HERITAGE RIDER. Remember. A.G.M. Thursday Night 05/05/14

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1 HERITAGE RIDER June 2014 Issue 462 Armadale Heritage Branch $1.00 On-Line Subscription, $2.00 Pre Booked B/W Hard Copy Website: Remember A.G.M. Thursday Night 05/05/14 Come and have your say as this is YOUR Branch and YOUR Club! 1

2 ULYSSES CLUB Armadale Heritage Branch Committee President: Alan Warner or awarner@westnet.com.au Secretary: Ray Seddon - Mob raymondseddon@bigpond.com Treasurer: Dave Carroll Ride Coordinator: Tony Fareso or tsfareso@hotmail.com Welfare Officer: Josef Gabriel Mob General duties: Ray Seddon, Alby Feldbouer, Dav Sundstrom Robyn Johnston, Barry Larson, Social Co-ordinators: Editor: Dav Sundstrom Mob pigphama@iinet.net.au Advertising rates These rates apply for one year in the Heritage Rider Business Card Size $20.00 Quarter Page $30.00 Half Page $50.00 Branch Emblems Sewn directly onto clothing, caps, towels,t Shirts, Work Wear, Uniforms, Manchester & Jackets are available at: Stitchcraft Embroidery contact Amanda 13 EichelMews,Waikiki WA.6169 Mobile Phone /Fax [08] stitchcraft@bigpond.com.au Armadale Ulysses Club Gear For Armadale Heritage Branch / WA gear contact: Alby Feldbauer Mob annettalby@hotmail.com Postal address for all correspondence: Ulysses Armadale Heritage Branch PO Box 1103 Kelmscott DC 6997 Ulysses Club Shop Head Office Phone Website : Disclaimer: All expressions of opinion are published on the basis that they are not regarded as expressing the official opinion of the Ulysses Club but are included as general interest only. The Armadale Heritage Branch accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the opinions or information contained in this newsletter and reader should rely on their own inquires in making any decisions touching their own interests. Monthly General Meetings 1st Thursday of every Month Upstairs at YE OLDE NARROGIN INNE, 2 South West Hwy Armadale, 7:30pm for 8:00pm start Monthly Committee Meeting First Thursday after Monthly General Meeting, upstairs at the YE OLDE NARROGIN INNE, 2 South West Hwy Armadale, 7:30pm sharp. 2

3 Ulysses Armadale Heritage Branch Minutes: General Meeting Thurs 1 May 2014 Present: 21 members; no new guests. Pres Alan opened the meeting at 8pm. Apologies: Dave and Trish; Joseph; Pamela; Sally; Cameron. Secretary: Not much correspondence; Safety Report for April 2014 (MRAWA Dave Wright) to hand, mention in the report that the bus lanes trial to allow m/cycles has progressed to the making of signs and the monitoring of which two or three lanes to use for the trial. It has received the go-ahead from the Road Safety Council, the Ministers for Transport and Police and Road Safety. Also mention that Lane Filtering discussions with the Minister has been taken off the agenda because it is already allowed; be aware however that there are limitations: stationary traffic, signalling required to change lanes, no crossing solid lines and must be done safely. A Hyosung GV 250 is for sale for $4800 with proceeds to the 14-yo girl who lost both feet in a train incident at McIver train station. Anyone interested details are available; note also that there is also another similar bike for sale through the website. Treasurer: Accounts currently stand at $2615; Quartermaster stock is $756; Raffle proceeds from Di $44 cash; One $10 payment for Newsletter. Quartermaster: plenty of stock on hand, contact Alby if anything wanted. Rides: last weekend Tony led a Lost In Paradise ride through some inner suburbs in the deep south of Cockburn, ending up at Golden Ponds for M/Tea then a nice ride across to North Dandalup Dam then to Serpentine Café at the servo on Great Southern Highway where we enjoyed beef and gravy rolls. There were a few forks in the road but well done Tony for an interesting ride and good food stops. AGM: a small contingent are heading off starting the weekend of the 3rd, some at different times but planning to meet up somewhere on the way, possibly Minnipa. Branch AGM: last chance to nominate for a committee position. 3

