Rider Home Pages
Mo aka Thomas
Ed aka Murdoch, 40mph Team Captain
Mike aka Knock-Off
Gary aka Rusty
Jenna aka Donkey
Melissa aka Carrot
Don McAdang aka Schwab Team Captain
ALC6 Photos
Beautiful photos from rider Richie Thomassen
ALC6 Videos
SF to LA on a Bike for AIDS/LifeCycle (produced by Matt Silverberg) You'll need to scroll down to find it.
Unwritten
Proud
Funny
AIDs Lifecycle 6 Here!News
Official Links
Experience AIDs Lifecycle 6 2007
Learn about AIDs Lifecycle 7 2008
San Francisco AIDs Foundation
LA Gay & Lesbian Center
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Silliness
Check it out! The re-released Van Halen Tiburon Loop video is ready for viewing! Oh, and keep your mouse ready on the volume...it's loud and/or noisy at times.
Marin Training Ride
Please enjoy the 23 second video below. By the way, it has sound, so please turn your sound off if you don't wan't to hear music playing.
Mt Tam Mud Ride/Training Ride
Lots of breathing...definitely not my best work...an unexpected comedy if you will
A video of our Mud Ride follows. Enjoy!
Mo's Typical Bike Commute to work, Larkspur to San Francisco
My first try at filming while riding...viewable via the following link Mo Google Video
Monday, June 11, 2007
Appendix - Cue/Route Sheets, Gmaps, etc
This will be a catch all Appendix page, displaying an overview of the campsites/route, cue sheets (Thanks Jenna!), and interactive Gmaps.
Campsite Overview
Days 1-7 Cue Sheets
Day 1 Gmap
Day 2 Gmap
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Campsite Overview
Days 1-7 Cue Sheets
Day 1 Gmap
Day 2 Gmap
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Recap - Imagine
To describe my experience, I quote John Lennon...
Have you considered doing this ride yet? You should. Hold on now, you don't necessarily need to get on a bike to enjoy this experience. There were over 400 volunteers who helped out on a daily basis, to help the riders survive. They fed us, cleaned up after us, took care of us, drove our luggage between sites, cleaned up the roads before we rode through them, posted signs, entertained us, massaged us, medical too, etc. Outside of the event there were those families or organizations who came out from various cities...simply to sit outside and cheer us, or even to provide us with free ice cream.
And then, after all that... the city of Los Angeles welcomed us as heroes. Imagine riding down a street packed with people lining up the sidewalks. Now imagine all these people cheering for you. Got the image? Good...for when I was riding down this street, side by side with my closest buddies.... I also had a bit of each of you with me. If it wasn't for all of your support I couldn't have done it.
I leave you with this. The next time you experience a crowd of people (say around 2,300 or so)...imagine you are all trying to exit a a high school gymnasium, through only 4 doors on one end of the gym. Now imagine no pushing, or people cutting you off..and everyone smiling. and helping you get to the same destination they are going to.
That is what the ride was like.
Imagine.
Until AIDs ends, we'll all be back someday, and I hope you will be too.
Mo
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Have you considered doing this ride yet? You should. Hold on now, you don't necessarily need to get on a bike to enjoy this experience. There were over 400 volunteers who helped out on a daily basis, to help the riders survive. They fed us, cleaned up after us, took care of us, drove our luggage between sites, cleaned up the roads before we rode through them, posted signs, entertained us, massaged us, medical too, etc. Outside of the event there were those families or organizations who came out from various cities...simply to sit outside and cheer us, or even to provide us with free ice cream.
And then, after all that... the city of Los Angeles welcomed us as heroes. Imagine riding down a street packed with people lining up the sidewalks. Now imagine all these people cheering for you. Got the image? Good...for when I was riding down this street, side by side with my closest buddies.... I also had a bit of each of you with me. If it wasn't for all of your support I couldn't have done it.
