Today, I went on a hike. I went to the Victory Trails Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve. I had been there many times before, but it had been awhile. It was a beautiful day, clear skies and all. And I got another donation - $100. When I saw it pop up on my FB page I was confused because I didn’t know anyone who had that much money to donate. All my friends are teachers and they are always broke. It was from my cousin Jim, who is an engineer. Today on my hike I walked 3.22 miles with [...]

Today was the day that I officially registered for the CCC. I contributed $200 of my own money to get started. And then right after I created my FB fundraising page, I got my first contribution for $50! I was ecstatic! One of my students, Willow contributed $50! And then I got a contribution from a friend I had many, many years ago back in Swansea! That night I got a call from Cap’n Pete from Team Billy. He too made me feel right at home. Cap’n Pete is a real veteran. He has been doing this since 2000, so [...]

I talked with Suzi, one of the captains for Team Billy. She was so encouraging and supportive. For the past few months I have been doing this all on my own. Now it was so nice to have other people who I could reach out to for help, guidance, and advice. And Suzi said she could help me get a new tire for my bike a lot sooner than 2 weeks! And the other thing she told me was how important it is to cross train. I had never thought of it before, but Suzi said that when she hiked [...]

I had checked out the Arthritis Foundation website a few days ago, and I was very close to registering for the CCC – the California Coast Classic – the eight-day bike event from San Francisco to Los Angeles, October 3-11. I could sign up as an individual rider or I could join a team. I really liked Team Billy. Their page was very inviting and welcoming. That was the team I wanted to join, so today I left a message for Suzi. She texted me back and we are going to talk tomorrow.

It was a little bit cooler, so I was able to ride my bike. I wasn’t sure where I was going to go, but I ended up riding over to Calabasas. I rode down Burbank Blvd. to Valley Circle took a left and then over the freeway and then right on Calabasas Road. I turned at Mureau Drive and breezed down to Las Virgenes. Instead of going left on Las Virgenes, I took a right and went all the way to the end. At the end of Los Virgenes there was a hiking trail, one that I will want to [...]

I hadn’t ridden my bike for almost a week, so I was glad to be back on the road. I wasn’t sure which direction to go in so I went in two directions, first I rode west to Calabasas and then I came back to Woodland Hills and rode north to West Hills. I rode down Burbank Blvd., left on Valley Circle, right on Calabasas Road, but instead of heading straight and heading to Agoura Hills, I took a left on Parkway Calabasas and rode past the Calabasas Country Club. The view of the golf course was spectacular. I had [...]