4 Social Events: Cannington Dogs: Sat 21 st $52/hd, book and pay at the June meeting, this is always a good night. Christmas in July 26 th at the Byford $20/hd, good menu and we will have a private room need to book and pay for this by the July meeting. Odyssey at Busselton, suggest booking accommodation soon, nomination forms will be available soon. Kulin Race Meeting weekend is the weekend after the Odyssey, Alan Warner is leaving on the Friday and going by car so can take luggage but he will not be coming straight back. Hyden Long Weekender: (Freo mob) currently have 40 booked for this weekend, which is always a beauty, on the June long weekend (Fri 30/5 Mon 2/6), will have to be quick to get in on this one. One-day weekenders: John B raised a suggestion for upcoming, also a longer one involving several nights at different locations, possibly 3-4 nights. This received some support so he will make some inquiries and get positive numbers later, when the weather starts to warm up again. Roast Night: Wed 7 th at Kellys Café in Canning Vale numbers to JB. Cannington Bowls Night; suggestion which received good support, there are meals available at the Lanes or there is a Chinese next door. Works out at $15 for 1 game; $22 for 2, to be arranged sometime in August as there is not much on then. Alan s social night is planned for 16 th May open invitation, BYO drinks and nibbles, probably General: Gerry mentioned a TV program on an un-named station (74 we think) that is about Temporary Aussies, supposedly sponsored by Bikies but is reported to be a good show worth watching. Cakes: Janet supplied two cakes for the birthday people but will be away next meeting. May Saturday afternoon coffee: Rose Garden Café, pm. (40 Masonmill Road, Carmel WA 6076). Birthdays this month: Wayne, Mark, Glenn, John, Tony. The Birthday song was much improved we re getting better. 4

5 Raffle: Di ran the raffle; many prizes won. Meeting closed by Pres Alan around 9.15pm? Ray Seddon (Sec.) VALE WAYNE EACOTT PRESIDENTS BIT Unfortunately Wayne Eacott, a past member of ours passed away recently. It was a sudden death apparently from a heart attack. Wayne was only 58 so very young to be taken in this way. Our sympathies go to his family and friends. AGM Well folks this is it, another Branch AGM and from my sneak preview of the nominations this years Committee is looking pretty good. I would like to briefly mention the retiring members who have given us very good service in recent years. Josef has been very helpful to me and someone I have always looked to for advice, Josef was President when I first joined the Club and it was his leadership style that convinced me to join. Di, who you can blame for bringing me along to my first meeting and again has been very supportive as well as being Branch Secretary, cake maker, raffle lady, and an all round good Committee Member. Barry, again a very hard working Committee man who was ride coordinator for a long time and did a very good job. Robyn who again has been very supportive and kept a close watch on me when I first became President has in her time been President, Social Organiser and many more functions including putting in a huge effort at the Albany AGM, Robyn was also the motivator in putting together the Wagin Odyssey which is still talked about when the various branches get together. Last but not least is Alby who has done an excellent job as our Quartermaster. As you can see we have lost a wealth of experience from the Committee and I personally thank each and every one of them for their efforts over the years. That was of course about yesterday and now we look ahead to tomorrow. The Other AGM I am pleased to report that all of our intrepid travelers have returned home safely and with only relatively minor problems experienced along the way. GUESS WHO HAD A BATTERY PROBLEM? Barry had an issue with his alternator and that was pretty much it. By all accounts the AGM itself went well and everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. HYDEN WEEKENDER 5

