Left the beach house at 9am to ride into Morro Bay to catch the bus to SLO town. I hated to leave that beach house. It was so relaxing. Rode my bike (8 miles) into Morro Bay to catch the 12A bus into San Luis Obispo. Enjoyed the ride through town and talking to a busmate about my bike trip. When we got to SLO town, the bus driver said, "Welcome to downtown SLO town."
I was so hungry so I searched the town for someplace to eat. I ended up stopping at "Louisa's Place," a favorite local's breakfast and lunch place. It had a diner-style bar around the kitchen area. Pretty cool place with downhome cooking. I had eggs benedict with home fries and iced SLO chai" tea. The meal came on a big plate and was so messy, the sauce dripped onto the counter!! YUM!!
The server brought my check and asked me what my weekend plans were. I told him about my ride and about PKD. With that, he said, "Well, I'm taking this back then!!" He took my check away from me and came back with a logo cup, bumper sticker that said "I love Louisa's Place," and a $20 bill!! I said, "Really?" He said, "Of course!" and proceeded to tell everyone in the kitchen what I was doing. Everyone said, "Wow!!" That pretty much made my day!! Thanks, Scott!! Visit his website at http://www.louisasplace.net/
SLO town is very nice with lots of shops, but not overdone. Sort of like Port Townsend, only more high end and trendy. There are no big box stores or drive-thru fast food. Nice!!
I had until 1:00 to get to the train station, which was less than a mile from town, so I made a stop at the library. I made my way to the train station and picked up my ticket where the agent reassured me that my bike would be on a rack. I still had some time, so I locked up my bike and walked down to the nearby bike shop to search for a new water bottle. I had three and now had one left. Somehow I lost two of them in Cayucos. I think I left them in the rental car. I ended up buying two water bottles, a pair of new gloves, and a new pair of Tifosi transitions bike glasses.
Back at the train station, I loaded my bike. The conductor reassured me that it wouldn't get knocked around and I had him demonstrate the stability of the bike rack. I saw two more bicycle tourists board the train, but I didn't get to talk to them much. One of them commented on my bike..."Nice Merckx!!"
I have never traveled on a train and I would have to say I enjoyed it more than flying. It's nice to watch the scenery go by and the seats are bigger and there is more legroom. My bike made it to Santa Barbara without a scratch and my hostel was right across the tracks!! The people at the hostel were very nice, but the place was REALLY crusty!!
I went out to explore Santa Barbara and found a nice quiet place for thai food. Pad Thai was OK, but not spicy enough. I'm not complaining-I was hungry-but it wasn't the same as Khu Larb Thai or Bahn Thai. I walked up State Street which is a very trendy shopping area with nice restaurants and wine bars, art galleries, etc. I also walked down to Stearn's Wharf, but not much there except more restaurants. There is a beautiful view from there of the mountains. I spent some time relaxing on the beach and watching the birds in the tidal pools. A blue heron got within 50 feet from me. Some other kind of white birds were doing some sort of courting ritual. And the ducks were sticking up their tails, diving for food and washing their feathers. It was all very peaceful, until...the gulls decided to do a fly-by and poop all over me!! YUCK!! So much for my clean clothes!! I am destined to have dirty, stinky clothes the whole tour!!
Found out I can't check out of the hostel until 8:30 am!! What?!! I have a 90 mile ride tomorrow and need to hit the road early!! Riding to Santa Monica tomorrow where I will meet Jim!! Yay!!
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About the Ride
Adventure of a Lifetime!
