Hey everyone,
First, let me apologize for the scarcity of my blog posts. I mentioned this on Facebook, but good internet that lasts more than an hour is hard to come by on the road, so updating the blog on a regular basis is near-impossible for me (especially since I don't have a smart phone).
It's been about 2 weeks since my last post in Monterey, CA, and a lot has happened since then. We had our first 100 mile day from Monterey to Cambria, CA, which was really tough, especially with all of the rolling hills along the Pacific Coast Highway. The longest ride I had done before that was maybe 75 miles, so the prospect of waking up at 4 AM and going 100 seemed insane. Although it was a struggle, we made it to our destination, the middle school gym in Cambria, CA where we would be sleeping that night. My legs were just about dead when I collapsed onto the grass near the gym with the other cyclists, who were just as tired as I was. After a pizza dinner, we all went to bed to get some rest.
Nothing too exciting happened on the next day's ride to Santa Maria, CA. I thought 75 miles would be easy after doing 100 the previous day, but my legs were incredibly sore and not yet recovered from the long ride, making the 75 seem more difficult than I had expected. It was our first day of what could be considered a "hot" day, especially after a week of foggy/cold San Francisco/Northern California weather. We stayed in a Senior Citizens' Center, and had an awesome Friendship Visit with some Special Olympic athletes. We finally got to do some laundry at a very shady laundromat in the nearest town, and went to bed early again.
The next day was a 70 mile ride into Santa Barbara, CA, where we would be spending two days, which included a much needed day off of cycling. The ride itself wasn't bad--warm weather, a nice coastline, and good cycling partners, as always. Our friendship visit was at the Jodie House, a center for individuals who have survived and are recovering from traumatic brain injuries. The stories that the individuals there told about their roads to recovery were incredibly inspiring, and make me realize that I have a lot to be grateful for. After the visit, we arrived at our lodging, the Quality Inn, with rooms sponsored for us by the hotel manager, a Pi Kapp from CSU-Northridge. We had free time for the rest of the night, so a group of us decided to go grab dinner in downtown Santa Barbara, as well as visit a few of the local bars while we were there to enjoy our first night out on JOH.
The next morning, we all woke up late (8 AM wakeup!) and ate a nice continental breakfast at the hotel. We went to visit a local community center with an organization called 'Lose The Training Wheels', which was dedicated to helping kids with disabilities learn how to ride two-wheel bicycles without training wheels. Our job was to help the kids get used to riding with smaller or no training wheels around the gym and outside in the parking lot. Some of the kids picked up cycling without training wheels quicker than other, but they all tired us out, since we had to chase them around beside their bikes. After a lot of running around and smiling faces, we had a BBQ and carnival to congratulate the kids on learning to ride a bike successfully. We hung out there for a few hours before heading back to the hotel for some much needed rest.
It's getting late now and I've got to go to bed, but I'll post more entries when I get internet again. I'm writing this in Lakeside, AZ, so needless to say, I've got some catching up to do. I've begun posting pictures on Facebook, so be sure to check those out. Overall, JOH has been a blast. I've got a very distinct tan line from my cycling jersey/shorts, I've heard Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO about 5 times a day for the past 3 weeks, and me and the other cyclists have found that random quotes from Lord of the Rings or StarFox 64 can make a long ride go a lot quicker.
Thanks for reading, and Go Bears,
Ethan
No comments:
Post a Comment