6 A total of 8 of us joined forces and attended the Fremantle Branches weekender at Hyden, 6 of us travelled from Perth with the main group and were joined by Josef and Di at Hyden, they called in to say hello on their way home from the AGM. Laurie did it differently by going home first, arriving home on Thursday and then going back down on Saturday. The ride down was uneventful but very, very cold. It was a good ride, going via Pingelly where we had morning tea, then on through Wickepin, Kulin to Nungarin where we had lunch, then off to Hyden arriving mid afternoon. Then the fun began, we went shopping for a little warming alcohol before we had a BBQ which was very well prepared and cooked for us by the Freo Branch. The next day, Sunday was off to a quiet start, we actually went for a walk, if you want to know what that is you can check your dictionary but it involves putting one foot in front of the other, anyway we inspected Wave Rock, Hippos Yawn, indulged in some coffee and then inspected the White Kangaroos before heading back to the camp where we patiently waited for the games to start. I won t keep you in suspense and have the pleasure to report that Armadale won the games. We then played another game that involved throwing and catching uncooked eggs which ended up being between the two Presidents in attendance which again, Armadale won. So following the games we went off for pre dinner drinks, dinner itself was absolutely magnificent, prepared by the local Lions Club it wasn t just a dinner it was a feast. That was pretty much it for the weekend, very enjoyable as they usually are and now we have to wait another two years for the next one. 6 of us rode back together on Monday morning leaving Laurie and Martin to their own devices. Not quite so cold coming back but very foggy until we got close to Corrigin, our refueling/coffee stop. We lost Don and Michelle at Brookton as they went visiting family and the rest of us carried on home for a restful afternoon. CANNINGTON GREYHOUNDS This meeting is your last chance to book for this as I need to get everything organized before I go away later in the month. The night is planned for the 21 st of June at a cost of $53.00 per head. I don t need to say any more as we have been a couple of times before and it is always a good night. Don t forget to bring your money along if you want to go as I do need to get this finalized this week. CHRISTMAS IN JULY This was announced at last month s meeting so no surprises with this one but just to remind you it is at the Byford Tavern on July 26 th and will cost you $20.00 per head. We need to finalise numbers at the July Meeting but don t be shy you can make your intentions known at this week s meeting. SOCIAL NIGHT 6

7 This Friday, June 6th my house will be open again to those that want to sit around and talk nonsense, play pool, cards or whatever takes your fancy, well up to a point that is. If you do decide to come my street is closed at the Warton Road end so you will need to come along from the Southern River Road end. Anytime after around 6.00pm will be ok for me. The usual applies, we will eat once we know what everyone wants, that s for the hungry ones amongst us, usually the single ones. You drink what you bring and come and go pretty much whenever you like. Don t forget partners are also more than welcome, this isn t intended to be a boys night out. SATURDAY AFTERNOON TEA For The month of June we will be meeting at the Dome in Kelmscott at the usual time of around 3.00pm. There has been talk of leaving the venue selection to the group that are regularly in attendance which does make sense to me as long as the communications are made in a way that all are informed of the venue at each General Meeting. We can chat about this at the meeting and decide then. That s about it for now as I don t want to repeat myself any more than I have already. Alan ********* FOR SALE************ 2007 HONDA GOLDWING GL1800 ( Luxury ) - Burgandy The best Goldwing made. Heated grips, 6 stacker CD player Low kilometres - Only 24,000 kms 7

8 With many extras: Chrome trim Chrome turn downs Tow Hitch Excellent condition There is no other bike quite like a Goldwing, Phone Don crickd@optusnet.com.au Venue for June Saturday Afternoon Coffee/Tea Kelmscott Dome 2810 Albany Hwy Stargate Shopping Centre Kelmscott Kelmscott WA 6111 Birthday s for June Are: Robyn Johnston, Don Crick, Wayne Carter, Richard Peddel Folks, From Ron Spencer, Fremantle Branch 8

9 It is with a great deal of sadness that I have to let you know that our good friend and fellow Ulyssian Mike Smith passed away suddenly yesterday. Mike was a guiding light for Ulysses in WA and, in particular, Fremantle. He was enormously respected by all who knew him and will be missed. This news will come as a shock to many of you and I regret that you have to hear it via the impersonal nature of but with a group this size I couldn't call everyone. Please support each other at this time and I will share more details in the near future. R.I.P Mike. Ron Spencer President - Fremantle Branch Ulysses Club Inc. M; Hi folks Bruce Prichard has a message for all of us! I just thought about passing this on to you to peruse over. How times have become tougher for us all. The only way things will change is when this kind of translates into voting results at the polls -- as of NOW -- PENSIONERS outnumber ANY OTHER type of voter even by race - religion - or age. WHEN ARE PENSIONERS going to wake up and understand, WE have the power to shape legislation all WE need is the will power to do so-- PLEASE SEND THIS BACK AROUND TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS -- MAYBE THEN THE "GREY REVOLUTION" will begin --- MAYBE! 9

