Sandy Supposes....

May 8th Perth By Bike

I must admit I was a wee bit leery about today's virtual tour. Even pretending to balance atop a bicycle never mind pedal it seems daunting. I have difficulty staying seated upon my computer chair and my poor battered toes bear the bruises of my faltering efforts. In real life I have avoided wheeling about a la cycle since at sixteen a car ended my forays. One vehicle crashed into me and I then began driving another. My son tells everyone he has never witnessed me riding a bicycle and therefore, he believes I cannot. What is that expression? It's like riding a bike. What is? Wobbling? Weaving? Balancing?

I am relatively well-balanced. I clutch a cookie in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. What could go wrong? I'll be pretending.

The first thing I noticed was that the bike tour seemed to have the name of a travelling stage show: The Beauty of Perth by Bike: Private Tour. As long as there will not be a world tour, I'm in. I also chose to skip the head armour. When I could call myself a cyclist I never wore a helmet preferring to feel the wind in my hair. This is Perth on a glorious, sunny day. I did wish I had a t-shirt emblazoned with Pedal Power, or Petal Power since I oohed and ahhed over so many gorgeous blooms at Kings Park.

The second oddity that struck my curiosity was that this tour was touted for 1 to 99 year-olds. So, do many infants and advanced seniors opt to pedal around Perth? Is this an Aussie thing ? If so, colour me impressed.

The third thing I remarked upon was the billing of this being a carbon neutral activity. I cannot speak to the other easy riders, but I was emitting/expelling something, probably not carbon, but some gases. Carbon dioxide for one streamed from my efforts.

Kings Park is humongous, but I was relieved that I did not find it necessary to shout Look Out! constantly. The pedestrians gave me a wide berth. I did find it exhausting to swivel my head in order to take in the lovely scenery.

Everything is so lush and green. The flowers were vibrant with every hue possible. So much of the flora is unique to Australia . One bloom had the name kangaroo paw. Huh. Here in Canada I doubt we have a polar bear paw, or moose hoof flower.

I stared mouth agape at the gigantic Boab tree. To me it resembled a bulbous root vegetable on steroids with large limbs. I could see it as a turnip turned tree.

This bike tour lived up to its hype. Perth is beautiful.