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Over the period of a few days, a few people from PSB (Perth Street Bikes) organised a charity ride to Toodyay for Sun 3rd Jan ‘10. The purpose of the ride was to raise some funds for immediate expenses by those effected by the bushfires on 29th Dec ‘09 which destroyed 37 homes in the Toodyay  area. As Toodyay is a bit of a ‘Mecca’ for motorcylists, the ride was also to show support  by the motorcycle community for the residents of one of WA’s most popular ride venues.

Well, as it turned out being summer, the official Perth (Mt Lawley) temperature hit 39.9 C, which meant pretty everywhere else was tapping 43 – 44 C, and was a damned hot day for a ride. About 50 motorcyclists met up at the Caltex in Stratton for the ride, although several went on ahead in separate smaller groups (as did we).

Some of the bikes gathered at the Caltex Service Station (Stratton, WA) prior to the ride to Toodyay - photo courtesy 'Hammerhead' @ PSB

On arrival in Toodyay, several small fires could be seen still smouldering, and you could smell/taste the smoke & ash in the air. (continue reading…)

What a week it has been. I think the symptoms started the previous Wednesday, but it was only after riding to Midland on Monday that the symptoms of Hay Fever really set in.

I used to suffer from Sinus problems a lot, until I went vegan in ‘94 – the absence of dairy in my system greatly reduced the over production of mucous, and hence virtually eliminated severe sinus attacks. And after quitting smoking in ‘98,  sinus attacks were almost a thing of the past, they were rare and minor.

But this week’s Hay Fever attack reminded me fully of the pain and discomfort from blocked sinuses, a reminder I could’ve done without. I’m over the worst of it now, but am not going for a ride this Sunday as my head is still clogged up, and I would be needing to stop and remove my helmet every 10 minutes or so just to clear my nasal passages.

So instead I’m running a nice hot tub, adding some essential oils to it, and am then going to soak in it for a while – should help clear the head and lungs. I hope to go for a ride during the week, to plan out a ride for the group in a couple of weekends time.

Been a busy week for riding; as is fairly normal in WA, winter gets drawn out, bypassing spring, and goes straight into summer weather.  Technically it’s mid spring;  a week ago it was still cold, jackets and jeans weather, with occasional showers; then overnight, it’s T-shirts  and shorts, sunshine and heat – mid to high 20’s all week, with Friday hitting 37C.

Last Sunday’s ride was only a short one; seems we had only been on the road half an hour and one of the ladies was heading to a notorious corner (regularly gravel on it) a touch fast on her cruiser; so she hit the brakes to wash some speed, but locked the rear end, slid a while, then got high-sided into a gully.  Christine was relatively unhurt, mainly winded and some shock set in when she tried to stand, but otherwise ok. Bike wasn’t too bad, a few bent bits and a dented tank; but apparently the insurance company is writing it off – what is wrong with these companies ? The bike was ridden back to a friends place, and is easily fixable – but they are writing it off ??

Anyhow, a passing nurse took her to hospital for a check-up, and a couple  of people went with them. After the bike was stored and the riders returned, the rest of us continued the ride as far as morning tea stop at Gidgegannup. But as it was almost mid-day by the time we were ready to leave, everyone just decided to head home instead of continuing further afield for lunch – so we only clocked about 120 kms for the day, but at least there were no serious injuries.

Wednesday came and I decided to catch up with a friend I hadn’t seen for almost a year. I headed up to Nev’s place in Bullsbrook and got there late morning. After a while yabbering about this n that, we decided to take advantage of the weather and hit the road. Nev fired up his ZL1000 Kawasaki and we headed to Toodyay via Chittering and Julimar roads. We stopped briefly for lunch, refuelled and headed to Northam via the Northam-Toodyay Rd, and then onto the scenic Katrine Rd which circles around and comes in the back of Northam. (continue reading…)