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Saturday, October 22, 2011

Moto Picnic

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Last Sunday was the first annual family picnic for our local riders forum. Over a month ago a forum member suggested a date and a meeting place and we ran with it. Luckily the forecast was for sunny skies.

It was a potluck picnic and the items we chose to bring couldn't be made up the night before or they wouldn't have tasted as good. So, Sunday morning I was up at 7 am and had a quick cup of coffee, surfed the interweb a bit and made 2 dozen pumpkins scones. While they were cooling I washed my hair, put on my make up and got dressed. Then I made the entree: Peanut Sesame Pasta Salad. I nice mixture of farfalle pasta, fresh crunchy veggies and a creamy sauce made with all natural peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and some other spicy things. Troubadour was great and helped me get the salad ready as well as load up both bikes.

I had just enough time to get my gear on and we were out the door riding in the chilly morning air. Hooray, heated grips.


We had about a 15 mile ride down to Bellfountain to Bellfountain Park for the picnic. Bellfountain Park contains one of the longest picnic tables in the world. The covered picnic table is 85 feet long and was milled from one continuous piece of wood. The park dates back to 1851 and has seating for over 100 at the table.
We stopped at a major intersection about a mile from the park for Troubadour to hang signs for those that didn't know where to go.


People mentioned that they'd almost missed the turn, but not one person that we asked actually saw the signs that he posted. Troubadour gets an 'A' for effort though.

A few people were already there when we arrived and we began putting out table cloths and food and utensils and plates.

The charcoal was lit for the burgers, hot dogs and jerk chicken that folks had contributed.


Josh tended to the burgers.


More people arrived. Some on their bikes and others in the car with their families and/or dogs.

All the food was spread out buffet style. People filled up their plates.......


And then sat down along the picnic table to eat and visit.



(View from one end of table)


(View from the other end of table)


(I think the boxer just wanted a better view)




While everyone was visiting and with my belly full, I got up and wandered towards the buffet to see if I could get some food pictures.

(Peanut Sesame Pasta Salad)


(Ramen Noodle & Cabbage Salad)


(Bean Salad)


(Broccoli Salad)


(Jerk Chicken)


(Key Lime Pie)

Troubadour realized the sun had come out, but because of the tall trees we needed to move into the field to enjoy it.


Eventually most people gravitated towards the sun and we visited for a few more hours.

We talked....





And watched the kids play 'gimme back my purse"..... followed by 'gimme back my cell phone'....



And the dogs were playful too.....



Of course, I had to take some pictures of the motorcycles....





And one really cool souped up Mini Cooper.



Everyone reported that they had a great time. Not only do we want to make this an annual fall event, but are also thinking of having one in the spring to kick off the riding season and hope that those that couldn't attend this one might be able to make it next time.

- Au Revoir

"Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you." ~ Annie Dillard

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8 comments:

  1. Trobairitz:

    you still had a good turnout. mmmmmmm, keylime pie.

    just a thought, instead of a small sign which no one can read or see, How about a simple yellow ribbon fluttering in the wind, attached to the stop sign, sort of what you use when you go hiking to mark the trail back.

    good weather is a bonus this time of year

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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  2. This is a wonderful idea for riders to meet and mingle. Quite different, and the food looks awesome. Glad the weather played along.

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  3. Man how cool is that table! Food looked awesome, you succeded in making me hungry. Looed like a bloody great day out.

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  4. A great reason for a picnic and it looks like there was a pretty good turnout. The peanut sesame pasta salad sounded good enough for me to Google it for dinner tomorrow. That table really does look impressive, a single plank, no joints or warping.

    Now I'm hungry...

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  5. I just noticed the the sidecar is on the left side of the bike instead of the right. What kind of bike is it?

    Richard

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  6. I hope I find a community of riders that I can become part of. This looked like you had such a nice time. Love seeing the bikes, the bike with the sidecar is beautiful. The food looked fabulous, it seems food has a lot to do with biking. Meeting up and going for coffee & goodies or a meal. I think I am going to enjoy motorcycling.

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  7. It always makes me snigger " jerk " chicken....what is it exactly?

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  8. @Bobskoot - it was a good turnout. Unfortunately a ribbon fluttering at an intersection wouldn't tell people which way they needed to turn, which is why he went with an arrow. Who knew people wouldn't look at the stop sign.

    @Sonja - We were very lucky the weather played along. And we were happy with the turnout. Several people had prior engagements otherwise it would have been a larger crowd.

    @Raftnn - We do what we can to make others hungry, lol.

    @Richard - It was a good excuse for a picnic and a ride. A warning to anyone else who googles the recipe - email me and I'll give it to you. I changed the one found online quite a bit. I have a habit of making one as it is written then changing it the next time. What I hope improves it.

    David's bike is 1954 Vincent Rapide with a Steib sidecar. He also has a 1962 Norvin (Vincent engine + Norton Featherbed frame), a 1950 Vincent Black Shadow and a 1995 BMW R1100RS.

    @Dar - I think food does have a lot to do with motorcycling. We never know where to ride to, so picking a lunch spot or coffee shop really helps with that. Bakeries are good too.

    @Nikos - You just like to say 'jerk'. Jerk refers to the Jamaican/Caribbean spices and/or marinade that are used on the chicken/pork prior to cooking. Spices usually have a good amount of heat due to habanero peppers and such.

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