Day 6: Welcome to Southern CA!

Today we rode back out to the coast, through Santa Barbara, and to our campsite by the beach in Ventura. This is the day when I understand why so many people live in Southern CA - it really is beautiful. One fellow passed me today and said "Don't you just get so sick of these sunny, 70° days?"

I feel a bit out of it when it comes to the news, but I guess there have been fires in Santa Barbara County, and we rode through an area today that had burned earlier this week. There had been some concern earlier this week that we would have to take an alternate route, but then they were able to contain the fire and we had no trouble today. It was a bit eery, however, to ride through these burned out areas, especially since I have memories of the route from previous years.

We rode along the beach in Santa Barbara, and at the end of the bike path every year a group of folks from Santa Barbara puts on an unofficial pit stop called the "Paradise Pit." It is officially a "Cliff Bar free zone." They have ice cream, strawberries, pastries, and lots of candy. All junk food (except for the strawberries). It's wonderful, one of my favorite stops, not just because the ice cream is so yummy, but also because it's a really sweet display of community support for the ride and the cause.

Tonight is rememberance night, and they've planned a candlelight vigil on the beach. I think it will be the perfect way to spend our last night in camp - it's easy to get wrapped up in the cycling and to lose sight of why we're riding in the first place.

Ok, time for dinner, and then tomorrow is the last day!

- Rebecca

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Sent from my Treo

Day 6: Pit 4 - Along the coast in Ventura

Day 6: Pit3 -- Ice Cream and Junk Food

Day 6: Biking along the beach in Santa Barbara.

Day 5: Red Dress Day!

Today was Red dress day, when people don red dresses over their cycling gear, or just wear red jerseys and shorts. I'm not sure when the tradition began, but the thought behind it is to create a giant red ribbon moving down the road. Today was great - there was a very festive atmosphere, the route was short (only 42 miles !), and a lot of people were wearing red. There were some GREAT dresses - my tentmate Mark had a particularly lovely one. I only had a red tank top and red jacket - alas, perhaps I can find something more stylish for next year!

So no pit stop 4 today, but pit stop 1 had a red dress theme, and as riders entered the pit they walked the "catwalk" (yellow tape and cones), and one of the crew members was announcing like it was a fashion show. Very fun. She said the PETA folks wouldn't be happy about the dead animal on my bike...

It's been a nice short day on the road today - we slept in until 5:15 this morning, left just before 8, I got my first flat halfway up a hill, and was still into camp by 12:15. They're running shuttle buses into the town of Lompoc this afternoon, so I may go searching for a soy latte and a newspaper (what is happening in the outside world? Maybe I don't want to know...)

and the treo battery is low, so I will sign off now and recharge!

- Rebecca
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Sent from my Treo

Day 5: Ginger Brewlayrring riders to the top of a hill in a fabulous red dress.

3Day 5: My Tentmate Mark in his Red Dress

Day 5: Pit Stop 1 - the Catwalk

Day 4: More Hills, More Wind, and Back to the Coast

Today was the halfway point to LA! It was also the day of the "Evil Twins," two hills (that really seem like a long series of five or six hills, but hey, who's counting). Then at the top of the second twin, someone puts a big "Half the way to LA" sign on a rock, and then everyone stops and lines up to get a picture with their bike. The thing is to stand on this rock and lift your bike over your head for the photo, but I don't trust myself to balance on a rock in biking shoes while trying to lift my bike over my head. Whenever I try to picture this happening, I picture myself falling backwards off the rock, bike in tow. So, I just put my bike in front of me!

After climbing these hills, we had a long, 10 mile downhill to Highway 1 and Morrow Bay. Thankfully, the weather on the coast was beautiful - sunny, some clouds, and a decent tailwind.

Pit stop 4 was at LeRoy Park, which I love because my big boy cat is Leroy. The crew today were all dressed as "101 Dalmations" - one was Cruella and the rest were dressed as Dalmations. It was really fun - they were all having a great time pretending to be dogs, barking and chasing riders as they came in!