10 POLITICIANS PLEASE PAY ATTENTION! FORWARDING THIS TO EVERYBODY. Entitlement my arse, I paid good money for my Pension and other benefits. Just because they borrowed that money, doesn't make my benefits some kind of charity or hand-out. Gold plated MP pensions and Civil Service Government benefits, aka free healthcare, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, 20 weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days, now that's welfare, and they have the nerve to call me a 'greedy pensioner' and my retirement, an entitlement... scroll down... What the HELL is wrong with us? WAKE UP Australia! Someone please tell me what the HELL is wrong with all the people that run this country? We're "broke" & can't help our own Pensioners, Veterans, Orphans, Homeless etc., but spent 1.2 billion $$$'s for G-20 events! In the last few months we have provided aid to India, Greece and Turkey.. And now Afghanistan, Pakistan... home of bin Laden. Literally, BILLIONS of Dollars Our retirees living on a 'fixed income', receive no aid nor do they get any breaks while our government and religious organisations pour Hundreds of Billions of $$$$'s and tons of food to foreign countries. They call Old Age Security and Healthcare an entitlement even though most of us have been paying for it all our working lives, and now when it s time for us to collect, the government is running out of money. Why did the government borrow from it in the first place? We have hundreds of adoptable children who are shoved aside to make room for the adoption of foreign orphans. AUSTRALIA: a country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed hungry, hospitals being closed, average income families who can't afford dental care, elderly going without 'needed' meds and having to travel 10

11 hundreds of miles for medical care with no reimbursement of cost, vehicles we can't afford fuel for, lack of affordable housing, and mentally ill without treatment - etc., etc. YET... They have a 'benefit' for the people of foreign countries...ships and planes lining up with food, water, tents, clothes, bedding, doctors, and medical supplies. Imagine if the *GOVERNMENT* gave 'US' the same support they give to other countries. Sad isn't it? 99% of people won't have the guts to forward this. I'm one of the 1% -- I Just have. Bruce RIDE CALENDAR June 2014 If you would like to lead a ride please contact our Ride Coordinator, TonyFareso or tsfareso@hotmail.com We meet 8:30am for 9:00am departure on Sundays for an organized ride somewhere. All riders are welcome to join us, be it learner or experienced Please ensure your tank is full. 2nd rider (the one behind the leader) marks the corner until Tail End Charlie arrives. The starting point for our rides is in the Tourist Info Centre Car park in Jull St Armadale (opposite McDonald s). All Rides and Social Events are listed on our website or use this link to jump directly in. Sunday's Ride Report 1/06/ Glenn's Ride to Bouvard June 01,

12 Twelve rider's and two pillions assembled for Glenn's Sunday Ride to Bouvard. It was great to see Neil again without his back brace on, not able to ride yet but well on the way to recovery. Ditto for Keith who hadn't ridden for four and a half months because of a shoulder operation but he was "back on the horse" with the Triumph looking very clean and shiny. The weatherman had advised fine weather for most of the day and as we departed it looked as if he may have got it right. The first part of the ride saw us work our way south staying on the western side of the highway along the "usual suspects" including a run along Corio Road. It was almost like a serenity ride as we gently worked our way into Pinjara and onto the bakery for morning tea. Keith decided to leave us here as he wanted to go easy for his first ride back. On departure the sun was still shining bright with plenty of blue sky as we left Pinjarra and turned off on Nanga Road. Always a good run however for a little while things got dark as we passed the camping grounds (would have been fun in a tent last night!!) with just a few sprinkles of rain. As we started coming down the range into Waroona, the skies cleared once again as we turned west. We crossed the highway and continued west going along an interesting road that Glenn had discovered called Dorsett Road. Before long we were working our way along the inlet enjoying the sunshine and views before pulling into the Bouvard Tavern for lunch. Lunch was served and the portions were generous, to say the least. Again perfect timing by Glenn saw a sudden heavy shower come through during our lunch break which caused rearranging of the seating positions. By the time we had finished lunch the weather had cleared and again the sun was shining as we worked our way back tracing some of our footsteps before heading north on the highway and turning off heading back to Pinjarra. Afternoon tea was at the Settlers Rest where we had our last break before departing home in various directions. Thanks to Glenn for planning the ride, a great combination of a number of well traveled roads strung together to make for a very enjoyable Sunday ride.. Well done Glenn. 12