I leave you with this. The next time you experience a crowd of people (say around 2,300 or so)...imagine you are all trying to exit a a high school gymnasium, through only 4 doors on one end of the gym. Now imagine no pushing, or people cutting you off..and everyone smiling. and helping you get to the same destination they are going to.
That is what the ride was like.
Imagine.
Until AIDs ends, we'll all be back someday, and I hope you will be too.
Mo
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Day Seven–Ventura to Los Angeles– 67 Miles
Today we woke up to sake hangovers. It was a day of “last this, last that”. Last time I have to sleep in that tent, last breakfast at 5am, last time on the porta potty that has been used a thousand times before you. We started off the day with Jenna having a flat tire on her bike before we even left. After Ed desperately helped her out, so that we could leave before getting sagged…we were relieved to finally leave. Only a ½ mile later, Jenna had yet another flat. It turns out there was a staple embedded in her tire. Once we pulled that out, we CO2d her tire, and we were finally good to go. We were pretty much the very last ones to leave the Ventura.
Our first rest stop consisted of an hour wait for the bathroom lines…so Ed and I found some bushes…and we all decided to push on to the next stop. Mike couldn’t hold it any more, and he stopped at the top of a cliff to find a place to let it go. The rest of us continued down alongside the ocean, as a perfectly synched train at around 22mph…just cruising through the crowds, dodging cars…as we viewed the amazing ocean views, and various groups of pelicans that were flying north.
Needless to say, we skipped the next rest stop as well, in favor of finding the famous “starbucks” where it was rumored that Pierce Brosnan liked to hang out at their.
Riding through Malibu was interesting. It was full of beautiful people, cars, traffic, views, and not much of a shoulder to ride on. But we made it to LA just fine. In fact, this was Gary’s coming out party. If he was tired or sore from the week’s worth of riding, he wasn’t showing it. He sliced our train through Malibu and took no prisoners. In fact, the rest of us 40mph’rs at the back of the pack were seriously questioning what that man had for breakfast that morning. He was putting the hurt on us! I told him later, after that amazing pull I’d be his wing man anytime.
Since we arrived to Los Angeles early, we stopped at the soup plantation for lunch. I decided to have a much missed chicken paninni at Noah’s bagels…I had to eat it quickly before Ed did..for he was threatening to take it.
Closing ceremonies was a bit anti climatic. After all, it was the end. We had done our fundraising, rode our miles..it was over per se. But for me, the most important part was that we all finished in one piece as well and were able to meet up with our families again.
By the way, the city of Los Angeles treated us like heroes. As my buddies and I rode 4 abreast, side by side down a street lined with well wishers cheering for you, the thought of doing this ride again definitely sat in my mind. (Actual video of this follows - thanks Marc!)
Tracey and Marc (Very close friends of ours) were kind enough to hold a celebration party at their home in Chatsworth, that night. It was full of good food, cake, kids running around, etc. It was a nice introduction back into reality. We partied like rock stars until around 9pm..when each of us riders looked like we were going to pass out if we had to stay up any longer.
Now that I’m 40 I have achieved a personal best (in regards to my fitness level and well being) that I only dreamed about before. More importantly, I have given back to my community that has given me so much. In the process my ties with friends and family has only gotten stronger. I ask you, how can you not do this ride? I encourage you to participate in one way or another in the future. You won’t be disappointed.
Mo
Friday, June 8, 2007
Day Six–Lompoc to Ventura– 84 Miles
Candle Light Vigil
…Today was day six of the AIDS Life Cycle. Our route was Lompoc to Ventura. We were told it would be 85 miles, but I hear we actually road 90 plus miles. Don’t know if that is true or not. At times it felt like it.
A majority of our ride was along the ocean down the 101 freeway where, in some sections, it seemed as though the ocean would crash over the freeway if given the chance. The smell of the sea was so strong along the route that it literally made it difficult to breath. Who knew that the ocean spray could do that to someone?
