JOH Day 1: Sendoff

Hey all,

 June 12th marked the first day of my Journey of Hope bike ride. After an early 4:45 wake-up call, the rest of the team and I headed over to the Golden Gate Bridge with our bags packed and bikes racked to meet our families and make our final farewells before departing on our respective journeys. I was surprised at how calm I felt in the van ride to the bridge--in the months leading up to sendoff day, I had expected to be nervous and scared of what was ahead. I was extremely happy to see so many of my family members and friends at the bridge to send me off--my mom, dad, stepmom, stepdad, older brother, girlfriend, godparents (and their kids), one of my fraternity brothers & his girlfriend, and my dog, Keegan, all showed up to say goodbye. I got to spend a little time with them, take some (re: a lot) of pictures, and eat breakfast before taking off on my ride. After a few tearful goodbyes and lots of hugs, I piled into one of the vans to head over to the north side of the bridge, where the rest of the South team and I would begin our trek.

The beginning of the ride was somewhat anticlimactic--after crossing the bridge from the north side, we were stopped at the visitors parking lot for a little while again so the crew could scout the road ahead and figure out all of the turns and whatnot. I wasn't too upset, since it gave me the opportunity to spend some more time with my family (although I'm sure they wanted to go home and get back to sleep!). After another round of waiting and goodbyes, I set off with my paceline to outr destination, Santa Cruz, about 80 miles away. The ride itself was a little challenging with all of the rolling hills along Highway 1 (and a few unexpected stops/delays along the way), as well as the sheer distance, but the views of the Pacific Ocean were breaktaking, and the perfect way to set off our journey. Unfortunately, because of timing purposes, we were all racked at mile 47 and rode in the vans to our lodging point, Santa Cruz High School.

After showering and changing, we all headed over to our friendship visit with the local Easter Seals organization, which included an amazing barbeque with some new friends. We started a dance party after eating, which proved to be quite a workout. After pictures and speeches, we all said our goodbyes and went back to lodging at the Santa Cruz High gymnasium for a good nights rest.

I've been feeling really good about this trip, and all of the nervous feelings that I had once anticipated haven't come yet. Maybe its because I'm still in California and don't yet feel like I'm a way from home--regardless, I'm enjoying myself a lot, and, despite missing everyone back home already, am greatly looking forward to the next two months.

-Ethan

P.S. Pictures will be posted soon so stay tuned