13 Sunday's Ride Report 25/5/ John's Ride to the Mumby Pub May 25, 2014 The large amount of rain over the past few days and the threatening clouds on the horizon on Sunday morning had taken its toll. As we looked around the carpark preparing for John's review before departure it was clear that only the hard men of Armadale had turned up to do battle with the elements on this Sunday morning. We eight traveled up the South West Highway and while the breeze was a little cool, the sun was shining and blue skies prevailed. This continued all the way up Del Park Road and onto Dwellingup which was our morning tea stop. I needed fuel so went down to the servo and fueled up. On my return to the cafe I was a little surprised that all the "hard men" had decided to sit inside by the fire, somewhat out of character. Someone chimed in that it was easier for the people serving if we were inside! Anyway we were soon on the road and heading out of town but instead of heading out on the Williams Road we were once again on the Del Park Road going towards Perth! Knowing John was leading we all I think felt that he had discovered a new way to get to the Williams Road from this direction. The anticipation was growing as we headed down the road but all of a sudden John had pulled over in a parking area, dismounted and had become very animated. He proceeded to explain that he had suffered a GPS malfunction and had believed that we were heading in the right direction until it finally dawned on him that we were not! So we decided that it was best that we get back onto the South West Highway and make a mile. We continued on until just before Wokelup where we pulled over and John was trying to consult the moon, the stars or the sun but it was raining that hard that he was having little success. After a session of ragging by the "hard men of Armadale" it was decided that we would do the trip in reverse and head up to Brunswick Junction, cut across the Fergusson Valley, Gnomesville and come into Mumbullup the back way! Once we cleared the range and headed down into the valley John had organised some great weather and it was sunshine and blue skies as we parked up outside the Mumby Pub. As we were getting our gear off outside the pub a shout was heard "Get 13

14 your orders in the chef is leaving in 10 minutes"! We scramble into the pub to have a quick squiz at the menu when another shout is heard "we've only got hamburgers"! Needless to say, we ordered eight hamburgers! The hamburgers were great and we washed them down with various drinks and a couple of shots of ragging mostly aimed at John. However, the food was good, the atmosphere of this old pub needs to be experienced to appreciate what a great little spot it is and the fun and frivolity just continued. After lunch we were approached by the publican to sample his home brew (how often does that happen in a pub) but we still had some miles to do so we respectfully declined. He also gave us some directions and wished us well from the verandah as we departed. As we turned left to head for Collie the rain recommenced and basically stayed with us for some time. We fueled at Collie and headed for Mornington Road onto the South West Highway and Pinjarra where John had organised to meet Sally and Tony who had been down south celebrating his birthday. It was great to catch up for afternoon tea and even more fun and frivolity before we headed for home. Thanks to John B for organising a great day and being able to take so much stick from the "hard men of Armadale", well done. Sunday's Ride Report 18/5/ Ray's Ride to Pingelly May 18, 2014 Some overnight rain must have deterred the punters as we only had eleven starters for the ride today. However as we assembled and Ray gave us the customary run down the weather seemed to improve. After hearing that the Pingelly venue wasn't 14

15 available due to a major booking, Ray proceeded with Plan B. It was pleasing to see that Neil and Kim made it to the start to see us off. While still in a back brace, Neil seemed in good spirits and is counting down the days to when the brace can be removed, hopefully later this week. We headed off up to Roleystone, taking the Soldiers Road turnoff and working our way through to the Albany Highway. Then cutting across to the south staying on the eastern side of South West Highway before exiting near Byford and going past Neil's place, we all waved Neil, did you see us? It was during this stage that it started to rain quite hard but we continued on. As T.E.C. our progress was slowed somewhat by John B having to stop and cool his hands in the puddles of water because his heated grips work soooooooo... well!! Before long we were at Jarrahdale and we had a very relaxing morning tea enjoying the company and the weather that had continued to improve. It was here that we lost Boulevard Ray who returned to Perth as we once again made for the Albany Highway and down to Three Ways (North Bannister) for a brief stop. Roadwork a plenty on the Albany Highway slowed our progress but we were soon in the clear and traveling on the Wandering Road through Wandering and onto our lunch stop at Popanyinning. The old caravan lunch stop has had a makeover with a large new shed structure covering the van so you can now enjoy eating out of any inclement weather. Good range of food served by the lovely old couple that also run the store next door. Couple of people had a retro lunch getting into the Chiko Rolls! With lunch completed we worked our way over to Pingelly for a fuel stop before leaving on the North Wandering Road and then onto the Brookton Highway. A last stop along the Brookton for a leg stretch with a decision for final coffee's at Kelmscott Dome. Unfortunately the dark grey and black clouds in front of us grew angrier and sure enough down came the rain. With it still drizzling some of us abandoned the group at the Karragullen turnoff waving goodbye and headed home. Hope the remainder enjoyed their coffee's. Thanks to Ray S for another great Sunday ride. 15

