Flowerdale Pub (Pillion Ride) Saturday 28^th June, 2008

Trevor Harris (leader)	Yamaha XJ900	Mark Rigsby	Suzuki GSXR1000
Ben and Julie Warden	Honda CBR954	Lyn Duncan	Honda XLV650
Peter Feistl/Kate Stewart	Honda CBR1100XX	Peter Hill	KTM 950
Ian and Sherry Handforth (rear)	Honda XLV1000	Greg Trainor	Triumph 955i
Rudy Heyting (1^st ride)	Yamaha XV250		9 bikes, 12 people

Saturday’s Pillion ride was expected to be the usual quiet, casual ride with Trevor leading and obviously pillions, learners and 250cc P-plate amigos. The emphasis on cruising, dining and laughter.

Today’s first stage was from Yarra Glen to Yea. The route was initially the Old Healesville-Yarra Glen road, and home to Kate’s brother’s farm. I’m sure Kate was egging me to go faster, but a slow rider ahead had me cautious. Unknowingly, in a flash, I had just passed Trevor, the lead rider, and immediately caught his wrath and was given “scribe duties” as penance. At Healesville we turned left up Chum Creek road to Toolangi.

Wanting to turn right onto the Melba Highway, we waited patiently, maybe in admiration of a small entourage of Morgan cars travelling in convoy. The head of the fleet was the newest of the cars and perhaps Morgan’s ugliest or most noticeable – the MORGAN AERO 8 4.4 The car has headlights that are rather cross-eyed but at a cool $234,000, giving way was not an option.

A short blast down the Melba to Glenburn, then via the “Break O’Day” road to Junction Hill and Yea. Coffee and cakes were enjoyed. Strolling back to the bikes I noticed a new red CBR1000 parked in good company. Ben scoffs as he still has a spare engine for his bike – no need to upgrade yet!

Stage 2 commences and we head for Flowerdale for lunch. We take the Goulburn Valley Highway and cruise ‘riverside’ for a while before turning off at Trawool and head towards Tallarook. Now paralleling the freeway, we arrive at Broadford. Mark is heading home and exits quickly, with the rest of the group making a beeline for the Strath Creek road and onto Flowerdale. Nothing too difficult, the ride easily catering for pillions and novices.

Arriving at the pub, Trevor, our lead rider, is standing on the side of the road directing traffic down the service road to the carpark.

We are joined at the pub by Lyn’s sister Sharon and partner Trevor and other friends Rob and Fiona. The bike boys and novices are talking to Ben who relates his ‘trip north’ story on a dirt bike and gets stuck in the mangrove mud with tide coming in and crocodiles etc etc.

Meanwhile the conversation at the other end of the table with Kate and Julie was less petrol-headed and could have done with a joke or two. I can’t remember what the conversation was about but do recall thinking about the story of the Lawn Chair Larry but struggled with the details, so couldn’t contribute to the discussions. However, being the scribe for the ride and now being in front of my laptop, I was able to exercise my research muscle and recall the story:

Larry's boyhood dream was to fly. But fate had conspired to keep him from his dream. He joined the Air Force, but his poor eyesight disqualified him from the job of pilot. After he was discharged from the military, he sat in his backyard watching jets fly overhead.

One day, he came up with a brilliant idea - weather balloons! So out he went and purchased 45 weather balloons from an Army-Navy surplus store, tied them to his tethered chair dubbed ‘Inspiration 1’, and filled the 4 foot diameter balloons with helium. Then he strapped himself into his chair with some sandwiches, a six-pack of beer, and a pellet gun. He figured he would pop a few of the many balloons when it was time to descend.

Inspiration 1 was tethered to his ute and Larry's plan was to cut the rope and lazily float up to a height of about 30 feet above his back yard, where he would enjoy a few hours of flight before coming back down. But things didn't work out quite as Larry planned.

When his friends cut the rope tied to his ute, he did not float lazily up to 30 feet. Instead, he streaked into the LA sky as if shot from a cannon, pulled by the lift of 42 helium balloons holding 33 cubic feet of helium each. He didn't level off at 100 feet, nor did he level off at 1000 feet. After climbing and climbing, he levelled off at 16,000 feet.

At that height he felt he couldn't risk shooting any of the balloons, lest he unbalance the load and really find himself in trouble. So he stayed there, drifting cold and frightened with his beer and sandwiches, for more than 14 hours. He crossed the primary approach corridor of LAX, where Trans World Airlines and Delta Airlines pilots radioed in reports of the strange sight.

Eventually he gathered the nerve to shoot a few balloons, and slowly descended. The hanging tethers tangled and caught in a power line, blacking out a Long Beach neighbourhood for 20 minutes. Larry climbed to safety, where he was arrested by waiting members of the LAPD. As he was led away in handcuffs, a reporter dispatched to cover the daring rescue asked him why he had done it. Larry replied nonchalantly, "A man can't just sit around."

The Federal Aviation Administration was not amused. Safety Inspector Neal Savoy said, "We know he broke some part of the Federal Aviation Act, and as soon as we decide which part it is, a charge will be filed."

Anyway, I’m glad I remembered the story because lunch took a long time to be served, and I needed something to fill in the article. Despite the Flowerdale pub being famous for Chicken Parma in 2004, sales haven’t been too good lately, so the pub has now been sold. Let’s hope the new owners can provide quick service.

The ride resumed at around 3 o’clock but due to the late hour, most people were heading for home. Kate and I followed Lyn and Peter as we headed for Nunawading via Kinglake, St. Andrews and Kangaroo Ground. Kate was concerned that I would run out of fuel as there are not too many petrol stations in the hills. The sedate nature of the ride meant that even with pillion, the CBR1100XX managed 280 kilometres from Yarra Glen to Vermont South on 20 litres of fuel. I still had 2 litres in reserve.

Thanks to Trevor for leading the ride and apologies for those who did not get a mention! Feel free to get your name in print by volunteering to be the next ride’s scribe!

Peter Feistl