FLOCTOBER FEST (WAS FLAMINGOES IN FALL)

The name has changed but it remains the same event that Serena hosts each year at Kanaskat-Palmer State Park.

Our adventure actually began before we got to the park. I wanted to look at the place I had ridden to last year when I had found the store to procure us some ice cream bars. Speaking of bars – the store was next to City Hall. Well, City Hall Saloon, and we had to visit.

I think I have to call this as near to a redneck bar I have ever been in, and it was not bad. That could be because it was empty except for the female bartender.

Our introduction was the display of the other kinds of bikes.

With a real bike thrown in here and there.

Dare we enter .. at our own risk? Yes, we dared, and were entertained by ogling all the ghoulish and fun Halloween decorations inside.

Oh good! There is no shooting allowed, so we felt safe to enter.

The “Taco Thursday” sign stood out for us as this was a Thursday ;’-). But lo, they don’t serve those until 4:00 and we needed lunch. While the food we ordered was being prepared, we wandered through the displays.

I chose only a few of the many that were on display. There is actually something Halloweenie in every corner. Some of them moved if you walked by or pressed a certain button.

There is quite a history of this place in Cumberland WA, if you care to know about it.

Well fed and ready to roll on, it was time to check in at Flocktoberfest Flamingoes of course is the theme, and you see them everywhere. First, pick up your name tag, and see some flamingoes around

There was the evening appetizer pot luck, and boy oh boy did we have a LOT of food. I forgot to take a photo, but there was a huge buffet table overflowing.

The first full day was for everyone to do the activity of their choice – rock painting, knitting, crafting other things, or – in our case, a bike ride. At first we thought there might be 3-4 others joining me and Susan for a relatively short ride, but many are not comfortable riding on roads with traffic. They much prefer paved trails, but there are none nearby.

We were happy got Nese (say ‘neicie’ as in your nephew’s sister) to join us and she was very happy with the ride.

The ride was on highway roads, but traffic was light and in most all places the shoulder lane was wide, with only a few being a bit narrow. The light traffic was polite to us and we felt safe. Along a highway there is not much to take photos of, but the forest that surrounded us was delightful.

I did find an interesting mailbox.

And a horse silhouette.

Cannot pass up a bike.

As I was taking this truck photo I had a flash that I had done this before. Sure enough, I went back to last year’s blog and this truck is posted there as well. I guess I liked it then and liked it now.

We got back to camp, all of us kind of wishing we had done a longer ride. Maybe tomorrow will bring nice enough weather to try for that. Nese invited us to her site to have a quite nice lunch she fixed for us.