16 Around The World by BMW Michael and Julie s worldwide adventures can be found on this link, ctrl left click to open): Phoenix, Arizona After leaving Big Bend and Texas we headed up into New Mexico where we went from the hot weather of Big Bend, to rain, wind and temperatures down to around 7 on occasions and the nights were colder! We went through some lovely mountain ranges, but on the whole we weren't that taken by New Mexico. Arizona has been something else though. On entering Arizona the first place we came to was Clifton and we arrived at knock off time, so the small town was bedlam and the campground was full, so we had to push on. At the time we didn't know Clifton was a mining town, but we sure did as we left. US191 (Coronado Trail) went through the mine past the processing plant. Clifton it turns out has the biggest copper mine in the US and is amongst the biggest in the world, it employs around 4000 people, it is huge! We camped just out of Clifton on 16

17 191 and the next day rode the remaining 90 miles of tight twisting road and passed over a mountain at 9000ft, it was an awesome road with amazing views and quite a bit of wildlife along it. We were following scenic routes that were on our map, so after staying in a lovely camp on a lake in Show Low we headed down US60 to Phoenix. This highway took us through Salt Water Canyon, our first canyon and it was magnificent. We also passed through Superior on our way out of the mountains and onto the planes. The transformation in the vegetation as we entered the planes was very noticeable and striking. For the first time we saw the Stove Pipe Cactus, those typical cactus they always show to represent the western frontier, they were everywhere and some were huge. The temperature was also going up, by the time we were in Phoenix it hit 41. We were only headed to Phoenix to get some work done on the bike and to see where Jesse Luggage was made, but as it turned out we quite liked Phoenix, well what we saw of it. We stayed in Glendale not far from Jesse. We had arrived on Saturday so I did some maintenance to the bike on Sunday. Monday we headed over to Jesse and met Al Jesse, the man that started it all, he and his staff were very helpful. We had to do some maintenance on our panniers and also replace a bot that had broken on the mount for our Top Box. We didn't expect it, but from the moment we arrived they set work on our bike while Al provided us with pointers on what to see in the states. Then it was across town to Scottsdale where we went to Go AZ Motorcycles to get a new front tyre. This place was huge, they are agents for BMW, KTM, Ducati, Kawasaki, Vespa, Honda and Ural. The service here was great, they even gave the bike a Birthday and washed it! The first time since Hungary. It had been hot the whole time we were in Phoenix but once we started heading northwest it started to cool off. We stopped in at Wickenburg to look at a museum Al had told us about, it was a museum showing how the west grew, very interesting indeed. We continued north into the mountains and the temperature kept dropping as we went higher until we had to stop and put on some warmer gear. We stopped at Jerome, another old mining town which is perched on the side of a very steep hill, the road to it was a great biking road. Jerome is no longer a mining town and has been taken over by artists that show the wears in the old surviving buildings. We stopped that night just short of Flagstaff, it was a bitterly cold night, but we were sheltered from the wind that had battered us all day. The next morning we were shivering as we went into the tourist information in Flagstaff to see what the camping situation was at the Grand Canyon, we had been told that we would be lucky to get in when we asked at another tourist information centre. Here we were 17

