| Date | June 27, 2004 |
| Hosts | Cheryl Prudhomme and Mark Cook |
| Where | Pleasant Valley Park, Basking Ridge; Morris County |
| Who (else) | Susan and Greg Adam, Helen and Bob Bird, Barbara and Tracy Cate, Debbie and Alan Cudworth, Claire Hamanaka and Walt Willard, Brenda and Larry Isherwood, Dave Snope, Linda and George Wells |
Pristine, clear skies with a healthy cooling breeze greeted us as we assembled in the parking lot at Pleasant Valley Park in Basking Ridge for the first annual Peddlin' and Paddlin' Party. After the perfunctory securing of front wheels, checking air pressure, dressing in matching garb and mandatory group photo, 14 plus teams and a couple of singles headed out on our 30 mile journey. The roads were predominantly well paved and moderately traveled. There were three significant climbs, a couple of 45 plus miles per hour descents and a few challenging curves to enervate the heart muscle and ensure that we are still alive and well. The pace was fast for the most part on this path that did not have many turns. All the participants rolled into the parking lot at approximately the same time, most with average speeds for the day of about 17mph! (With the exception of Tracy and Barb Cate who admitted that the nice day contributed to them raising their average speed to about 1.5 mph!)
Following the packing away of cycles, most gathered beneath the shade trees to munch on some snacks. (Of particular note was the spectacular chicken caesar salad from Team Wells and oriental pasta salad from the Adams.)
Soon thereafter, everyone was invited to join Mark and Cheryl on the adjacent platform tennis courts for a demonstration. Platform tennis is a remote sport that is a hybrid of tennis, paddleball and racquet ball played on an upraised platform with small wooden paddles and a sponge rubber ball over a net. It is played almost exclusively in the winter months and only out of doors. After some brief instruction and practice, several pairs stayed on to play some practice games. Al, Brenda, Bob and Mark had a particulary highly skilled and competitive match going. Everyone appeared to have a good time. We will plan on doing it again at some time in the near future.