One of the better stops was the unofficial Paradise Pit stop in Santa Barbara where the largest ice cream party I have ever been to was being held. It was held in a large median between lanes of traffic. The space was large enough to contain a number of table for ice cream, 5 or 6 massage tables (free massages by local heroes) and an entire troupe of Paul Mitchell students with face moisturizer spray to cool us off. I only mention Paul Mitchell because I met a lot of great people from around the country who run his schools. No, I do not work for Mr. Mitchell. I do, however, not feel guilty for eating as much ice cream as I did. Today’s ride was about 85 miles which surely merited as much ice cream as I could eat.
Pictured below, you see me (Mo) with Tracey’s brother Scott, at Paradise Pit in Santa Barbara. Scott’s parents (Mickey and Jane) surprised us by building up our tents for us before we arrived.
… Finishing the day was the candle light vigil held on the beach next to the camp sight. It was truly one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. 3,000 people lighting a beach by candle not saying a word to one another. Simply us, the sand, the waves, and the appreciation of knowing that we are participating in something very important in the memory of those who are not with us anymore because of this disease. I will never forget this night for as long as I live.
About 485 miles on the road.
…Today was day six of the AIDS Life Cycle. Our route was Lompoc to Ventura. We were told it would be 85 miles, but I hear we actually road 90 plus miles. Don’t know if that is true or not. At times it felt like it.
A majority of our ride was along the ocean down the 101 freeway where, in some sections, it seemed as though the ocean would crash over the freeway if given the chance. The smell of the sea was so strong along the route that it literally made it difficult to breath. Who knew that the ocean spray could do that to someone?
One of the better stops was the unofficial Paradise Pit stop in Santa Barbara where the largest ice cream party I have ever been to was being held. It was held in a large median between lanes of traffic. The space was large enough to contain a number of table for ice cream, 5 or 6 massage tables (free massages by local heroes) and an entire troupe of Paul Mitchell students with face moisturizer spray to cool us off. I only mention Paul Mitchell because I met a lot of great people from around the country who run his schools. No, I do not work for Mr. Mitchell. I do, however, not feel guilty for eating as much ice cream as I did. Today’s ride was about 85 miles which surely merited as much ice cream as I could eat.
Pictured below, you see me (Mo) with Tracey’s brother Scott, at Paradise Pit in Santa Barbara. Scott’s parents (Mickey and Jane) surprised us by building up our tents for us before we arrived.
… Finishing the day was the candle light vigil held on the beach next to the camp sight. It was truly one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. 3,000 people lighting a beach by candle not saying a word to one another. Simply us, the sand, the waves, and the appreciation of knowing that we are participating in something very important in the memory of those who are not with us anymore because of this disease. I will never forget this night for as long as I live.
About 485 miles on the road.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Day Five – Santa Maria to Lompoc – 44 Miles
Red Dress Day
Today was day 5 of the AIDS Life Cycle ride. For ordinary people that may not mean much, but for the people of the ALC it means only one thing, RED DRESS DAY!!
Day 5 is the famous “Red Dress Day”. This started out as “Dress in Red Day” when someone put two and two together realizing that this many rides would form a long red ribbon if all wore the same color. Being the fabulous people that we as AIDS/LifeCycle riders are, red dresses quickly became the standard uniform for this very fun day. My partner and I almost decided not to bring a dress, but knew we would regret it in the end. We were so happy we did since it was a blast to do. I usually do not care for men in dresses, but the number of both men and women wearing them was truly a sight to see. 2,333 riders in red dresses will certainly help to fulfill the visibility part of the overall ALC mission. If someone on the street doesn’t notice that, something is wrong.
The most impressive costume I saw today was the craftiness of a man wearing red leather platform knee-high heels with cleats attached to the bottom so that he can clip into his bike. How is that for dedication and ingenuity?!?!? I still cannot believe he was able to make it through the day. We had a couple of tough hills to climb that we were unaware of and I can only imagine how hard they must have been to climb while wearing stilettos. Sure, there was Quadbuster and the Evil Twins, but what about the monsters on today’s route? Lucky for us, and for him, it was our shortest day of the week. The shorter route also allowed for us to sleep in an extra hour. 6 am is much more doable than 5 am.
