The night before - Monday 31st March 2008

PERTH TO ALBANY

Well all of us met at 7.15 am at Trenchys Gym and the heavens had opened leaving no one in doubt that we would have a wet trip down.

The bus was packed, the vans wired up for wireless contact, bikes wrapped in bubble wrap, bags stowed, hot coffees in hand and we were ready for take off at 8 am.

For Jenny and Cara from Youth Focus, picking up the lunches from Delish, stopping in Welshpool for some equipment and then meeting a very double wide load enroute with police escort for the first stop in Williams. This meant we were running behind the RFY vehicles and the bus. When we pulled up at Williams the boys and gals were all cold and ready for some solid food so we were welcomed with open arms.

As we were the forerunners to Albany, we continued on after lunch only to receive a call from Micky G, the Event Director, to say the bus had lost a wheel - which I might add Cara thought she had heard incorrectly.   However, our instruction was to go on to the motel, keys into the doors, set up the restaurant and help the Support Team with unpacking etc when they arrived in the vans..    

All was well although apparently, rather amusing, as the wheel fell off the back of the doubles of the bus, passed the bus, hit it and then veered across the road to a local dam - if only we had caught it all on video!!!

With some quick thinking two school buses from Kojonup came to our rescue and transported our riders and their luggage to Albany - an absolutely wonderful community backup in our hour of need and quick thinking by people. The poor bus driver has to wait for assistance but our show had to get on the road, bad weather, bus wheels or whatever.

Some of our Board Directors were flying down by helicopter to join the Ride for dinner and that has been abandoned for weather and safety reasons.   However, never give up and with "Fangio" Rasmussen behind the wheel they are due in for dinner shortly.

Cara and I are battling the usual IT issues and the laptop doesn't want to work, so I am presently in the motel office to get this first episode off to all of you at home. More tomorrow, hopefully not dramatic.

Everyone is excited and a little nervous, pray for us to have good weather for the first time in 6 years for what promises to be yet another 5 days filled with fun, laughter and a great sense of achievement in promorting mental health awareness amongst our youth as we wind our way back to Perth via 7 schools and many kilometers of blacktop!!!

Au revoir until tomorrow night.

Jenny