The instructors and students of the Beginner's Mind dojo gathered on Sunday morning at the dojo with bicycles and picnic supplies and headed out into the warmth of the Sunday morning.
The ride was kept at a casual pace so that the half of youth students that attended were very comfortable and well taken care of throughout the trip. In order to avoid large amounts of traffic, Mrs. Conley led the large group of cyclists primarily through back streets as our traveling band of merry martial artists enjoyed the sun and conversation while casually working toward our destination at Rook's Park, just outside of Walla Walla.
Traveling from the West end of town to the East, one does not appreciate the incline until it is experienced on a bicycle but the climb was enough that we stopped once for the sake of our youngest student as she caught her breath at Pioneer Middle School. After continuing our trek, we wound our way to the bike path that runs along Mill Creek and followed it the rest of the way, enjoying the sounds and sights of the water as it rushed in the opposite direction in the creek beside us.
Once at the park, the first thought on everyone's mind was the glorious idea of food! We packed out our sandwich gear and side dishes and the gang showed their diversity as each sandwich was compiled just a little bit differently. This was probably the least vocal part of our trip as every person was so completely enamored with their lunch, but that still didn't stop the discussions or joking that stayed high through the entire excursion!
After everyone got their fill, games quickly followed, such as frisbee, horsehoes, and especially a modified game of badminton which saw friendly jibing, broken rackets, and more than one tackle! The hours passed by far too quickly and before anyone was ready, it was suddenly time to go.
The one thing all of the attendees were thankful for was the downhill ride all the way back to the dojo, which afforded the relaxation and ability to tour through some of Walla Walla's historic homes.
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