Oh, I almost forgot our second pit stop in Casmalia. A town of maybe 100 people in the center of a small valley who throw a killer dance/BBQ party in front of the General Store. It was like an even gayer version of the Lionel Richey video “All Night Long” with all the dancers wearing red. How we found the energy for dancing no one knows. Perhaps when you are running on Gatorade and Cliff Bars the sound of music triggers that dancing gene in us all.
This was probably the slowest departure day we had. Miles of red dresses trying to get out of town, and boy was it slow. It was no wonder the rest stops was only 9 miles out. People were getting hot, and running out of water just trying to get through the first 9 miles. As for me, I didn’t have much red on. I was definitely a fashion faux pas. I won’t let that happen again. I’m already looking through Jenn’s closet to see what red clothes she has for my next ride. HAHA.
In case you’ve been wondering, we have been traveling up the coast line to reach LA so most of our rides take us through beach areas and dusty farmlands. This particular stop was dusty, pretty much like all the rest, couple that with the gale like winds that have greeted us and you have one dirty, dusty girl.
Day 5 was my biggest challenge on the bike. On day 4, I had suffered some serious front wheel wobble while descending a fairly steep, yet quick hill. A vicious cross wind had took control of my front tire. I was doing about 30mph down hill when my front tire felt like it was slipping on ice. Not a great feeling. All I could think of was that I would soon be crashing onto my right shoulder, and how to brace for it. At the same time I went against all my instincts and stopped braking for my brakes made matters worse. I managed to recover control, and come to a stop at the bottom of the hill, but the damage was already done. Mentally, I went from a confident 42mph down hiller, to a 20mph or less. All of a sudden, bicycling wasn’t fun for me anymore. At least not the descents.
Ed and I took off from the group this day. For me, I knew Ed would get me through the day fast. And I knew he would dust me on the descents. This was good, for as far as I was concerned, I didn’t want anyone waiting for me to catch up. More importantly, I didn’t want to endanger any of my buddies as they would have to pass me on fast descents. Today was the day I seriously felt like chucking my bike into the trees and giving up. But that’s not me. I thought of all the sacrifices my family made for me on this trip, and of all the support I received from friends and colleagues. Deep down, I also knew that I loved to ride. So I kept going, doing my best to get a grip of my fear and continue.
The great part of this day, was that once the majority of hills were done, there was this wonderful stretch of road for about 7 miles at least. It had a tail wind. I cruised solo at about 26mph…solo! I wizzed by bikesand heard riders comment “did you see that….wow…”. It was the best feeling in the world. Cycling was fun again.
At the end of the stretch was this major climb that came out of no where. (Today, as Lorri Jean, of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, was making her nightly announcements she commented on this very hill and dubbed it “Oh My E’ffing God”).
The hill didn’t worry me, instead it was my chance to catch up to Ed. As I took the corner, I saw ed probably about 100 yards plus up the hill. He was doing great, so much so that he had a bunch of riders that were trailing him/using him up the hill..draining him for all he was worth. It took me at least 10 minutes to catch up to him. But when I did, I got him on my tail and pulled him up for the last section.
After hitting most of the hills, and hitting 26 mph on the flats, I was losing energy. This always seems to happen whenever Ed finds some rabbits to chase. He chased them, and I let him go. He then slowed down, told me to hitch on, and together we were hitting 30 + mph catching up the original rabbits. As we approached a downhill, I told him to go have fun. Anyways, during this little process we rode by Vandenburg Air force Base. Let’s just say the rider community took sweet joy at the irony of riding by their base.
Tonight was fun, for two reasons. It was our Team picture day with Schwab. We were all pretty silly and laughing. It’s amazing how a simple photo shoot could be so much fun.
