Page 6 - Exhaust Notes January

Jan 2022 Exhaust Notes - Edition No 309 

Poker and Bingo Ride Report –

Photos and report by The Lens

Well Sunday the 19th of December was our annual end of year, Christmas Bingo/Poker ride. Wasn't it only a couple of
months ago we did it last? No way it`s been 12 months.
Now the day before (the Saturday) was a perfect warm sunny day and the following day (Monday) was pretty good as
well. The Sunday, well, that`s another story. Woke up in the morning to the sound of thunder! Oh great another
brilliant day! (insert sarcasm emoji here!) Well off to Waurn Ponds Maccas car park for our start.

A total of 6 bikes and 4 cars turned up. Mal`s there with the playing and bingo cards, and with a help from Gentle we
do the first Poker and the first Bingo draw. So just after 9.30 we head off out through Ceres, over to the Hamilton Hwy
out through Murgheboluc, chuck a "rightie" (righty?) and over to the Bannockburn/Shelford Rd. A left and then a right
and motor into Lethbridge for our second card/bingo pull. Six bikes and 3 cars.
Tried to convince the 4 wheelers to drive with the windows down but they were having none of that. (insert a stunned
emoji here). Now with our Bingo Ride it is traditionally only a shorty because of the number of stops and the finish
being our traditional barbie (lunch) so our route is fairly close to home. Hence we travel on familiar and well travel
roads.
Check the photo of our group hiding/sheltering on the front porch of the Lethbridge Hall. Well one of our participants,
standing there, surveying the scenery, states "I`ve never been into/through Lethbridge before." (Note the Midland Hwy
does not go through the "center" of the town) Well for someone, it was a new road travelled. Up until now the rain had
been very light. Didn`t need to wipe the visor or ride with the visor cracked open. I noted east of Lethbridge, even
though we were riding/driving in light rain the road was completely dry. They had not received, or they had very little
rain before we passed through. Anyways, over through Maude and down the big hill and a right turn onto the Anakie
Rd. and a leftie (lefty?) over to the Bacchus Rd. Down over the Ring Rd and a lefty onto Plantation Rd, over the Melb/
Geelong Hwy. into School Rd and down to the Geelong Grammar School.
We do the QR check in at the boom gate. (check out photo)
Now it should be noted that Gentle had done a lot of work to secure us undercover facilities in the Grammar School
Equestrian complex. Even the chuck wagon was under cover, and the bikes had individual stalls for parking. We even
had restraints so that the bikes would not escape. (check the photos) Now at this stage we are half way through our ride
with the first visit to the Chuck Wagon (for smoko). Actually it was two thirds of the the total distance, us having
travelled 80k`s of a total of 118 k.

Now we did another card/ball pull, and grabbed a cupper and enjoyed Diane`s famous cup cakes/biscuits and/or a
hand full of "nuts and bolts". Check out recipes elsewhere on our website, come newspaper. There to join us was of
course Gentle (he towed the Chuckwagon out there and of course did the shopping on the way.) Richard who is always
around to give a hand, and John and Lauri who drove directly from the start to the Grammar School. My wife Diane
was also there with her munchies.
Anyways, a few were looking at the weather on their phones and shaking there head. "Oo" this don`t look real good. A
smidgeon of rain is a coming. What to do? Anyways it was decided to stay put and finish the ride at this point. So
morning smoko and lunch all blended into one, and the rest of the cards/balls were pulled.
Now the winners of the loot! For first place a $150 voucher for each of the Bingo and Poker was supplied by the
Motorcycle Shed, with second and third place in both received some folding cash. Now if anyone needs to
supplement their income, the following people could be approached for a loan, "coz" guess what, "they is all cashed
up".

Bingo- 1st- Pat.
2nd- Leigh
3rd- Amanda

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