I got an invite from Noreen to go cycling, starting in Camarillo and then down PCH to Trancas and then back. It sounded like a great ride. When I got to Camarillo, the same starting point as Wednesday with the Old Kranks, I only knew Noreen. Everyone else was a stranger to me – three men and two women – but they were very welcoming and friendly. They had been cycling for a long time, so they were pros.
We headed down Las Posas. It was a pretty fast group. Peggy and Jane took off really fast and Noreen and I were right behind them. And the three guys were behind us. Once we got to PCH we headed south. We made a quick bathroom stop and that’s when we met up with the guys, Dennis, Tom, and Paul. We chatted for a bit and then we got back on the road.
We made it to Neptune’s Net and then we had quite a few hills ahead of us. I was having a little trouble shifting and Dennis along side of me, gave me a few pointers and then we started talking and John, the photographer’s name came up. Dennis told me that they were best friends. I told him that when I first rode with John, he told me that he had been a photographer at an all-girls private school in Los Angeles and when I asked him “Which one?” He told me, “Immaculate Heart” and that’s when I told John, “I substitute taught there for several maternity leaves.” Then Dennis looked at me and said, “My two daughters graduated from Immaculate Heart.” It is really amazing all the connections I have made through the Arthritis Foundation.
We made our way to the Starbucks at Trancas and then grabbed something to eat. Dennis told his wife, Peggy about the “Immaculate Heart” connection and then another cyclist joined us, Stuart. He seemed to be very involved with the Arthritis Foundation and it sounded like he had done the CCC quite a few times.
It was a beautiful day as we sat outside and took in the sun. My mind started to wander. I thought back to almost 50 years ago when we came out to California and I stayed with Uncle Jim. His house was less than a mile from Trancas and I even remember shopping at the Trancas market. Then my mind came back to the cyclists. Paul mentioned something that I thought was very interesting. We were talking about the Covid effect and how we are all working from our homes. Then he mentioned the importance of environment and that J. Paul Getty would do work at different hotels. He would check into different rooms to do his work. He would bring his files with him and then work in the hotel rooms. I thought that was very interesting – the importance of environment. I wish I had the money to do that because I really would like a change of environment.
Then we headed back up the coast. They were fast riders, for sure. I was glad once we got back to the airport. Once we got back, we all chatted for a bit and I told Dennis and Peggy that I for sure would mention to Gina, the principal at the Middle School at Immaculate Heart that I had met up with the both of them. It was here that Peggy told me that we would have an entire month – October 2 – November 1 to complete all the miles. Well, that made me feel good. Peggy told me that that was actually a good place for me to start. Instead of doing 525 miles in 8 days, I now had a whole month. I felt confident that I could do that. So, the pandemic did have some silver linings and I was getting quite a few of them.
