We love the smell of 2-stroke and damp lavender in the afternoon!

Every July, the Lavender Growers Association of Vashon Island has their Lavender Festival. It's a great time to go to the island to enjoy great food, arts & crafts, and some really swell riding on Vashon's twisty country roads. Unlike the big Lavender Festival in Sequim, you don't have to be jostled by everybody and their dog! Despite rather ominous skies, a group of a dozen-plus Westenders and friends met at C&P Coffee ( a sponsor of Tour di Mari 2 and the Official Coffee Shop of the Westenders!) for caffeine and pastries. The staff is always pleasant, and this morning we were greeting with the following riddle: Q: What do you call a bomb in a French restaurant? A: Napoleon 'Blownapart' (cue rim shot) Soon we were off to the Fauntleroy ferry, where scooters always board first, and off to Vashon Island. Riding the country roads is always great fun, and we visited three farms; Lavender Sisters, Fox Farm, and Lavender Hill. We inspected the different varieties of lavender, enjoyed such treats as honey-lavender vanilla ice cream, and delicious lavender lemonade! Then it was off to Zoomies and Perry's for burgers, and then more riding! Normally, when we ride on Vashon, we make a point of riding the Burma Road. Twisty and tricky, it's been known to intimidate some, but if approached with prudence and respect, it's a really fun ride. This time for a change of pace, many of us rode back to the ferry via the Burma Road. When rode from north to south, it's mainly downhill, and one must exercise proper caution. But going the other way, most of the turns are uphill, and gravity becomes one's friend. Setting up at the south end of the run, ride leader RogerTango suggested that the riders with the 'Vespone' (Italian for big wasp, in this case the excellent Vespa GT/GTS scooters) go first, so they could use their ample horsepower to good advantage. This proved to be an irresistible proposal, and the Vespones, led by Whiplash, were off like a shot even before the always long-winded RT could finish his litany of cautions and admonishments. Realizing he was delivering his summary to a rapidly dissipating cloud of 2- and 4-stroke exhaust, he followed the rapidly disappearing swarm. The big Vespas ate up the twisty hills of the Burma Road like platters of Calamari at Cafe Revo (official Italian restaurant of the Westenders). A remarkable performer on this hill climb was Boots and her Genuine Scooter Company 'Buddy 125'. Despite possessing only half the displacement of the Vespone, that peppy little scoot kept up with the big scoots just fine (it helps that Boots is a darn good rider, too!) By the time RogerTango caught up with the swarm at the ferry dock, a full-blown pandemic had broken out among the GT/GTS riders. They all seemed to be ambling aimlessly about with huge smiles on their faces. Jodie H. was able to diagnose this as a classic case of "GTS Permagrin Syndrome", a fairly benign condition that results when Vespa GT/GTS riders get a chance to really wring their mounts out in conditions tailor-made for them. Symptoms include blissful expressions, lots of laughter, the tendency to gather with other infected owners and babble endlessly about 'the ride', and an ear-to-ear grin worthy of Jack Nicholson's 'Joker' It appears only the prospect of the upcoming work week has any hope of relieving the suffering of those afflicted with "GTS Permagrin Syndrome", and even that may not work, because the next weekend is only five days away!