Ride on 26 July 2019
A great ride - and hopefully most of us made it home just before the rain
started in early afternoon. 16 of us set off from Rushall Station, including
a guest rider, from Canada. It's pretty easy to take our bike trails
for granted, so it was great to hear this Canadian's effusive praise of the beauty of
the Merri Creek trail. It certainly is a glorious and interesting trail, and
it was looking very green after all the recent rain. Joe's Market Garden
(run by Ceres) was looking particularly lush - a reminder that it's open on
Saturday mornings, I think from 9am to 1pm, and sells a great range of
vegetables.
After some discussion at Coburg Lake between Bob and Mauris regarding our
coffee stop, Bob led us to the Upfield bike path and to Zaatar Café. It was
a terrific choice - the wait staff were really helpful in getting a few
tables together, the coffee came out very quickly and was excellent. I was
puzzled as to the meaning of Zaatar - Mauris said it was a spice - and then
I found this courtesy of Chef Google: 'Za'atar as a prepared condiment is
generally made with ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or some
combination thereof, mixed with toasted sesame seeds, and salt, though other
spices such as sumac might also be added. Some commercial varieties also
include roasted flour'.
After a very pleasant break we split up into two groups, some heading back
on the Merri Creek trail and some on the Upfield bike path because we
thought that would be quicker. Wrong! Kevin finished the ride via Merri
Creek and we spotted him riding towards us as we finished the Capital City
Trail. Merri Creek is a far more pleasant ride, doesn't have all the traffic
and train lights of Upfield, and now we know it's faster.
As we split up to head to our respective homes, Luisa and I agreed we both
really enjoy Fridays - a wonderful group of people and a great variety of
rides to look forward to. So thanks for coming everyone, look forward to
seeing you next time. And thanks to Bob and David L for sweeping, and Bob
for getting us to coffee.
Pam