18 able to call the campgrounds and found there would be no problems getting in with a tent. While at the info centre we asked about the weather, we thought we might stay at Flagstaff, but both Flagstaff and Grand Canyon Village were forecasting possible snow and a low of -3 C! So we headed to the Grand Canyon, it snowed on the way! When we arrived at the Grand Canyon it was under heavy cloud and some light rain, it was still stunning, the Grand Canyon is truly one of the world s amazing sights! It was bloody cold that night, but the sun was shining when we got up and we spent the day in awe as we walked along the canyon rim and took photos. The Grand Canyon is the most visited site in the US and receives 4.5 million visitors a year and the Americans have done a great job of catering for the massive numbers. From the Grand Canyon we went east into Navajo Nation and spent a few days wondering around looking at amazing landscapes that left us breathless, we also learnt a lot about the Navajo history as we visited museums and spoke to some of the locals selling their incredible handmade works of art at the numerous viewing points at the various canyons. We found Canyon De Shelly (pronounced De Shay) absolutely stunning and in some ways better than the Grand Canyon. Then it was up to Monument Valley where we couldn't justify the fee asked to do the tour around the park. We felt we didn't need to do the tour, all the scenery leading up to the main area and away from it was all equally stunning. The rock formations and colours just can't be described and photos can't do it justice either, we took quite a bit of video at the Grand Canyon and a lot of helmet camera footage in Navajo Nation in the hope of capturing the immensity of the landscape. Next is Utah where we plan on visiting a lot of national parks, but the weather is threatening to hold us up, we were told that Bryce Canyon was closed because of the snow, we also spoke to a man from Utah that said his home had received 40cm of snow. Fingers crossed the weather starts to improve for us. Vernal, Utah 18

19 We entered Utah just north of Page, Page was where we visited Antelope Canyon, the photos where on the Arizona blog. Antelope Canyon was just incredible and stunning, well worth the money we had to pay for our guide. Utah though has also been amazing, our first stop was Zion National Park, here we were treated to massive sandstone mountains that were once sand dunes, absolutely stunning and to see trees growing out of what looks to be solid rock was just incredible. This part of the States has been having cold weather and snow, our next stop was Bryce Canyon, it had been closed when we were at the Grand Canyon because of the snow, so as we made our way north from Zion we were treated to views of snow capped mountains, but we were also treated to the cold. We camped one night on our way to Bryce Canyon, it was minus one when we went to bed at and when we woke in the morning the tent, ground and bike were covered in ice, the milk we left out wasn't thawed until 10am despite being in the sun from sunrise! Bryce Canyon was another delight, amazing colours and formations made in the rocks by time and erosion. To get to Bryce we had to travel US12, a highway reputed to be the most scenic in the US, and it was incredible, it was the ideal bikers road with twists and turns, but it took us through everything from landscapes like Zion to canyons like Bryce, there were times we were riding along a razorback ridge with shear drop offs on each side of the road and no safety barriers, it was incredible. We also called through Capitol Reef National Park and Natural Bridges National Monument on our way east in Utah, then we ducked into Colorado to ride a scenic route through more snow capped mountains on our way north towards Moab where we planned to meet our friend Clyde. Clyde however was already in Moab and found that all the camping was gone, so he met us on route in Colorado and we stayed in a little town called Naturita where we spent some time talking to the old man that owned the park. He told us his life story and showed us some pictures of his car collection and his near new Chrysler Prowler, a 2000 model he bought new, now with 7500 miles on it, Chrysler only built 4500 of them. We had seen one other in Colorado Springs last year. From Naturita we headed north with Clyde to Colorado National Monument and were treated to some brilliant scenery and stunning gorges. We stayed here over night in the hope that Moab would have some room in it by Sunday night, but it didn't. We finished up camping on the Colorado River some 22 miles out of Moab. We then headed into Arches National Park were we were once again treated to natures beauty, stone formations you normally only see in other peoples photos. 19

