Travel to Costa Mesa to Cycle for CAC Kids

Hello Friends and Followers of Cycle for CAC Kids. I arrived in Costa Mesa, CA after a relaxing flight from St. Louis. Arlene had the tough job today, driving me to the airport after a 3:45 am wake-up alarm. After the smooth ride to Denver and onward to John Wayne Orange County Airport, I caught a quick shuttle to the Ramada Inn in Costa Mesa, about a mile from the Pacific Ocean and lovely Huntington Beach. Got settled in and soon thereafter saw the Team "America By Bicycle" ride leaders: Mike and Barbara Munk, Karen, and Jim. They were readying the welcome room for arrival of 13 coast to coast riders, and helped me get my bike that I shipped here via UPS. I reassembled the bike in my room and our mechanic, Jim, helped me tighten up the pedals and stem (part that attaches handlebars to frame). With the bike reassembled, I joined Mike and Karen, along with a visiting rider from San Diego, Bud Stratton, for a short ride along the bike path that runs along Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Mike gave me some idea of what to expect on the ride ahead and cautioned me of riding too quickly too soon. In a nutshell, he advised me to keep it comfortable and "pace yourself." Sage advice that I will heed. We rode about 24 miles, talking and catching up as the marine layer kind of sat upon us and kept the temperature around 65 degrees. In just an hour of riding I glimpsed the melting pot we call California: runners, walkers, fat tire cyclists, dog walkers (with pooper bags in hand of course!), surfers (long boarders, wet suits, boogie boards,etc), in-line skaters, sunbathers, volleyball players, outdoor racquetball players, and the world famous "Dukes"(please note: I am not making any references to bikinis, short shorts, halter tops, thongs, full body tats or gratuitous piercings). We ended up at an exotic restaurant known around America as . . . yes, we had lunch at Panera Bread Company. More great conversation and then I headed down the street to the bike shop to pick up a couple of things. The kids running the shop asked me where I was biking and when I told them Savannah, GA, they clearly thought I said "to the moon." I finished up the afternoon with a 200 yard walk to a Home Grown market to get some fresh apples, blue berries, strawberries, and the staple that holds me together, peanuts (no peanut butter available). Thanks for keeping those encouragements and donations coming in! Your generosity has pushed us above $3500 for the CAC kids. Stay healthy! Steve