Mission accomplished!

At about 11:30 Saturday morning my phone buzzed with a text.

"17 miles from the finish. Having lunch." The excitement and exhaustion must have been an interesting combination of emotions.

After that relatively short distance there were closing ceremonies, parties and after-parties. But a funny thing happened. Suddenly there was no word from anyone :-)

Neither did Kristy ring in nor did the ALC websites post any updates. One can only imagine that the rewards of soft beds, plumbed and unlimited showers, restaurant meals and parties without curfews were too tempting and that media chores were set aside for a day.

Kristy - here's hoping you had the experience of a lifetime! It's been great to follow you and share little bits and pieces. Looking forward to welcoming you home, seeing your photos and hearing some of the many stories I'm sure have of fun, friendships and accomplishment.

Cheers girl - you have made many proud...hopefully most of all, yourself!

This is IT!

Unbelievable! The week is over and today Kristy will pedal the final miles and roll into LA. You rode half the length of California girl! So much dedication and passion for a single cause.

It's hard to imagine all the emotions that you will feel today. Maybe fatigue. Excitement. Elation. Accomplishment. Soreness. Sadness. Withdrawal. Peace.

Hours from now you will have completed one of the most amazing feats of your life. I'm sure I can say, for all of us supporting you - you are a hero and we couldn't be more proud.

Big love from the North, Kristy, to push you those last miles. I hope, even if there are also tears, that today comes with many smiles!

Day 6 - cancelled!

After flooded tents and riders turned back, organizers of ALC 8 and the California Highway Patrol had to cancel day 6 of the event for unsafe and inclement weather conditions.

Some blogs and tweets expressed riders' disappointment but there also seemed to be high spirits and fun as participants made the best of it. What else can you do when you have to wait in line most of the day to ride a bus 85 miles with your bicycle? Kudos to organizers for figuring out how to salvage the day, and to the roadies who had to pull up soggy stakes and put them back down again immediately for likely restless riders.

Kristy checked in last night at the end of the 'crazy day.' There was a candlelight vigil in camp on the last night. "WOW - powerful" was what she had to say about that. We can only imagine with the combined passion of those thousands of riders. "Amazing experience" she closed.

So, in a couple of hours the last night of camping will be over and bags will be packed one last time. One more day in the saddle, Kristy! Enjoy every stroke.

Mother Nature is cranky!

While Portland was weathering crazy thunderstorms and lightning, I could only hope the storm band did not reach far south.
At 6:08 am I had my answer - Kristy texted "woke up to a flooded tent." That hardly seems fair, does it? No word of the state of her gear, but let's hope ALC 8 organizers will find a way to dry them all out quickly and thoroughly.
3 hours later came the reality check. "Raining so hard on the mountain pass they are not letting us leave camp." No word yet how they will remedy that, but probably not what organizers were bargaining for.
Hang in there, K. Be safe!

NOW IS THE TIME!!!

Hey friends - Now is the time! Kristy has pedaled nearly 400 miles already. She has 2 days left. 147+ more miles. 48+ hours away from all the creature comforts we've enjoyed all week. Now is when she needs us!

Post comments. Sent texts. Beam your strongest, most positive juju!

Kristy - you are courageous! An inspiration! A hero!

Keep it up girl. Be proud - we all sure are proud of you!

Home stretch. Much love!

Lions and Tigers and ... Bees - OUCH!

Today was the 'short' day - 65 miles! When was the last time you rode your bike 65 miles? Whew!

It was red dress day - quite apparent in the photos. It also looks like they made it to Solvang, a renowned Scandinavian town along the SoCal coast. Most importantly, there are only 2 days and 147.2 miles left. Piece of cake I tell you!

Our beloved Kristy, on the other hand, has had an intense couple days. At 4:51 pm today she reported in with this:

"Hotter than Hell right now. Got heat rash today and stung by a bee yesterday...along with a flat." To boot, word has it the bee found some sensitive tissue for that stinger. Sorry Kristy!

"Today's wine country had some killer hills. Nice ride overall other than too much sun. Still feeling pretty good."

Evening entertainment was slated to be the comedian ANT - in Lompoc, no less. Last time I was there the woman I was marking on the soccer field was yaking tequila left overs on my boots. Oy!

Tomorrow our stung, rashy girl faces another 85 miles with some crazy downhill, apparently. Makes me wonder - what goes down, must have gone up, right? Hey Kristy - have you done that much more up than down? You must be tired!

Home stretch, Babe! Keep the faith. Maintain the spirit. We know you will do it and do it with grace.

Comments

Don't forget - you can click on the 'comments' link at the end of any of the posts and leave your comments behind. Write a thought or two. I'm sure Kristy will love to see them when she gets back!