Page 14 - Exhaust Notes January 2024

January 2024 Exhaust Notes - Edition No 333 
Poker Run December 17th 2024
Title Ride Report Header

Organised and Report by The Lens
Report Photos
Pictures - The Lens, James etc

The Chinese
Spirits got to this Photo

After many weeks negotiating with the Spirit of Tasmania shipping line, I was able to facilitate the arrival of the Tasma-
nian Ferry to coincide with our arrival at the Moorpanyal Park. This was our 2nd stop (3rd card draw). So a little enter-
tainment watching the ship motor down Corio Bay and dock at Corio Quay was hopefully enjoy by all. You may say it
was a coincident, but would I fib to you?
Well the weather Gods behaved themselves this day, with perfect riding weather. We won the lottery on that one!
It was a 9.30 planned start from the Corio Road House, but was closer to 10 before we actually hit the road with Mel and
Gentle completing the paper work associated with our Poker Run. I did it a little differently this year with our first card
draw at the start point and having 4 additional stop/card draw points before arriving at our destination. That allowed us
to miss a later draw if we were running short of time or if running early we could kill a bit of time before arriving at our
final destination point. 12.30pm was our booked arrival time at the Lara Sports Club. Didn`t want to be rude and arrive
too early or more so too late. We also elected to include the Joker and anyone wishing to enhance their hand was able to
purchase an addition card at the end. This was untaken at the final destination.
"Anyways" we head out from the CRH and skim along the edge of Lara (Heales Rd) over into Lovely Banks with our sec-
ond card draw (first stop) at the Abe Woods Reserve, next to the Lovely Banks CFA Fire Station. Rudi was getting a bit
worried, because he was very familiar with the area and he was aware the bitumen finished at the end of Edgerton Rd.
and that I wasn`t going to navigate some gravel roads. Anyway we stop at the park, flip the cards and back track, and
start heading south with a right and a left down the Bluestone Bridge Rd. under the Bluestone Bridge!!!!! Into the Bell
Post Hill area, and zig zag our way over through Norlane (past the old Ford site) onto The Esplanade in North Shore to
our 2nd stop (3rd card draw) at the Moorpanyal Park, over looking Corio Quay. (Hey! Get a load of the big red ship)
Oop`s I think I`ve already mentioned that. Anyway, admire the scenery, do our third card pull and start heading north.
Past the Lascelles Wharf, where they are unloading and storing the windmill generators. We sip past the Shell Refinery
and The Grammar School and up through the edge of Lara, eventually hitting the Old Melbourne Rd, and head up into
Little River. Stopped at the Little River Reserve for our third stop, 4th card pull. All`s well and off we head over to the
famous You Yangs. Up the big hill to the top carpark and we did our last card draw. Great views. I heard a statement
from one of our fellow riders, "I have never been through Little River and I have never been up the You Yangs" New and
exciting places/experience`s for some. Time to go, and it`s 12.15 and it`s a 15min ride to our destination for our

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