Day 4

Today's ride was from Paso Robles to Santa Maria-94.7 miles. Last night Deanne and her friends were able to enjoy a rootbeer float. It sure tasted good after the long, hot, and windy day. D wasn't able to sleep much last night because of a security light that was shining on the tent all night. Every day when the new camp sites are set up the tents are rotated so no one tent has to experience the lights, traffic to rest rooms and whatever two days in a row. The tent mates are assigned a site and that's where they have to pitch their tent. The tents are always in the same order they just rotate up and down the rows. The weather was very cold this morning and it was really hard to get going. Deanne was able to make it to the halfway marker around 11 am. I told you that it's a tradition to have their picture taken at the sign. What I didn't tell you is that they get their picture taken while holding their bike over their head. Wow, halfway from San Francisco to Westwood and on a bike. The wind was 30 + miles per hour today. At rest stop two, Pismo Beach, the wind was blowing so hard everyone was getting sandblasted and the crew had to take down their canopy. Deanne said it looked like one giant dirt bowl. There were a lot of dead animals on and off the highway today. When the group was climbing a particularly difficult hill today they noticed an extremely large group of hawks circling overhead. Everyone started joking about the hawks anticipating a few, not so tender, bikers for lunch-sorry, not today. In all the comotion to get up the hill in the wind someome noticed that Alison (sp) was missing. Alison is having trouble with her back and so everyone was looking frantically for her. When someone looked up at the hill, that they were having such a difficult time climbing, there was Alison at the top. As they were struggling to ride up Alison got off her bike and walked up to the top-at least she hadn't been carried off. Thanks to Alfred Hitchcock any flock of birds can be intimidating. Deanne's knee was giving her a lot of pain. She said "it felt like someone was stabbing me under my right knee cap with a screw driver". Needless to say, at mile 33 she asked if someone could tape the knee for her. The rest stop crew insisted that she go on the bus to the Santa Maria Camp to see the medics. Deanne thought that she could go back and finish the days ride but the medics had a different idea. D tore a tendon and damaged a ligament. But with massage, manipulation, and some Tylenol she should be able to ride tomorrow. She was upset that she had to SAG -be picked up by the Support and Gear vehicle, but realizes that she probably couldn't pedal up another hill with just one leg. Over 400 cyclists SAGed before lunch today. Heather was the only one of "the group" to make it all the way today-way to go Heather! The food is great and everyone is having a lot of fun. Deanne keeps seeing more and more Giant bikes, mostly guys though. Tomorrow is "red dress" day. Let's hope that tomorrow is a better day and that the wind isn't as brutal.

Mom