Picnic

Brandon took me for a picnic today. :) It was terribly sweet, the whole thing was his idea! He suggested it yesterday afternoon, so we went and got all the makings for sandwiches from the commissary. Then, today, he helped me make the sandwiches and we packed them with a blanket in the saddlebags of the bike and headed into the Black Forest.

It was gorgeous! The weather was perfect for a ride, and a picnic. We found a pretty little field next to a creek just off the road, and stopped there. I spread the blanket out over the grass near the creek, and we stretched out to eat. It was beautiful... There was a bridge and a dam of sorts across the water, so we had the sound of birds and rushing water to keep us company. We weren't the only ones there... A pair of guys were fly fishing, and there was a young family there with their German shepherd. It was interesting to watch the guys fishing. I'd never seen anyone fly fishing before, so it was cool to see what they do.

When we got done eating, we put the left overs back into my bag (thank you Corinnea!) and wandered around, and I took lots of pictures. There was an information plaque about the dam, which was specially rigged to allow logs to float down the water way when necessary. We couldn't read the German; we just used the accompanying pictures to figure out the gist of it. There was a weird raft thing that was built to use in conjunction with the dam, but we couldn't piece together the specifics. They did have one of the rafts there in the field, though. That was kind of cool.

We got back on the bike and went a little further into the forest before coming home, after lunch. The whole area was just stunningly beautiful. I guess I've never really been exposed to this sort of climate before, that can sustain something like the Black Forest. Everything is so sparse in Florida, by comparison. Oh, don't get me wrong.... There is a wealth of flora and fauna in Florida, lots of large trees and lush marshes. But not like this, not like what I've seen here. I felt like I was in a movie. It was easy to believe in the fairy tales out there. The enormous, and obviously ancient trees that towered above the sparse forest floor could easily have been the trees through which Snow White ran to escape her stepmother. Or they could have obscured the remote tower where Rapunzel was hidden from the world. Or where Hansel and Gretel got lost... As silly as it sounds, the place felt magical. I felt totally out of place, breezing through on the motorcycle. But it was wonderful, and I can't wait to go and do it again.