The Great Turkey Chase

My family and I attended The Great Turkey Chase on a chilly, but bright day. We met at Maglianero to sign in, pick up this wonderful spoke card and map.

The event is a fund raiser for The Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. There is a shorter family loop with 5 stops or the longer 12 store ride, which some treat as a race. We took off 30 minutes early because with two 13 year old boys, their chatting considerably slows the pace.

I liked that not only chain stores were included, but also 3 neighborhood shops. The idea is to go into each and purchase the prescribed item. It's like a treasure hunt, something that appealed to my son and his friend. At the second place, the "racers" itinerary overlapped our own and a cyclist pulls up and takes photographs of incoming riders. 

Our bikes.

We are amused at how seriously the attendees take this. The riders prop a bike against the storefront without locking and run inside. But then again, there are many on fixies with and without helmets, ladies in sleeveless tops, (brrr!) all manner of characters. It's like a cult. My husband and I are on the old side of this event and somewhat embarrassed by riders darting across trafficked lanes to shave a few seconds.

We take our time, soak up the sun while the kids do most of the shopping. My husband decides to go in when the kids were taking too long. Turns out the boys got sidetracked, and he catches up with them having fun with the automatic check out machine.

Loading my pannier.

The boys are hungry. We send them back inside. A crowd shows up. We yell "aisle 6!" to help out their hunt.

I like the red union suit character, or maybe it's because he has a mountain bike and panniers, like ourselves.

He bolts for the next store.

We encountered a couple other families and stop to chat. I was most impressed by three dads who each hauled a trailer with children and were working together, watching bikes and kids. They sometimes varied the human cargo when the crankies set in.

After two hours we completed the loop and dropped off our bag back at the start. Most people ended at a bar where prizes and whatnot were handed out. Later, I heard that 29 turkeys were purchased—thus the event's name. What a hoot, and all for a great cause. Sign me up for next year.