r4wh my trip so far
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It is now already April 16th. My commitment to family and friends to blog daily is in serious trouble. So let’s begin at the beginning. April 31st I made some notes at the airport on my way to San Diego. Many times the anticipation of a trip outshines the event it’s self. This is not the case here. I did not sleep particularly well the night before leaving. It will not matter because of the excitement of the trip. I was up at 6 am and went for a run. The morning was spent giving last minute instructions to mom, Keith and Alison. We are on the road by 11:30am after an emotional good-by. I will not see my family again until May 25th. I love, love love my family for supporting me while I have this adventure.
When I landed in Houston I received a phone call from Dave Holder (logistics guy on the leadership team) he says they will be at the airport to pick me up. The team has been driving from Columbus OH and have just arrived in SD. I am sitting at my gate in Houston and I look up and see the flight departing from the opposite gate is going to Washington DC. How ironic is that?
The time in SD was busy with getting organized, receiving instructions from the leadership team on how things will work once we are on the road. We are getting to know each other and getting used to sleeping on the floor. The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center is a bright busy center with all types of programs. They have made us feel very welcome.The training rides are difficult for me “we are not in Florida any more Toto”. The California coast is breathtaking. I am enjoying getting to know my teammates.After a few days of riding up and down the Pacific Coast Highway we are treated to a serious climb up Mt. Solodad, an 800 ft climb over less than a mile, this means it is very steep. the strong riders get to the top pretty quickly. Several of us continue to climb slowly but steadily stopping along the way to catch our breath. I stopped about 1/4 of a mile from the top very shaky contemplated going back down. I could not get started again on the hill so I walked about 100′ until I could get back on my bike to finish the climb. It was worth it for so many reasons, the view, overcoming my fears, a great bonding experience with the group.
April 6th ready or not here we go! After a beautiful week in SD we are on our way. Tire dip in the Pacific ocean, 85 miles from SD to Huntington Beach via the Camp Pendleton Marine Base. After some time at the beach and sight seeing we load up in the vans to our accommodations for the night. We will be staying in various private homes for two nights very comfey.
April 7th event day at USC. We found the best breakfast burritos in the world just a few blocks from the university. We are hungry all the time. The event goes well. The vans are packed up. We spend the afternoon exploring the campus of Cal Tech ( Seth’s almamata), then back to our home stays for our last night in a bed until we get to Las Vegas.