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/



Thursday, August 12, 2010

Day 22, August 1, 2010: Santa Monca to Catalina (30 miles to San Pedro)

During breakfast at the hostel, Jim and I met a man who has a friend whose two children suffer from PKD. He thanked us for telling him more about it. Dwight from the L.A. Chapter met Jim and I at the hostel to pick up our bike box for transport to San Diego. It took a little while to get organized.

Dwight, Vicki, Jim, and Yvonne
Rode to Oceanview Park in Santa Monica to meet people at the rally. We met Yvonne from the Orange County Chapter and her husband who took many pictures and brought us water. Thanks, Yvonne!!





We left Santa Monica at 10am and wound our way through Venice Beach, Marina del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach. We rode from bike trail to bike trail connecting all the beaches. It was a nice ride, but it took a long time to get through the beaches and past all the busy piers. I must say, it is actually quite hazardous riding on these bike trails as there are many people walking them as well (even though they say "bikes only"). It sure makes for slow-going. I would much rather be on a real road than fight my way through a maze of people. We had consulted "googlemaps" before we set out, but after getting through Redondo Beach, we decided to consult a local who told us a much simpler route through Lomita. We then climbed our way into the Lomita neighborhood and down into the industrial area of San Pedro to board the boat to Catalina Island. We didn't get to the boat terminal until 2:30, but we had plenty of time to catch the boat.

The boat ride was fun, but the seas were very rough. Each time you get up to look around, you risk falling flat on your face!!

I even found a boat in the harbor that is named after me!!










In Avalon, we checked into our hotel. We later found out that this hotel was one of the two oldest in Avalon built by chewing gum magnate, William Wrigley Jr. Catalina Island has very interesting history. Check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Catalina_Island,_California Went to the "Lobster Trap" for dinner and had my first "Ortega Burger," which is California's signature burger (with ortega chili, pepper jack cheese, and tomato) and microbrew from Eureka Brewery. I LOVE this burger!! The beer was OK.

After dinner we walked around town and made plans for tomorrow.
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