Afterwards, I joined Ed, Gary, Mike, Melissa, and Jenna for dinner in town. Dos Pesos or something had us eating Mexican food, and after only a few glasses of strawberry margaritas, we were all crying at the site of Doc imitating mikey speaking Spanish. He sounded like a star wars character. Sort of a cross between a miwok and that little jedi night dude. “…ah ma…chi….na….” You had to be there to experience it..but trust me..we were in tears laughing. For the first time in my life, I finally understand why it’s so painful for Ed to hear broken Spanish spoken. For the way he hears it, it’s definitely painful!
Later that night, right before the CHP was about to lecture to us on the importance of safety, a rocket was launched. Maybe it was just me, but besides thinking how much my kids would have loved to see this…I noticed that the trail of smoke left behind formed little “red ribbons”. Sort of like a tribute from above.
Today was day 5 of the AIDS Life Cycle ride. For ordinary people that may not mean much, but for the people of the ALC it means only one thing, RED DRESS DAY!!
Day 5 is the famous “Red Dress Day”. This started out as “Dress in Red Day” when someone put two and two together realizing that this many rides would form a long red ribbon if all wore the same color. Being the fabulous people that we as AIDS/LifeCycle riders are, red dresses quickly became the standard uniform for this very fun day. My partner and I almost decided not to bring a dress, but knew we would regret it in the end. We were so happy we did since it was a blast to do. I usually do not care for men in dresses, but the number of both men and women wearing them was truly a sight to see. 2,333 riders in red dresses will certainly help to fulfill the visibility part of the overall ALC mission. If someone on the street doesn’t notice that, something is wrong.
The most impressive costume I saw today was the craftiness of a man wearing red leather platform knee-high heels with cleats attached to the bottom so that he can clip into his bike. How is that for dedication and ingenuity?!?!? I still cannot believe he was able to make it through the day. We had a couple of tough hills to climb that we were unaware of and I can only imagine how hard they must have been to climb while wearing stilettos. Sure, there was Quadbuster and the Evil Twins, but what about the monsters on today’s route? Lucky for us, and for him, it was our shortest day of the week. The shorter route also allowed for us to sleep in an extra hour. 6 am is much more doable than 5 am.
Oh, I almost forgot our second pit stop in Casmalia. A town of maybe 100 people in the center of a small valley who throw a killer dance/BBQ party in front of the General Store. It was like an even gayer version of the Lionel Richey video “All Night Long” with all the dancers wearing red. How we found the energy for dancing no one knows. Perhaps when you are running on Gatorade and Cliff Bars the sound of music triggers that dancing gene in us all.
This was probably the slowest departure day we had. Miles of red dresses trying to get out of town, and boy was it slow. It was no wonder the rest stops was only 9 miles out. People were getting hot, and running out of water just trying to get through the first 9 miles. As for me, I didn’t have much red on. I was definitely a fashion faux pas. I won’t let that happen again. I’m already looking through Jenn’s closet to see what red clothes she has for my next ride. HAHA.
In case you’ve been wondering, we have been traveling up the coast line to reach LA so most of our rides take us through beach areas and dusty farmlands. This particular stop was dusty, pretty much like all the rest, couple that with the gale like winds that have greeted us and you have one dirty, dusty girl.
Day 5 was my biggest challenge on the bike. On day 4, I had suffered some serious front wheel wobble while descending a fairly steep, yet quick hill. A vicious cross wind had took control of my front tire. I was doing about 30mph down hill when my front tire felt like it was slipping on ice. Not a great feeling. All I could think of was that I would soon be crashing onto my right shoulder, and how to brace for it. At the same time I went against all my instincts and stopped braking for my brakes made matters worse. I managed to recover control, and come to a stop at the bottom of the hill, but the damage was already done. Mentally, I went from a confident 42mph down hiller, to a 20mph or less. All of a sudden, bicycling wasn’t fun for me anymore. At least not the descents.
