RIDE REPORT
What a day for a ride! It was chilly when Hugh and I started out in the Carlisle/Chelmsford area to ride to the start, but by the time 10:00 showed up, it was warm enough to shed everything not needed for common decency and safety. I was supposed to drive to the start with the beverages (for lunch), however, I hit a skunk with my car last night and really didn’t think my car would be welcome at Bonsai West. So, Helen (bless her soul), added the beverages to her list of sandwiches and brownies and brought 15/16 of the entire lunch order single handed. (Well, she did get help carrying it from her car to the picnic area.) But, I’m getting ahead of myself.
After a short safety talk which no one could hear because of all the traffic on Rte 2A, we twenty cyclists launched from Bonsai West, pretty close to 10:00 am. Our plan was to be back at 1:00 pm. We were missing two riders, but, as the mantra goes: “Arrive on time or ride alone.” As a result, Marc rode alone and didn’t catch up until 1:02 pm! But, I’m getting ahead of myself.
The actual ride went very smoothly: no one got lost, no arrows left their posts, we got spread out enough for safety (but not so much that the arrows got sunburned), no one crashed going down Island Pond Road, we saw goats at the goat farm on Martins Pond Road (also a real estate appraiser), but didn’t see the pigs at the pig farm on Davis Road. We finally got to the playing field on Nutting Road with 2 porta-johns. Ahhhh . . . . . just in time. Strangely, one had been serviced that very day and the other hadn’t - mystery. In any event, we made it all the way with no wrong turns (a first!!). The lead riders pulled into the Bonsai West parking lot at 1:00 pm, exactly on time. Marc, who had been chasing the group for 2 1/2 hours finally caught up to us a couple of minutes later.
Helen, the heroine of the day, showed up within five minutes with 15/16 of the sandwich order, her famous brownies, and cider and water (she did get help carrying it from her car to the picnic area). The gate to the garden area was chained and padlocked shut, but we soon found the secret passage into what could surely be called the Garden of Eden - we enjoyed 15/16 of a luncheon, surrounded by bonsai trees. A couple of us searched and found a 75-year old tree. Later on, a different couple of us found a 200-year old tree. Impressive!
Kudos to Marc for remoting all the way from home!!
Thanks to the many arrows, to Butch for sweeping, and to Helen for bringing her famous brownies and 15/16 of the lunch (well, she did get help carrying it from her car). Also, thanks to the cyclist who took our trash away, leaving the area just as we had found it.
Report by Clyde Kessel.
No comments:
Post a Comment