On Saturday February 9th the first Mini Swarm was held with a drive from Escondido to Carlsbad via the Del Dios Highway and Pacific Coast Highway. We gathered for lunch at the Coyote Bar and Grill. 16 Cars made the run and another two joined us at the restaurant. It was a beautiful and fun day.
Stories from the drive include: A group of kids somewhere in Rancho Santa Fe took to cheering the yellow procession when they realized that there was more than one yellow car coming down the road. An accident not involving the swarm that stopped some members for a bit. A loose wire that stopped one member but help was at hand so reconnection didn't take long. And of course difficulty keeping the swarm together once they neared the coast traffic on the first beautiful day of the year.
At the end of the line: The parking lot worked great thanks to the property management. Thanks to Village Fair. We overwhelmed the restaurant so service was slow but the food good. Much thanks to the Coyote Bar and Grill. Thanks to all of the big tippers too. Our server was kind of stuck with us by the other help and in the end she and the bar keeper who pitched in came out the winners. Got to love it. All of the yellow vehicles attracted many lookers. I especially remember a couple of choppers cruising through with awful big smiles for tough guys. Kind of got a little cool outside in the shadow of the building. If we'd been a true swarm of bees we would of just moved out into the sunny part of the parking lot. Thankfully we didn't as I had been warned many times that part of the parking lot was actually an official city street and not to block it or else.
I gave a little speech about the swarm. Nanz declined as she her voice was already gone from all of the talking. We had a wonderful and diverse group of cars, trucks, people,and ages. Hope all who couldn't make this inaugural swarm will join us for the next one.
