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POSSE RIDE 2010
Saturday 27th March dawned misty but with a promise of sunshine ahead. A great day for a ride, particularly since the gorgeous husband of your truly had been polishing the bike in anticipation for the last three days (sigh!).
This was our first Posse Ride and we were excited (Blackhog is the best reference ever). We pulled into Seaside at 5 minutes to nine and could only see one bike. “Gosh, have I got the day wrong again” was my first reaction seeing as how I’ve already done that twice in my short time as a member, but then I saw that Blackhog and Cathy were there and so was Mike so I breathed a sigh of relief. Bikes began rolling in over the next half an hour and filling up the parking spots, I think we had 24 participants in all. It was great to see some very new members along (well done John and Marie-Lu and Darren).
Paperwork out of the road and the coffee consumed, we headed south at 10.30am. Gotta love that rumble out of the lights first up. First stop was for fuel at Grafton we all thought it was going to be the BP, but our road captain for the day took us to Caltex further down the road (Caltex/BP sounds the same I guess?) Not that it mattered, the coffee had worked through and any pit stop was desired, though some it seemed preferred more coffee and a meat pie. It was just out front of the loos that I met up with a random called Laurence (the local?) who bummed a light off me and wanted to talk (mine was mostly talk about crossing my legs!), I palmed off to the gorgeous husband and made the dash with relief all round. Alas L the L was still talking it up when I got out – old Laurie might even be in a few of the photos that were being snapped off. Time to go, surely.
With a Left/Right/Left/Right we’re heading to Glenreagh Pub for lunch. Gorgeous husband & I had not been down that road together so we were rubber necking the scenery and didn’t miss the only decent pot hole in the road (sigh again!). We pulled into the Golden Dog (not that I could see one!) happy to have a stretch. Even though we had rung ahead and warned the pub we were coming to eat they seemed a bit flustered by the onslaught, but we all got fed what we ordered in the end and it was a good feed with a drink or two.
Next stop Coffs Harbour for fuel (short and sweet). The view from Red Hill down into Coffs was fabulous. We rode on to Macksville for a drink stop at The Star Hotel, well that’s what I thought (I love being pillion, you can drink so much more) but apparently we were waiting for Shippa and Katrina. That pair were not there and didn’t answer the phone. We all thought something was up (sigh for the 3rd time) and opted to ride on to Taylors Arm and let them catch up later.
The run into Taylors was scenic to say the least, all those little valleys that opened up when you weren’t expecting them. I reckon Ron did a great job guiding us there as the signs were a bit dodgy getting out of Macksville if you hadn’t been on the Posse Ride before. We finally pulled into The Pub With No Beer, Wassa played gate keeper, having arrived earlier from down south and I’m sure no one was more pleased than John Rose (Marie-Lu) to park his bike as it was the longest ride They have done so far, Well Done Johno. Finally Shippa arrives with Kat in tow.
A quick squiz around the pub, an even quicker drink, paid for the room and in for a quick shower so as not to miss any of the action. I made it back to the Pub veranda just in time for the raffles. Thanks to Neil we had a great ladies only prize (won by Chris) and thanks to Seaside Motorcycles we had a great Harley Pack as a prize too, along with the bottles of plonk and coolers in addition to the Posse Cup & Trophy. Quite a few of us got something. Ron gets the prize for not getting my joke – many others found it funny though so it’s cool buddy, your forgiven.
I have to thank Blackhog for drawing out my number to take the trophy home. I couldn’t believe my luck (though the gorgeous husband suspects I swapped my number with his!). Some serious drinking now required on my part (felt I had to make up for the lack of alcohol in the mug last year) was interrupted by a smorgasboard dinner (thanks Chris that was good advice) before the band started up. The Wilson River Band didn’t know much country, (that so did not matter later on) but they were still playing good music from the word go. I even got a table dance in late in the night to ‘Eagle Rock’, see the webpage as there is bound to be photos (Sigh #4!).
Thanks heaps to the girls, especially Cathy, for looking out for me all night, (though I had my doubts as to her suitability when she fell over on the dance floor). We all think the local Little Jimmy liked her dancing style. The Pub closed at midnight and my gorgeous husband bought me the last drink, I’m pretty sure it was number eleven double bourbon and coke. Thanks so much to all the wonderful members who happily filled my glass all night – I thought I would remember you all, but alas I have failed!
We all moved back to the bunkhouse where Kaz was up for a chat through the louvers at around 1am, and Simon was unfazed at the possibility of receiving a ‘cowabunga’ shortly after (if I had managed to get all the louvers out so I could fit through the window as there was no way Kaz was opening the door! – guess he knew he was safe). The jokes were getting worse and worse and bodies were toddling off to bed at an alarming rate by 2am so Blackhog, Neil and I called it a night.
The sun was up at 8am when I woke up on Sunday, but thankfully our back room didn’t let a lot in. After some Panadol, Visine and lots of water I greeted the day feeling much better than I had expected and trooped up to the pub for breakfast. By 9.30 we were all ready to get going, but we had to have the usual photo shoot at the log (thanks ever Neil) we must have been an impressive bunch as the pushbike riders stopped to take our picture too, this time with Neil in it (she also wanted “one more” – must be a photographer saying!).
Time to get on the road, a brief stop for fuel and coffee (I opted for the mango smoothie) at Coffs and on up the highway to Ulmara for lunch. We said bye to Shippa & Kat at Bellingen turn off, and Kaz & Simon were lucky enough o have the gorgeous husband and I for a trip up the Summerland Way from Grafton to get home and I assume everyone else made it home safely after a fun weekend.
Roll on Posse Ride 2011.
Ali
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