I set out on this adventure to ride the Pacific Coast Highway to have fun and see what I was made of. My goal was to do the entire route from Seattle to San Diego in 26 days. I ended up riding 21 of the 24 days I was scheduled to ride-a total of 1331 miles. I climbed up many headlands along the way-one of them being a 7% grade for 3 miles-950 ft. It was a very difficult journey, but fun as well. I accomplished a lot and even though I chose not to ride a section of the route, I learned that I can be happy with what I did accomplish and learn about myself in the process. So I ask you, to what end do we accomplish our goals? It's not enough to get to the end of the road without enjoying the ride and learning along the way. It is a process. To what end do we set out on the adventure of life? To say we did it, or to tell others about the experience of it? It is in the telling of it that it becomes meaningful-to share with others to that they may be inspired to dream about their own adventures-to have their own experiences to share. Some of the high points on the road for me were: cresting a hill after a big climb and high-fiving my friend at the top, racing down a hairy decent on the other side, going 24 mph with the wind at my back pedaling effortlessly, the thrill of roller-coaster hills, and a nice hot shower and a cold beer at the end of a hard ride. Some of the challenges were: crosswinds that threaten to knock you off your bike and push you into traffic, crossing scary bridges, having to change clothes several times a day due to weather fluctuations, and navigating. I learned about fear and courage and the kindness of strangers. With PKD, we deal with fear of the unknown. We don't know what lies ahead on the road to the future, yet we must press on. We must have courage to face the unknowns and the wisdom to ask for help. We must accept help with a gracious attitude and know that the kindness of strangers is out there in abundance-we just have to ask. I learned about perspective. When you set out to accomplish a goal and are disappointed by setbacks, you must remember to keep your perspective. The road can be arduous and setbacks are inevitable. Honor the road that you are on and learn from your setbacks. Respect your limits and work to stretch yourself a little more next time. Remember your struggles and honor the struggles of others. Respect your experiences and the experiences of others. The road of life is long and each person's experience of it is different. I learned about failure. Failure is not an option with PKD. If we fail, we no longer are participating in life. To fail does not mean falling short on your accomplishments. Failure is simply to give up striving for excellence in ourselves. When we fail to participate in life, we fail ourselves. When we face a fork in the road, we must choose our way. We must take time to regroup in order to press on toward success. These are some of te lessons I learned on the road that I want to pass on to you all: Challenges are best experienced with a friend, don't leave your partner behind, don't bite off more than you can chew, take rest when you need it, reach out for help, when all else fails cry and pray, when you miscalculate the distance revert to plan B, plan for the worst and hope for the best, and when a bird poops on you wash your clothes and move on!
About PKD
About PKD
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is one of the most common, life-threatening genetic diseases, affecting more people than Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and sickle cell anemia - combined. More than 600,000 Americans and 12.5 million people worldwide battle Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) every day.
PKD equally affects men, women and children - regardless of age, race, geography or ethnic origin. It does not skip a generation. There is no treatment or cure for PKD. Until one is found, PKD will threaten the lives of every generation of every family living with the disease.
Those who inherit PKD develop fluid-filled cysts in both kidneys. Over time, these cysts grow and multiply, causing the kidney to increase sometimes dramatically in size. Although a normal kidney is roughly the size of a human fist, PKD kidneys can grow to be the size of a football or larger and weigh as much as 38 pounds each. More than 60 percent of people with PKD will develop kidney failure and be forced to depend on dialysis or a transplant to live.
About the PKD Foundation
About the PKD Foundation
The PKD Foundation does its work on the grassroots level primarily through the dedication of volunteers at the various Chapter locations throughout the country.
The Vision of the PKD Foundation is that "No one suffers the full effects of Polycystic Kidney Disease."
The Mission of the PKD Foundation is to "Promote programs of research, advocacy, education, support and awareness in order to discover treatments and a cure for Polycystic Kidney Disease and improve the lives of all it affects."
Charity Navigator, America's largest evaluator of non-profit organizations recently gave the PKD Foundation its 4-Star (highest) rating for efficiency. They wrote, "Only 12% of the charities we rate have received at least 3 consecutive 4-Star evaluations, indicating that the PKD Foundation executes its mission in a fiscally-responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America. This "exceptional" designation from Charity Navigator differentiates the PKD Foundation from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worth their trust."
In FY 2008/09, 80% of PKD Foundation fundraising dollars went toward expenses invested in mission-related programs-52% to research grants and programs, 28% to patient education and awareness, 11% to fundraising efforts, and 9% to administration.
Keep the mission going forward and donate to Ride For PKD on my fundraising website at http://www.pkdcure.org/rideforpkd
For more information on PKD and the PKD Foundation visit their website at pkdcure.org/
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