Day Six - Lompoc to Ventura

I got my breakfast early. I told Glen I would get him a cup of coffee (black and bitter - insert your our "Airplane" line here). He said that would be good, but to not be surprised if he was already gone when I got back. We'd both learned our lesson yesterday about dawdling. I did not mind. After all, Glen had set up the tent alone almost every day of the Ride so far. This was not a problem, particularly since the Gear Trucks were so close!!!

The morning was still cool, almost cold, so I wore my long-sleeved LMRA Bike Club Jersey. That turned out to be a really good call. The first several miles were a gradual climb. There was some traffic, but we could certainly handle it.

At the first Pit, Glen and I caught up with each other. I joked that I left the tent for him to take care of. He joked back that he HAD taken care of it.

I spotted a guy wearing a really cool University of Texas cycling jersey. He too now lived in California, but he said that he had noticed me earlier in the ride. Imagine! With 2332 other riders a little thing like a Texas flag on a jersey will get one on noticed! I'll have to remember that for the next time.

We did stick around a bit at this pit, but not too long. The riders at the next pit stop were not going to be allowed to proceed until 9:30 anyway. That was when the Highway Patrol would close a lane of a particularly dangerous bridge for OUR exclusive use! Yay!

The next section of the road would be a nice downhill followed by a nice long ride along the coast. When we got to the coast, we had a VERY nice tailwind!

Lunch was leisurely. But then it was time to hit the road. There were several short steep hills to negotiate, but they were all manageable. It was not too long before we got to the coast again. The route took us to a bike path which led down to the harbor. It was about the same spot where we had the pit four years ago.

Pit Three was a bit on the "wrong" side. Their theme was "Naughty Cheerleaders". I was cheered in by two Roadies doing the opening cheer from "Bring It On", one of my guilty pleasures. As I got a little farther down the path, there was one VERY naughty male cheerleader. His "outfit" left very little to the imagination! So, I had to get a picture of that.

I called Carlos from this pit, just as I had four years ago. This time he was actually at his desk. It was such an amazing day! The ride was going well. I was ahead of schedule. Hardly anything could be better!

A little farther down the path was the "Paradise Pit", which was put together by several local AIDS and GLBT organizations in the area. It is a highlight of the day. They serve ice cream, cookies, give massages, and play music. It's generally a bit of a party. Unfortunately, it was also quite crowded. So, I took in the sights and got back on the road. I had remembered a pesky uphill just past this pit.

It turned out to be not as bad as I had remembered it.

And on down the road we went, mostly close to the Ocean. There was a quick water stop down the way. I met up with Glen again at this point. It was nice to be able to take our time and still make it to camp. I guess he saw that I could show up to camp later and still have a good time. Besides, it really did not matter much when you arrived, there were still going to be lines at the showers.

We got back on the road to head down to Pit Four, for the last time on this ride. Just before we got on the highway, we passed by a small office building where one younger employee was just leaving. He called out to us, "Good Job, Guys!". It amazed me how many people along the way knew what we were doing and would acknowledge it. That always made me feel good!

It was literally a breeze as we rode down the Bike Lane on the PCH. Rush hour traffic was zooming by us, but the lane was wide enough and there was an ample emergency lane to our right.

Pit Four was warped and poignant at the same time. They had a "Battleship" Theme. The signs on the way in announced that the Captain of THIS battleship was away and that fun would ensue. Hmm...

The entrance to the pit stop was lined with Roadies dressed as sailors standing at attention and saluting the riders as we rode in. THAT was cool! The feeling is mutual. I could hardly help but get a little bit misty. This is the last Pit Four of the Ride

I met up with Glen once again at this pit. I think that even if I had not seen Glen on Day Zero, he would have been one of the 20 people that I would be destined to run into every day, but it's hard to know for sure since we were tentmates.

The "sailors" at this pit had a large backdrop to use for taking pictures with riders. They were being typically naughty, but fun. It was sad to think this would be the last time we would get to partake in their hijinks.

There were only about 11 miles to go to get to camp. Once again, it was a very pleasant ride. Eventually we got off the highway and entered the bike path in Ventura. The path got a little busier as we neared the campground.

There were MANY people cheering when the riders entered the final campsite. Ventura is so close to Los Angeles that many families and friends can go up to get a "taste" of what the ride is like. But there was one very special guest, who actually joined the ride in Ventura. Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has ridden this leg of the ride for MANY years, ever since he was mayor! This year would be no different.

Glen and I got the tent up. We got our showers and then prepared to deal with the very mixed emotions of the evening. This being the final night in camp, almost everybody is a little sad that the ride is coming to an end and very happy for having participated. The presentations this evening and the Candlelight Vigil would only serve to intensify both of those feelings.

We got to dinner pretty early, to ensure that we got the best seats possible. They went through the usual "Safety Report" and the outlook for the final day's ride, which included the usual Google Earth view of the route. Then the mood turned nostalgic. They played a short video that contained scenes from the first six days of the ride. I came "this close" to losing it entirely. I was a mess! I would find out later that the music used as the soundtrack was Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten", which is SO APPROPRIATE for this Ride.

Then they honored the oldest Crew member on the Ride, the 79 year old woman who stood in front of me on Day Zero. They told the story of her losing one son to AIDS in San Francisco. She flew out from Missouri to be with him but really could not talk to anybody in her very small hometown about it. She was on the ride with another son (a rider) and found over 2000 people who she could talk to.

She was called up to the stage to say a few improptu words. Obviously, she was very moved. I will not be surprised if we see her in Camp Services again next year.

Then.....everybody got up to get the candles that we would be using for the vigil on the beach. I had somehow missed this four years ago....I don't know how. The sun had just set, but there was just enough light to see our way out to the beach and gather in a HUGE circle, a couple people wide.

There were no words spoken. Just the sound of the ocean waves and the light of the candles as the last glow of dusk faded. This probably lasted for about 15 minutes, maybe more. It really brought home the REAL reason that we do the ride. Sure, the challenge and adventure are attractive, but there was one thing binding all of us. Some displayed it openly by carrying pictures of lost friends and loved ones. Others carried it inside. There were at least 2333 stories. I was thinking about Roger.

The last I heard from him was several years ago and he was not doing very well at that time. I don't know if I will ever know what happened...For that reason, I found it difficult to put my candle out. It would have been like letting go. I don't know if it's too early for that or not.

Glen stayed on the beach for a while longer. He had his own reasons, which he kept to himself.

I went directly to bed after that. The final day was to be short. I was not worried much about making it, I had had no flats, no mishaps. I had a little nagging feeling that it could happen on the way into L.A. like it did last time. But I tried to not dwell on that.

So I filled the camp water bottle (for drinking in the middle of the night) and headed to the tent... for the final time of the ride...