boiling this time and had hot showers. We were lucky to get a motel that had in room dinner service as well as a cheap bar. So we settled in for the night. The next day was quite cool so we had a slow start. It was still cool by the time we reached Toowoomba so we decided to head for home. We were home before dark and the good thing was that it was a lot warmer than the day before Overall we had a good ride and saw plenty of sights. We couldn t do anything about the weather and I always knew that it would take less time to clean the trike than it would take Steve to clean his big Boulie. Kev

7 Ride Report Elliot Heads / Cordalba / Biggenden15 June 2013 There was movement at the Tennis Courts, for the word had got around. It had nothing to do with horses absconding. It was more like a variation of the Jeep ad on television. Kev bought a Harley! Brian with Ipswich Mayor Kev Paul bought Pisasale a Harley? Brians trusty trike Kev bought a Harley! Sure enough, we heard the rumble of Screaming Eagle pipes, and up came our very own Kevin Barker on a brand new Harley. It looks fantastic, but somehow I wonder what Chris thinks of the pillion seat. Kev informed us that he wasn t coming on the ride. He had just dropped in to show off the new ride. (Thanks Kev! Hope you have many years of trouble-free riding!) Fourteen riders, and one pillion, left the tennis courts, stopping briefly at Torbanlea to collect another six riders and one pillion. The ride to Elliot Heads was glorious and uneventful (just the way we like our rides). We were met there by Ian & Annette Lawley and Ross & Bev Thiele from Bundaberg. Morning tea was provided by the ride leader and featured homemade chocolate chip & caramel chip cookies, courtesy of Janelle, who was unable to make the ride. After morning tea, and the obligatory exchange of tall tales, we headed off, this time with Ian Lawley in the lead position. Ian led us along some previously unknown (at least unknown to me) backroads, finally ending up at the Commercial Hotel in Cordabla. Publicans, Mick and Kellie, having been alerted to our arrival, added to their menu the Ulysses Burger. For 10 bucks we got a bread roll filled with meat, cheese, bacon, mushrooms, egg and salad, along with a generous supply of chips on the side! From Cordalba, the Bundabergers headed home (was great to catch up with them). Others made the decision to brave the Bruce Highway and scoot back home to do some jobs. The rest of us headed out on Mill Road, around the Isis Sugar Mill, crossing the Bruce Highway north of Apple Tree Creek and on to North South Road. This way leads to the Isis Highway, between Childers and Biggenden. There was a brief refuelling stop in Biggenden before the final ride home to Maryborough/Hervey Bay. It was on that leg of the trip that Bazza Surridge decided to open up his 650 Bergman, just to see how it goes. It s a good thing he caught up to the rest of us and slowed down, from somewhere north of 149, when we met the Police car coming in the opposite direction. Overall, it was an enjoyable day. Beautiful riding weather. We got to check out some backroads. Great company. A tasty feed for lunch. Safe return home. Thanks to everyone who came along! Dave Woodward (42452) Rider Leader

8 Ride Leader Dave winds the big Victory up Wayne was there And so were John and Tony I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. The nurse started with certain basics. How much do you weigh? she asked. 60 kilos, I said. The nurse put me on the scales. It turns out my weight is 87. The nurse asked, Your height? 168cm, I said. The nurse checked and saw that I only measure 158. She then took my blood pressure and told me that it is very high. Of course it s high! I screamed. When I came in here I was tall and slender! Now I m short and fat! She put me on Prozac.

9 Yes, I did. I went out and bought a Harley. My New Bike After I received my DCM from work I decided on a new bike. I have always said that I would like to own at least one Harley Davidson before I finished riding. So off to the Harley shop we went. I had been doing a bit of dreaming on the internet and was thinking that a 1200 Sportster would do. We arrived at the shop and I started to drool over the range that I had to choose from. There were too many choices. To cut a long story short I decided on a Dyna Street Bob and the Sportster was forgotten about. I saw the Street Bob in the shop and thought that I could see myself on that, except for the mini ape hanger bars that they come with from the factory. Then I took a closer look and thought that, in my opinion, the mix of chrome and black on the engine didn t look right. After a discussion with the salesman, we left the shop armed with the Harley Davidson Parts and Accessories, 880 page catalogue, and went home to think about it. That was the start. The end result is a Big Blue Pearl Street Bob, minus the apes. I replaced them with a set of reduced reach bars. The riding position was a little too upright for me so I altered the foot controls with a set of Reduced Reach Forward Controls. This allows me to have my legs straightened when riding. I changed the chrome mufflers with a set of black Screaming Eagle slash downs, and altered the original EFI Kit with an EFI Super Tuner Kit. All other alterations have been cosmetic. The chrome horn cover was changed with a wrinkle black one. The teardrop air cleaner changed with a black bobber style, and the exhaust pipe heat shields altered to black. I m happy with the result so far. The next task is to manufacture some mounting frames for a set of K Drive bags that are too good not to use, and the addition of some form of frame to hold a gear sack on the solo rack. At this stage I m still running the bike in, but it s quite comfortable for me to ride. As with all bikes there will be more modifications or changes to be done. Kev

10 I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone. I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there. I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work. I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore. I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often. I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm. Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older. One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get! And, sometimes I think I am in Vincible but life shows me I am not! Sunday 23/06/13 BBQ Lunch in the park The weather was a bit ordinary, still, about two dozen harty souls turned up for lunch. Keith had done the preparation and as soon as the BBQ was lit, a team of helpers pitched in to show off their culinary skills. Steak, sausages, eggs, onions, cheese, tomatoes and coleslaw was on the order for lunch and being a little on the chilly side it was very easy to fill our plates or bread rolls with what was available. All this was washed down with tea or coffee and that helped warm the body up as well. Many thanks to Keith, Wolfgang, Tony and Diesel for their efforts on the day. Lunch was very enjoyable, as was the company during dinner. The park where we had the BBQ is at Woocoo, and is a very enjoyable spot. I have added some information from the web for you to read and if you are looking for a nice spot to take the family you might like to visit this one. Wook-koo Park The highlight at this park is the Wook-koo Story Walk, which features lifelike sculptures of animals, all created by local artists, along a 135m coloured path which represent the Mary River. There is also a wood carving of Wook-koo, who represents the first of the Butchella people to move from Fraser Island and settle the area, and is carved from an ironbark tree. There are mosaics designed by local school children and water features. Also located in the park are two tennis courts, a children's playground, electric BBQs and covered picnic areas. Wook-koo Park is nine kilometres west of Maryborough on the Maryborough-Biggenden Road (turn right into Woocoo Drive).

11 Any newsletter contributions please Opinions expressed by contributors in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the Ulysses Club Inc.Fraser Coast Branch or the Editor, and we accept no responsibility for any article in this publication. Xmas Bargains Ladies medium, black leather vest MountainBreed $100 Childs Vest size 8...$80 Phone Lynne Camo Draggin Jeans, brand new, never been worn, 40 inch Or 102cms Waist.$125 Phone A/H Camo Draggin Jeans 42inch waist 74cms. Inside Leg Worn Once, Grey/Black/White $50.00 Phone Carmen FOR SALE Brand New Leather Motorcycle Jacket R Jays sports style Size 50 New price $ Sale Price $150 Contact Merv Ulysses Club Inc. Fraser Coast Branch PO Box 401 Hervey Bay Qld 4655 We re on the Web! See us at: org Collectors Dream 1999 H/D Heritage Trike Great Condition Natalaie Trike Conversion Last of the Evo style 1340cc 5 Speed Chain Drive 1100Klm New Bags Deep Burgendy Regrettable Sale $42000 Contact Heather Ph