Started with a lovely cup of tea at "Simply Cottage Tea House" again. You can't get better. Then I rode 284km.
First stop was Bullsbrook. I rode straight through -- nothing to see here. Didn't even slow down, lest some of the locals tried to grab me and get their hands on "this here youngun's fancy bike and his shiny ipod". I thought about stopping to urinate. I didn't need to go, but, at least if I stop to urinate I feel like I've "been" to a place. I'm not saying "Bullsbrook isn't even worth pissing on", but... Well, maybe I am saying that.
Then on through some twisty roads, ending up in Toodyay. Great roads. Too bad my bike wouldn't break 120kph, or 130kph downhill. Oh well, only 11 more months until I get a real bike.
In Toodyay I stopped at the Coca-Cola Cafe. I call it "The Old Triple C", or "Trip-C" for short. Not a bad little place. All sorts of riders stop in Toodyay on a Sunday, and there is always plenty of bikes to look at and riders to talk to. I said hello to some of the PSB guys who were on their country ride.
Paid $8 for a coffee which was cold, and a shortbread which was actually pretty good.
Then back on the road for the stretch to Northam. On the way out of Toodyay, I passed the ultimate badass. This guy was riding a massive chopper, with an open-faced helmet. He had a massive grey beard and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth! I don't care who you are, that's hardcore. I laughed. He was kind of trying too hard. Don't tell me he couldn't have waited a few more seconds to finish his smoke before riding off.
Northam was like riding into a ghost town. You ever see the movie "The Quick and the Dead"? They could have filmed it in Northam. Nothing but closed storefronts and cafes. How are you going to attract tourists when all the cafe's are closed on a Sunday afternoon? So I rolled in to the Visitor's Centre to see what was up. The old lady in there nearly had a heartattack when I walked through the door. I guess they don't get too many visitors these days. She directed me to a pub called ... "Fitzgerald Hotel" I think. This place was strange.
I walked in and the pub was completely empty except for 4 old boys who looked like they'd been sitting in the same spot for the last 60 years. They stopped talking when I walked in. You could cut the tension with a knife as I walked up to the bar. My riding pants made an awkward "swishing" noise as I moved. I put my helmet on the bar and ordered some food and a cider. I went for the "sesame-covered salt-and-pepper calamari with fried rice, salad and sweet chilli sauce". Pretty strange meal. But it tasted good!
Every 2 minutes, a vehicle would trundle along the main street, past the tavern. There were only 2 types of vehicles - beat up Toyota Hilux's with old men driving, and souped-up Commodore utes with young men driving. Brilliant. The only females I saw were walking along the main street. God only knows where they were going. Nothing, and I mean nothing, was open, except for about 4 pubs. All the women were overweight too. Weird little town.
Some cops rolled past as I was starting up my bike. We exchanged nods. Nice and relaxed, those country cops. God bless them. If I nodded at some cops in the Perth CBD, they'd screech to a halt and jump out, weapons drawn, screaming "LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS YOU FILTHY SCUM!! WHY DID YOU NOD AT US??"
Then the final leg, heading south and then hooking back in west to end up at "Simply Country Cottage Tea House of Simplicity" or whatever it's called. Another delicious cup of tea and a scone! Again with the two attractive young girls working there. I've decided they're way too young and by even thinking about chatting to them, I'm making myself a dirty old man. So I read a book on my iPod.
Then it was back home, via Whiteman Park. Great roads in Whiteman Park. Well they would be great, if you weren't constantly stuck behind Toyota van's with 6 kids in them, the driver taking the turns at about 20kph.
Now, one thing I tried for the first time today is my "neck warmer". Lovely! Stops a lot of the wind and noise, and keeps that neck toasty-roasty warm! Plus, when you first pull it on, you can leave it covering your mouth and nose and you feel like a Harley rider. It's awesome.
I was running with the full kit today, so every time I got back on the bike, it took about 3 minutes to gear up. iPod in my ears, zip up the jacket over the wire, put on my high-vis vest, put on my backpack and tighten the straps, sit on the bike, glasses off, neck warmer on (look around, feeling like a hard bastard), helmet on, do up the helmet being careful not to pull the earplugs out, glasses back on, flip down the tinted visor, both gloves on, zip up the wrists of the jacket, start the bike - BAM! Show time. Good job I was in no hurry.
Oh yeah, and I got most of my nods returned. And I even got somebody who nodded at me first! I think that's the first time. I told you I would get the nods back in fashion. I'm taking full responsibility for this return of nodding. Call me "The Lord of the Nod".
-Gray, Lord of the Nod
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