20 Next was Canyonlands National Park, here the Colorado and Green Rivers converge and each has its own canyon. The views over both canyons were incredible. It's just a pity, like I said about the Grand Canyon that the views are marred by the pollution in the air. We then continued north to Green River where we spent a well-deserved day of rest. We had found a nice campground with everything we needed, including some shelter from the relentless winds we had been battling for nearly a week. Clyde had also come down with a cold and wasn't too healthy. So after a day s rest we left Clyde to recuperate some more while we headed further north and took in another scenic route through Manti-La Sal National Forest. Here we saw more snow than we had seen anywhere and there was still ice on the lakes. We were headed into America's Memorial Long Weekend and everything was booked up, so when we found room at a campground in a place just north of Vernal called Dutch John we grabbed it. Monday of the long weekend we will continue north into Wyoming, we have already booked a couple of days in Yellowstone because we have been told that now the school holidays have started we will have real problems getting into popular tourist places, yay! Club Shop Gear Order through Quartermaster Ulysses Club Armadale Heritage Branch Cloth Patch $8.00 Ulysses Club Armadale Heritage Branch Cap $15.00 Ulysses Club Armadale Heritage Branch Number Plate Trim $

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23 STURGIS RALLY August 2014 Ride a Harley through the National Parks of the US to the famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and visit Bonneville Salt Flats for the annual Speed Week. Packages including Airfares, Accommodation, Harley-Davidson hire and more available. ROUTE 66 Take on the iconic Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles, go it solo or take part in a tour with other riders, the choice is yours. 11/205 Jull Street, Armadale enquiries@travelpractice.com.au 23

24 Volunteers Motorcycle Manufacturers An AGM Event this big to run smoothly Those of you who enjoy test riding new relies on the support of all of us, the bikes will have an absolute ball on the Ulysses Club members. This year we re Wodonga AGM Event! Many asking you to have a look through the manufacturers will be in attendance list before deciding the area in which showing off their wares and making you like to help. them available for you to try. Traders The trade display area for the 2015 AGM Event will offer everything that a trader could wish and a member would want to see! 24

25 Ulysses Club WA Branch Contacts BROOM WEST KIMBERLY BRANCH p: m: e: w: Broome West Kimberley Branch BUNBURY BRANCH m: e: w: Bunbury Branch ESPERANCE BRANCH p: m: e: w: Esperance Branch FREMANTLE BRANCH m: e: w: Fremantle Branch GERALDTON BRANCH p: m: e: w: Geraldton Branch GREAT SOUTHERN BRANCH p: m: e: w: Great Southern Branch JOONDALUP BRANCH m: e: w: Joondalup Branch KALGOORLIE BRANCH m: e: w: Kalgoorlie Branch MANDURAH MURRAY BRANCH p: e: w: Mandurah Murray Branch PERTH BRANCH p: m: e: w: Perth Branch PILBARA BRANCH m: e: w: Pilbara Branch WARNBRO SOUND WANDERERS m: e: w: Warnbro Sound Wanderers Branch 25

26 WA Companies who support The Ulysses Club American Motorcycles, 211 Albany Highway Victoria Park WA 6100 Tel: (08) % Discount on most after market parts and workshop Five Star Yamaha, 54 Rockingham Rd Hamilton Hill WA 6163 Tel: Up to 20% Discount on parts and accessories Honda Country, 59 Dixon Road Rockingham WA 6168 Tel: (08) Special Ulysses price on Application Hoon's Workshop, U5/4 Malcolm St, Maddington WA 6109 Tel: Vince Trailer, Towbars, Bike Modifications & Custom Parts painted or chromed & more... By a Ulyssian for Ulyssians In City Used Motorcycles Pty Ltd, 614 Albany Highway Victoria Park WA 6100 Tel: Special Ulysses discount Kim Britton Kawasaki, 2/91 Dickson Road Rockingham, WA 6168 Tel: Special Ulysses price on Application Mack 1 Motorcycles, 237 Great Eastern Highway Midland WA 6056 Tel: (08) % Discount on access 5% Disc plus free tyre fitting Motorcycles Plus, 126 Kewdale Road, Kewdale WA 6105 Tel: (08) % discount on parts, labour and repairs and tyres Southern Cross Caravan Park, Great Eastern Highway Southern Cross W.A. Tel: (08) Discount to Ulysses members Total Motorcycle Accessories, 1028 Albany Highway East Victoria Park WA Tel: (08) Special Ulysses price on Application Tyres for Bikes, 621 Albany Highway, Victoria Park, WA 6100 Tel: % Discount Witch Cycles Suzuki, 109 Day Rd Rockingham, WA 6168 Tel: (08) % Discount 26