The first day in CA

Well, there's always a way to get where you want to go... this one lobby computer was busy, sometimes with people waiting their turn, all last evening. The upside of jet lag is that 6 AM feels a lot like 9, so here I am.

Yesterday was a fine day in LA, if a little chilly. My new friends and I rode our bikes 32 miles, then had lunch at a Chipolte's Mexican Grill after the ride. We had giant burritos and XX beer. The bike path on the beach is super--miles and miles of paved two lane path, with curves and banks to keep it from getting boring. The beach itself was unbelivably clean! There were no sunbathers out, since it was only in the 60s, but we saw a lot of surfers coming in from their morning ride. Of course they were all in wetsuits! It's a little early for the Pacific to be warm enough for swimming...

At Santa Monica beach there were people setting up vendor booths of all kinds, lots of little permanent shops too... we encountered more people talking to themselves than I have ever seen in one day, or to be truthful, in my life. Saw a 3 or4 year old kid with dreadlocks. On the path there were bladers, runners, bikers, and a couple of people on little wheeled platforms being propelled by wind power with large colorful sails. It looked like a lot of fun! The roller coaster was not operating.

Today we have a bike inspection in the morning, orientation meeting in the afternoon, and a dinner in the evening. Have to fit a bike ride in there somewhere, and unload half a pound from my luggage... I thought I would give away some of my drink mix packets--they were free samples from races last year, and my bags are a tad over weight. I can also pass my book on to someone else, since I finished it last night.

Tomorrow morning we dip our rear wheels in the Pacific and begin our journey. It's pretty exciting being here with so many like minded people! Lots of fancy bikes too! I'll post a picture later from my phone--it is our group of 4 at Santa Monica Pier. We are me, Mary Ann, from Washington state, Peggy from Nebraska, and Mike from England. (It's so much easier to type it all out on a full size keyboard and send the photo later).