by RogerTango
On Sunday, we met at C&P Coffee for drinks and nibbles before we set out.
Despite the warnings of poor weather, we had a good turnout (Doc, Tiny, Ducks,
Stubbie, Hairy, Click, Nero94 & yours truly). This outing saw the debut of
Tiny's new Primavera.
Doc had just finished the restoration of this machine, and it was a beauty! Think of a scooter version of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus", except with Tiny's new scoot in the opened shell. The scoot is a breathtaking retro vision in shiny pink paint, pristine whitewalls, chrome rims and bright red wheels! As we were leisurely enjoying our coffee, Stubbie pipes up and says, "you know, I checked the schedule, and I didn't see a 1025 ferry. There is a 1010 boat, though." This precipitates the first of a few mad dashes for the day. Coffee is chugged, and we frantically saddle up and dash pell-mell for the Fauntleroy dock. It's a good thing Stubbie spoke up, because we just made the 1010 (darn those winter/spring schedule changes anyway!).
Once over on the other side, we met TacomaBob, who brought along his nephew, Rich, on pillion. I proceeded to lead us on a leisurely paced ride along the west side of Vashon Island, starting with the aptly named Burma Road. I say 'aptly' because it's every bit as narrow, hilly, and twisty as it's WW2 namesake. It's a wonderful road for riding, but before anyone gets it in their heads to think they can rip through it like some kind of West Coast version of Deals Gap, it's important to note that due to the tall trees and terrain, many parts of the road are covered with a sort of moss which can make it slick. A cool head and a slow pace is definitely in order here. It's such a lovely ride, why rush?
Down at the south end of the island, we caught the Talequah (that's 'tal-EEE-kwah' -- thanks Nero94!) ferry over to Point Defiance. From here, TacomaBob and Rich led us on a wonderful ride through beautiful (?) downtown Ruston, and right into the waiting arms of the Ruston Police Department!
It seems as we were going through a 4-way stop the way we normally do (en masse), we failed to notice John Law was somewhere observing our shenanigans. As the group was exiting the Ruston tunnel (and blaring our horns all the way, I might add), Doc and Tiny received the rude surprise of blue lights in their mirrors (and we ain't talking K-Mart here fo' sho!). The popo had some words with Doc & Tiny, and then, figuring he had some sort of crime wave on his hands, promptly came up after Stubbie and myself. The police officer proceeds to lecture us about proper transit of 4-way stops, the fine for failing to
comply, and how his partner wanted to 'throw the book' at us. Of course, we countered as gamely as we could, which consisted pretty much vigorously nodding our heads and saying "yessirabsolutelyofficeryou'requiterightsirweshouldbemuchmorecarefulthankyoufors
howingustheerrorsofourwaysSIR!!!" Just as it starts to appear that we may just get out of this thing with a lecture, who should come riding to our rescue (?) but Ducks! As Stubbie and I look on in abject horror, MamaDucks proceeds to explain to the officer that this is how we do things in Seattle, and it is clearly the safer way to move a large group of scoots, and that should be plainly obvious to any Law Enforcement professional with an IQ higher than Barney Fife. While Stubbie weighed the chances of a making a break for it, ala Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape", I prepared my inevitable legal defense ("but your honor, I can't go to prison, I'm too pretty!). Fortunately for all concerned, the policeman decided to let us go with a stern warning if we'd just take Ducks with us, and so we were on the road again.
TacomaBob continued to lead us on a tour of downtown Tacoma, and our ride took a decidedly soggy turn, as we got caught in the first of many rain squalls, when we got to Bob's Java Jive. In the shadow of this coffepot-shaped cafe, Tiny's new primavera decided to conk out. After considerable effort, it responded to Doc's ministrations, and off we went to NW Motorscooters.
While we waited for the poker run to start, we went next door to try to warm up with some steaming bowls of pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). Shortly thereafter is was time for the main event, the poker run. The run didn't start out so great, as the Primavera conked out on us a few more times. Like many beautiful women, it appears the Primavera can be a bit moody. It was decided to run her over to the safety of TacomaBob's nearby garage, from which Doc could come back later with his truck to take her home. And so with Tiny on pillion, they were back in the game.
At each stop, we were given a sealed envelope containing a playing card, which we were not to open until the end. Our stops for cards included a Starbucks in Lakewood, Old Fort Nisqually at Point Defiance, C.I. Shenanigans on the waterfront, and the Washington History Museum in downtown Tacoma. We received our last card back at NW Motorscooters, and we took out our cards for a game of '5-Card No Peek' while we enjoyed a sub sandwich lunch (I guess the weather was too poor for the promised BBQ). There were 4 prizes, and Westenders took away 3 of them. TacomaBob scored second prize ($50 NW Motorscooters gift certificate), and Ducks collected third prize ($20 NWM certificate). The consolation (C.I. Shenanigans gift certificate) prize was won by Doc, which was appropriate since he had to be consoled over the Primavera's petulance.
It was now time to contemplate our return. It was decided to go back the way we came, since there's a lot less traffic on Vashon Island, and we could relax on the boats. It was at this point that our resident ferry expert Stubbie helpfully pointed out that the next boat from Point Defiance was in 25 minutes, and the next one wouldn't be for another hour. The resulting scramble caused great amusement to our hosts, as the Westenders hastily said their goodbyes and flew out the door. Ducks proceeded to lead us on a thrilling chase from South Tacoma to Point Defiance, fortunately avoiding our friends at the Ruston PD, since we barely made the boat.
From there, we dashed north on the Vashon Highway. You can imagine the consternation Nero94 and I felt as we fell behind the group, and I was particularly flabbergasted to be passed uphill by Doc & Tiny on their Stella! Don't those uppity Stellas know their place? I guess in the long run, you can pay more for a PX, but at the end of they day, horsepower trumps all!
All in all it was a great adventure. We rode our butts off, and as we rolled off the Fauntleroy ferry we were eagerly anticipating long hot soaks at our respective homes. Many thanks to TacomaBob for cluing us in on the Poker Run in the first place. It seems the 'winter of our discontent' has finally come to an end, so stay tuned for the Westenders next adventure: Nero94s Tulip Run in a couple of weeks (depending on when the tulip fields bloom).
Westenders are go!
