Day 0 - Orientation.
It’s like the first day of high school. So many new people I don’t know. Almost everyone is new. Lookng for familiar faces, Dan and Kelly both from Phoenix. However, this time with all the new faces, I am not worried “If” we are going ot be friends. Itis a forgone conclusion that we are all going to need to be friends and need eah other to get across the country.
A common bond is that we have all worked to raise the minimum fundraising and have earned our place in this group.
During orientation we introduce ourselves and tell what color our first bike was. As I think about it I realize that I broke the fork on my first bike as well. Of my 4 bikes in my life, I have ruined 2 forks. Somehow that just strikes me as funny.
We have dinner and everyone wants to hear how I am doing, how I am feeling and how the crash happened. I am sort of taken aback by all the interest, but it is instatnly reassuring to be in a group so caring and concerned.
Jeff and I are staying at our host’s house for the night and will get a ride down to the start line with the support RV in the morning.
We get the exercise/play room for the night and diligently set about to nervously packing and checking that we have ll or our gear. Last minute adjustments and changing over to being ready to ride, versus couch serfing with our friends/famliy.
Basically we are ready and just nervously trying to outsmart the looming shadows of the future days. For what turns out to be a terrific diversion, Ali, our host invites us out for some late night left over cake. She rode the ride in 2000 and we sit at her kitchen counter talking about our guesses and her expereince of what is to come. After all the “nervous nellying”, we have been doing, I am refilled with a sense of excitement and peace that it is time and it will all be fine.
I go to bed positive and looking forward to tomorrow.
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