Day 1: 3/7/15 Ocean Beach, CA to Alpine, CA - 42 miles with 3737 ft of elevation gain

The morning, 7:45 am 55º F beautifully clear and sunny: I woke up at 3:30 am with my brain humming with the expectation for the start of my ride. I have waited so long for this day, virtually my entire life. I am SO excited, the excitement and anticipation is bubbling through me like lava in the top of an active volcano. At 9am, the 43 riders and the 19 support staff will meet on Ocean Beach less than a tenth of a mile from The Ocean Villa Hotel for the rear wheel dipping in the Pacific Ocean ceremony and the start of our trip.

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon meeting as a group. Bubba Barron, our leader, reviewed all the expectations and safety strategies expected of us. Each "Coaster" introduced him or herself -- with a less than 3 minute presentation expectation per person (The entire meeting went for 4 and a quarter hours, so much for the presentation time limit expectation. Let's hope we all do better on the riding safety expectations.) The energy and excitement from the group was palpable. The average age of the riders is 63 years old. My estimate is that 80% of my fellow Coasters have not made a ride like this before in their life. It is a "bucket list" adventure while body parts are still capable to do the required physical work. The common thread is that each of us has a passion for biking and the willingness to push our body to be able to say, "I rode my bike across the country." It is quite an accomplishment.

Here are photos of before and during the rear wheel dipping in ceremony.

The afternoon, 4:30 pm 77º still beautifully clear without a cloud in the sky: After the ceremony, we headed east working our way out of San Diego and up into the mountains. All my training -- indoors at home at Cape Cod and the last five weeks riding over 1000 miles in the greater San Diego area -- totally paid off. I am in great shape. It was real work getting to Alpine as it was virtually uphill the last 15 miles, but my legs took it in stride. Big Blue is a heavy bike. I am a little slower going uphill than riders on upright bikes, but I am fast going downhill. Big Blue has 27 gears. Cadence is key. As Big Blue and I have bonded and become one over the last 8 months, I have learned to pedal at the same rate, pushing with the same power using the gears to move me along steep inclines, the flat planes, and downhill. The 27 gears work great if I discipline myself to shift constantly to maintain my cadence and rhythm. If you can believe it, even with an hour lunch break with three fellow Coasters, I was the third rider out of 43 to arrive at the campground. Here a few pictures with the dinner menu. I’ll tell you more about the food in later posts.

Make it a great day!

John