Last night, Pat Christen and Lorrie Jean gave presentations on the services provided by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the LA Gay & Lesbian Center. Pat also talked about her decision to leave her position as executive director (to be with her young children). I really enjoy these presentations because they're good reminders of why we're all here, to raise money for these services and to raise awareness about HIV & AIDS through the ride. Supposedly, Tracy Chapman is performing for us tonight - she's riding this year!

Ok, that's all for now!
Rebecca
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Sent from my Treo

Day 4: Pismo Beach

View of Pismo Beach, from the road.

Day 4: Downward Ho!

At the top of the "Evil Twins" hills, looking toward the 10 mile descent.

Day 4: Half Way!!!!

At the top of the "Evil Twins" hills - and half the way to LA!

Day 3: Quadbuster!

There are names for everything on this ride, and today's big hill is called The Quadbuster. It's really not that bad - I think people build it up because then when first time riders make it to the top, they can feel a major sense of accomplishment. And that sense is well- deserved - even though the hill may not merit the name, it's still fairly steep and hot in the sun. But it has a good downhill, and then the road levels out into a beautiful long stretch lined with oak trees.

We had another long stretch of open road lined by grassland, with oak covered hills in the distance. I overheard a woman later saying that she had been so bored on that stretch, but I loved it, and remembered it from last year. The moon was still visible in the sky, it was perfectly clear, and I think the landscape is gorgeous. I find long roads like that to be great for getting into a meditative-like zone, but I guess some find it boring. Oh
well!

Pit stop 4 today - Richard Simmons! Every member of the crew was dressed as Richard Simmons; it was fantastic.

I have to admit that right now I am feeling really sleepy. It was a hot sunny day, and there was very little shade on the route. We went to cheer in riders about ten minutes ago, but there had been a fire on the route and they'd blocked the road and stopped everyone. I hear cheering now, though, so I think people must be coming back into camp again. Off I go!

- Rebecca

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Sent from my Treo

Day 3: Mission San Miguel

Unfortunately, the mission sustained damage in the
earthquake this past winter and was closed for repairs.

Day 3: Sweatin' to the Oldies

All of the Richard Simmons doing their exercise routine for the crowd.

Day 3: Pit stop 4

Two Richard Simmons (Simmonses?) cheer a rider into the pit stop at Mission San Miguel.

Day 3: The Lunch Scene in Bradley

Day 3: Scenery on the road to Paso Robles

Day 3: At the top of Quadbuster

A the top of Quadbuster

Day 2: Home away from Home!

Day 2: The Finish Line!

Day 2: Pit Stop 4

Ginger Brewlay looking lovely in a blue dress at pit stop 4.

Day 2: Firemen at Pit 4

Day 2: Cookie Lady!

Day 2: Mission Soledad

Day 2: More Scenery and Open Road

Day 2: The Open Road

Day 2 - Wind!

The word for the day today is wind - headwinds, tailwinds, crosswinds, crazy winds at pit stops and in camp. Did I mention it was windy today? :)

Let's see - today, someone thought my wolf on my handlebars was a skunk! We rode past fields and fields - I saw strawberries (you could smell them!), artichokes, and chard. We went through Moss Landing, rode on a very fun bike path for a ways, then headed inland, through Salinas to King City. We had some more fantastic tailwinds today - it is SO FUN to ride at 20 mph!

Rest stop 3 was at Mission Soledad. I've never gone into the Mission before, so I decided that this was the year. Someone had put a cloth over the alter with baskets of markers, and we were all encouraged to write a note, a memory, thoughts, etc, and they will use the cloth ontheir alter at their next mass. It' a beautiful chapel, and the atmosphere with the candles and remembrance cloth was a quiet, peaceful reminder of why we are all here this week.

