We belong to the Southern Cruisers Riding Club, Chapter #446 Brockville, and our supported charity is the local Animal Shelter's Cash For Critters Poker Run. Every year they host this event to raise funds that help offset the costs of caring for all the little puppies and kittens. This year's entrance fee was $20 per bike and a donation of food or other pet related items, so we bought a bag of dog food and a bag of cat food and headed into Brockville to make the 9:30am launch time.

It was a hot and sunny day and there were 65 bikes in attendance. There were members from the Brockville and Ottawa SCRC chapters as well as many independent riders. We saw some familiar faces in the crowd and spent some time chatting and catching up on news. We hooked up with our good friends Harold and Bonita and decided to tag along with them; they know all the best roads in the area and we always enjoy riding with them.

There was a nice mix of cruisers, touring, sport and dual purpose bikes in the parking lot and we checked out a few of them leaving. This bike really stood out in the crowd, I don't think I've ever seen a Taz that big before. The rider said it made for an excellent backrest.

 We had waited for a few large groups to depart first and get far enough ahead so that we wouldn't run into them before any of the checkpoints. The first leg of the route was through some nice backcountry roads and the four of us settled into a relaxing pace. About 10km before the checkpoint we caught up to a group of SCRC riders and we were an 11-bike parade rolling into the town of Kemptville.

We joined the crowd and mingled, found some more old friends to talk to, looked at more bikes and generally just wandered about enjoying the camaraderie. Harold decided to take us on a different route to the next checkpoint, as most of the riders were travelling in large groups and we didn't want to catch up to one or have one tagging along behind us. The smaller the riding group, the better the ride.

We had noticed this rig ahead as we rolled into Kemptville and I had a chat with the owners before we left. The trike is actually a bolt-on kit from the US that retains the stock rear wheel and compliments it with two outboard ones with their own suspension. Pretty neat setup! This pic was taken when they caught up with us at the next checkpoint...

...which, much to Angie's delight, was the Hershey Chocolate Factory in Smiths Falls. I used to work there, so it wasn't near as much an exciting time for me as it was for her - and every other female in the parking lot. So I decided to stay and watch the bikes while everyone else went to visit the factory store.

 Most poker runs have you draw a card at each checkpoint, with the best hand winning at the end of the ride. This event had you roll 5 dice at each stop; the total was then recorded on your scoresheet and the winner being the one with the highest total score at the finish. I thought this was a really neat way to do it and it sure kept the lineups to a minimum. Here's Bonita getting her total recorded, just before she disappeared with Angie into the chocolate shop.

 Angie returned with a bag full of goodies and a happy face, but that smile disappeared when she accidentally tossed her newly purchased Hershey lapel pin into the trash with a candy wrapper. She began a frantic search for it, much to the amusement of all the other riders and tourists in the parking lot.

 I slunk behind our bikes and pretended not to know her, but Harold - ever the gentleman - got right in there to help. The search was abruptly called off when they uncovered a used diaper, though.

The next stop was in Westport and Harold led us to this nice shady spot out of the heat. We inhaled some ice cream and bottled water in an attempt to cool off while we watched several bikes come and go from the checkpoint. We met up with Dot (aka: Old Biker Hen) from our SCRC chapter who told us that a lot of the riders were heading down the street to a tavern for lunch. She invited us along, but we decided to keep going so we could have more time to relax in the shade at the finish point.

 We almost missed the next checkpoint in the town of Athens; we pulled off into the parking lot as per the directions but it was empty. We circled around a bit and parked on the opposite side of the road to recheck the map; it was then that Bonita noticed the checkpoint lady sitting in the shade in front of the gas station. We wandered across, rolled the dice, came back, drank some more water and headed back out to the final checkpoint. Angie was getting a headache and I was starting to feel a bit off myself, so Harold took us to the end point by the shortest route.

Imagine our surprise when, almost five hours after leaving the start point, we arrived at the finish.... and discovered we were the only bikes in the parking lot. WTF??!! I rode over to the checkpoint and one of the ladies told me that a lot of bikes had arrived before us but had left to get some ice cream after their final dice roll. The rest of the participants were apparently still in Westport at lunch. Hmm.

We wandered over and killed time looking at all the prizes and hiding in the shade of the entrance of the Brockville Memorial Center. They had a good selection from their many generous sponsors but by now we were so tired and worn out from the heat that we decided not to wait another hour or more for the awards. They fired up the BBQ's and we decided to wait for our burgers and hot dogs first before heading home.

By now the bikes were finally starting to roll in. This choice Shovelhead caught my eye; it was very nicely done and well taken care of. I was pleased to see the lower part of the front pipe was ground away; this guy obviously rode it hard and was not afraid of corners. It's always nice to see a bike getting used instead of just sitting there like garage jewelry.

We chatted amongst the crowd for awhile and then decided to call it a day. Harold and Bonita made a tempting offer of grilled steaks at their house but Angie was really feeling the heat and we both needed to get back into the air conditioned comfort of our home.

 We said our good byes and went back to the bikes for the trip home. Despite the heat it had been a great day - good friends, good roads, and a good ride for a good cause. Even Norbert my navigator ducky seemed to have had a good time... or maybe the intense heat had just wilted his beak into something I mistook as a satisfied smirk...?