Ed and I took off from the group this day. For me, I knew Ed would get me through the day fast. And I knew he would dust me on the descents. This was good, for as far as I was concerned, I didn’t want anyone waiting for me to catch up. More importantly, I didn’t want to endanger any of my buddies as they would have to pass me on fast descents. Today was the day I seriously felt like chucking my bike into the trees and giving up. But that’s not me. I thought of all the sacrifices my family made for me on this trip, and of all the support I received from friends and colleagues. Deep down, I also knew that I loved to ride. So I kept going, doing my best to get a grip of my fear and continue.
The great part of this day, was that once the majority of hills were done, there was this wonderful stretch of road for about 7 miles at least. It had a tail wind. I cruised solo at about 26mph…solo! I wizzed by bikesand heard riders comment “did you see that….wow…”. It was the best feeling in the world. Cycling was fun again.
At the end of the stretch was this major climb that came out of no where. (Today, as Lorri Jean, of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, was making her nightly announcements she commented on this very hill and dubbed it “Oh My E’ffing God”).
The hill didn’t worry me, instead it was my chance to catch up to Ed. As I took the corner, I saw ed probably about 100 yards plus up the hill. He was doing great, so much so that he had a bunch of riders that were trailing him/using him up the hill..draining him for all he was worth. It took me at least 10 minutes to catch up to him. But when I did, I got him on my tail and pulled him up for the last section.
After hitting most of the hills, and hitting 26 mph on the flats, I was losing energy. This always seems to happen whenever Ed finds some rabbits to chase. He chased them, and I let him go. He then slowed down, told me to hitch on, and together we were hitting 30 + mph catching up the original rabbits. As we approached a downhill, I told him to go have fun. Anyways, during this little process we rode by Vandenburg Air force Base. Let’s just say the rider community took sweet joy at the irony of riding by their base.
Tonight was fun, for two reasons. It was our Team picture day with Schwab. We were all pretty silly and laughing. It’s amazing how a simple photo shoot could be so much fun.
Afterwards, I joined Ed, Gary, Mike, Melissa, and Jenna for dinner in town. Dos Pesos or something had us eating Mexican food, and after only a few glasses of strawberry margaritas, we were all crying at the site of Doc imitating mikey speaking Spanish. He sounded like a star wars character. Sort of a cross between a miwok and that little jedi night dude. “…ah ma…chi….na….” You had to be there to experience it..but trust me..we were in tears laughing. For the first time in my life, I finally understand why it’s so painful for Ed to hear broken Spanish spoken. For the way he hears it, it’s definitely painful!
Later that night, right before the CHP was about to lecture to us on the importance of safety, a rocket was launched. Maybe it was just me, but besides thinking how much my kids would have loved to see this…I noticed that the trail of smoke left behind formed little “red ribbons”. Sort of like a tribute from above.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Day Four - Paso Robles to Santa Maria– 99 Miles
Evil Twins, Shmeevile Twins. This was the day of the dreaded Evil Twins. Two long climbs back to back. We have all been warned about them and the stories regarding the twins are too many to count. Well, I have to say that these twins were not too difficult.
Beautiful Vista climbing up evil twin # 1
The most rewarding part of the ride so far was at the top of Evil Twin #2 where the official half way to Los Angeles mark is set. As you crest over the top of the hill, the vista opens up to a sea of grassy hills with the ocean beyond, the perfect location for the marker.
Apparently, the actual half way point is at the top of evil twin 1. Which is why, many of us stopped for one of many photo opportunities.
It was another windy day which created white crests across the ocean making for a great photo opportunity. This means another line to stand in, but I will get to that in a second. There were three sets of signs saying, “Half the Way to LA”, for the riders to take a photo in front of with the landscape behind. Who wouldn’t wait in line for that?
This was amusing. Imagine waiting in line to take a photo of yourself, holding you bike over your head, on the rock pictured below. Then think, oh cool, there are only 6 riders ahead of me. Well, we may have been only six riders, but we took 3 “single” photos, and two group photos, and multiply that by about 5 cameras, for about 2 to 3 pictures for each photo opportunity. Put it this way, it was a lot of picture taking by our small little group!
