Jett had a great idea for a combination Westenders barbecue and group ride to see the sunset from one of Seattle's countless scenic overlooks. She'd been planning it for months. Somehow during discussion of this potential event on the Westenders forum, the idea of jousting arose and stuck. Leave it to RogerTango to organize the execution of this competition.
I designed a logo and made buttons to commemorate the event (right). It was a perfect excuse to play with PhotoShop and my new button press.
The final destination of the sunset ride was undisclosed, hence the "secret" part. We gathered at Jett's house in West Seattle to feast on a multitude of fabulous noshables, including over 100 skewers she crafted with shrimp, vegetables and an amazing marinade. After folks were sufficiently fed, RogerTango announced the start of the jousting session.
In the alley behind Jett's house, a pole had been hung about 8 feet high, with the prizes strung across on large loops of wire. The jousting lance, which was somewhat flaccid - increasing the challenge, was broken in by RogerTango who employed Ben as his nimble page. Ben rode on RT's scooter, wielding the mighty lance and successfully skewering a prize on the second run under the coaching of our fearless leader.
With about 25 Westenders in attendance, Jett's garage looked like post-lottery-winning fantasies I've had - packed wall to wall with assorted Vespas in candy colors.
After we'd all jousted our hearts out, we lined up and headed out for the Secret Sunset portion of the itinerary, with Jett and her co-pilot Pipes leading us through West Seattle, downtown, to Magnolia and Discovery Park for a gorgeous end to the day. The ride was scenic and relaxed, and we even managed to keep the whole group together despite a parade of quickly-changing traffic lights downtown.
We arrived at the park just in time for the sunset, which blazed down behind the mountains and the Sound. When we parked, I silently savored the sight - a line of scooters curving as far as the eye could see.
We all piled onto the platform to watch the final rays descend behind the mountains, hoping the creaking wood pilings beneath us would not likewise descend southward. The construction held together long enough for us to capture the evening with many photographs.
The ride home was my favorite part. I had no idea where we were, which is always fun, and each corner we took revealed another stunning view of mountains and water as we snaked down narrow streets through verdant tunnels of trees. I got a mouthful of bugs while exiting the park, but that's just extra protein, right?
There's more photos in the scooter♥lust photostream. Check it out!
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