And then there was the cookie lady! (yes, MORE COOKIES!) There is this wonderful woman who bakes enough cookies every year for each rider to have one - that's 1200 cookies this year! Then she stands along the side of the road, about 75 miles into the route, and hands out cookies. This year she was dressed as a "safety queen" - she wore a bright orange dress, had two orange safety cones on her chest, and had an orange wand. Somehow, she always picks the place where you are hot, tired, and could really use a cookie. I asked her how long it takes her to bake them all and she said three months!

Oh, and Pit 4 today - firemen!

Right now I'm sitting out at the finishing line cheering in riders. Today was a century, 100.7 miles to be exact, and for a lot of new riders this will be their first century, which is a huge accomplishment. It meant a lot to me my first year, and now that I'm no longer at the back of the pack, I really enjoy cheering the rest in.

ok, more tomorrow!
Thanks,
Rebecca

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Sent from my Treo

Route Map

More Day 1 Photos

CLICK HERE to view more Day 1 photos from the ride.

Photo: A Solid Gold Dancer

Pit Stop 4 was populated with Solid Gold Dancers!

Photo: On the Road

This is a photo from the road - heading south.

Photo: Eliza & Rebecca at Gazos Creek

Pit Stop 3: Gazos Creek

Photo: Lunch at San Gregorio Beach

Photo: Wonder Woman at Pit Stop 2

Day 1 - Tailwinds rock!

Today was fantastic. The route was somewhat different, and so much better. Basically, they cut out one short, insanely steep hill, and one looong (8 miles) hill.

The weather was great today - it was clear when we left the house at 5:30 (after a breakfast of waffles made by Justin - yum!). Eric, Justin, and Sara saw me off. By the time we got to rest stop 2 just south of Half Moon Bay, it was only 9:30 - that tells you how great the route was! Then Eliza came to see me at rest stop 3 at Gazos Creek and she brought ... cookies! Yummmmm...

On every hill, folks would be parked on the side, ringing bells, cheering, and handing out, yes, cookies! On one hill, a woman was belly dancing.

I have this little wolf that howls, got it for a donation to Defenders of Willdlife, and I strapped it to my handlebars for the ride. No one guesses that it's a wolf, though - I've gotten "cute beaver," "nice gopher," "is that a squirrel?" and "like your pussycat." (This gives you both a sense of what this wolf looks like and a feel for the tone of the ride!)

The last pit stop every day is Pit 4, and every day we look forward to Pit 4's costumes. Last year on Day 1 they set a new high (or low!) when they all dressed as Hooters girls (most of the crew is male). I didn't think they could ever top that until today, when I rode into Pit 4 and saw ... the Solid Gold Dancers. They were fabulous!

thanks - tune in tomorrow!

- Rebecca

Day 0

So, it's really here - today is Day 0, orientation day, the day that you check in your bike and finish packing...
I saw Gary and Kathleen, two wonderful folks I met on ALC2 last year, who were both volunteering at check-in this year. And I met up with my tentmate, Mark, and his wife Susan. Funny story - Mark and I met two years ago on ALC1, at lunch on Day 7. I hadn't seen him since, but we ended up finding each other on the tentmate listing just about two weeks ago!

It will be a great week - now that it's almost here and I'm at the point where, if things aren't done, well, they just won't be, I finally have time to get excited, and I am. Now, to finish those few things that aren't quite done yet...!

HUGE kudos go to Karen, who created this blog and will be receiving my emails throughout the week; Doug, who lent me a Treo (blatent product placement - buy one now!) so that I could send in postings and pictures for this blog; Justin and Sara, who are hosting me in SF tonight and making waffles tomorrow morning at an obscenely early hour; and Eric of course, for supporting me for four years now on these rides. Enormous thanks and eternal gratitude to all of my donors, friends and family, for being so generous and supportive. Off we go!

Discuss HIV/AIDS Awareness and Related Issues

You can discuss Rebecca's ride as well as HIV/AIDS issues in Care2 Connect's Stop AIDS Discussion Group.

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