Half Way Point, and the Following Descent
Back to the lines we must stand in. Waiting for the Port-a-Potty. Waiting for food. Waiting for water. Waiting for pretty much everything. When you are at Disneyland, waiting in line gets annoying. While you are here, waiting in line turns into an integral part of the experience. I have met more people standing in line for something than any other moment so far. The crazy thing is that there are quite a few people who live in the same city as me. New friends to ride with are never a bad thing.
I got a bit nostalgic again today. Every summer when I was a kid, my family would pack into an RV and head out to a lake in this area to fish and camp at. We would always drive through Pismo Beach and around Morro Bay. The route today took us through both of these cities which seemed to have changed so much since I was a kid. Maybe it is because we never drove through the city as we did today? At any rate, the massive rock formation in the center of Morro Bay is just as I remembered it. It seems to have been plopped down in the middle of the bay by a huge giant. Basically it is a huge mountain sitting in the middle of the water. Looks like something out of a movie.
The wind was both a godsend and a nuisance. It was great when it was a tailwind, but was hateful as a crosswind. Later in the afternoon on our last leg into camp, the crosswind was fierce enough to almost blow us off of the road while we were blinded by the dirt it kicked up from the fields surrounding us. Thanks again to the Cycle Gods of the Tailwind who pushed us the last 10 miles to camp. Cruising at 25 mph with no effort is always exciting.
We all came back very dirty and very tired. The hot shower was much deserved for us all.
364 miles on the road.
Beautiful Vista climbing up evil twin # 1
The most rewarding part of the ride so far was at the top of Evil Twin #2 where the official half way to Los Angeles mark is set. As you crest over the top of the hill, the vista opens up to a sea of grassy hills with the ocean beyond, the perfect location for the marker.
Apparently, the actual half way point is at the top of evil twin 1. Which is why, many of us stopped for one of many photo opportunities.
It was another windy day which created white crests across the ocean making for a great photo opportunity. This means another line to stand in, but I will get to that in a second. There were three sets of signs saying, “Half the Way to LA”, for the riders to take a photo in front of with the landscape behind. Who wouldn’t wait in line for that?
This was amusing. Imagine waiting in line to take a photo of yourself, holding you bike over your head, on the rock pictured below. Then think, oh cool, there are only 6 riders ahead of me. Well, we may have been only six riders, but we took 3 “single” photos, and two group photos, and multiply that by about 5 cameras, for about 2 to 3 pictures for each photo opportunity. Put it this way, it was a lot of picture taking by our small little group!
Half Way Point, and the Following Descent
Back to the lines we must stand in. Waiting for the Port-a-Potty. Waiting for food. Waiting for water. Waiting for pretty much everything. When you are at Disneyland, waiting in line gets annoying. While you are here, waiting in line turns into an integral part of the experience. I have met more people standing in line for something than any other moment so far. The crazy thing is that there are quite a few people who live in the same city as me. New friends to ride with are never a bad thing.
I got a bit nostalgic again today. Every summer when I was a kid, my family would pack into an RV and head out to a lake in this area to fish and camp at. We would always drive through Pismo Beach and around Morro Bay. The route today took us through both of these cities which seemed to have changed so much since I was a kid. Maybe it is because we never drove through the city as we did today? At any rate, the massive rock formation in the center of Morro Bay is just as I remembered it. It seems to have been plopped down in the middle of the bay by a huge giant. Basically it is a huge mountain sitting in the middle of the water. Looks like something out of a movie.
The wind was both a godsend and a nuisance. It was great when it was a tailwind, but was hateful as a crosswind. Later in the afternoon on our last leg into camp, the crosswind was fierce enough to almost blow us off of the road while we were blinded by the dirt it kicked up from the fields surrounding us. Thanks again to the Cycle Gods of the Tailwind who pushed us the last 10 miles to camp. Cruising at 25 mph with no effort is always exciting.
We all came back very dirty and very tired. The hot shower was much deserved for us all.
364 miles on the road.
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