Danny’s Ride

Trip Stats:
34.67 Miles
Max Speed: 41.8 MPH
Biking Time: 3 hrs, 06 minutes, 15 seconds
Actual Time: A lot longer!

Video of Danny and Drew Dipping Their Tires in the Pacific Ocean!

We woke up at 6:30 a.m. and prepared for our second day of biking.  We had an 8 a.m. meeting with a photographer from a local newspaper so we took turns showering (you have to look good for pictures!), packed up our gear and left the hotel with plenty of time for our early morning appointment.

Last night, we called Diana from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in San Diego to tell her (brag) about our photo shoot.  Diana is a leukemia survivor herself and was responsible for our hotel and gift from the society.  She said she wanted to meet us at the shoot to wish us good luck in person.

On the short drive over to the Sheraton hotel (meeting place for our photo shoot), I received an email from my aunt saying she was going to meet us at the photo shoot as well.  She had just finished her 5:30 a.m. “Boot Camp” and was looking forward to the seeing us off one last time.

As we arrived at the Sheraton, we found a perfect parking spot for the motor home right along the water.  Things were going our way this morning!  Wearing our biking gear, we proudly walked our bicycles to the front of the Sheraton and stood looking for the photographer.  We had beaten him to the hotel, however, sitting on a bench was Diana.

We hit it off immediately with Diana.  She is such a kind and beautiful person with such a passion for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that it would be hard for anyone not to like her!  We have found the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society hires some of the best and brightest, and Diana is a shining example of this.  While talking with her, Joan, my aunt, drove up and parked in front of the hotel.  I went over to greet her and we quickly dove into talking about family and what everyone is doing now.

We talked so much that when I next looked at my phone it was 8:20 and still no photographer.  “I’m sure he is just running late.  Traffic is really bad out there,” my aunt reassured.  “Ok,” I thought.  “That must be it.”

So we talked about ten minutes more.  Still no photographer.  Now it was almost 8:30.  This wasn’t looking good.  So I called the writer of the story to find out where the photographer was – no answer.  I left a voice message asking if she knew if the photographer was running late.  Still no answer.

So we improvised.  We held our own photo shoot.  We walked back over the water, brought out our own cameras and took way more pictures than we needed and had a great time doing it.

During our “photo shoot” Diana informed us that cancer is now the leading cause of death in the United States.  50% of people will have cancer at one time or another.  Imagine your family – half will or already has had cancer.  Now that is scary.

After our photo shoot, we started heading back to where we stopped biking yesterday but before we could start – we needed to fuel up.  So we punched food into the GPS and found a small place near where we left off biking yesterday called the “Ramona Café.”

While Ken and I sat at the table, Danny searched the motor home for a notebook that was no where to be found.  After nearly 20 minutes of searching, Danny gave up and joined us.  Although we just happened to stop in, the “Ramona Café” is known for its breakfast and for good reason.  I had “The Kitchen Sink.”  It had everything you would expect from a dish called “The Kitchen Sink” including garlic.  What a meal.

Dolores, our waitress, had her sister pass from cancer.  It is always sad to hear people talk about love ones who have been lost to cancer.  One of these days, hopefully, it won’t be necessary.  Dolores – thanks for the great conversation and email.  We really enjoyed it!

We hit the road around noon and began biking on Highway 78.  It had a nice size shoulder and for the most part, drivers were very willing to move over when they passed us.  The nice, leisurely ride turned an uphill battle in a hurry.  We quickly began climbing.  It was not a big hill – it was a mountain.  Take what you are picturing in your mind right now and make it three times bigger.  Yes, it was really that big!

While I went ahead at a slightly faster pace, Danny stayed behind.  Having had a heart attack just eighteen months ago and only 40% of his heart fully functioning, he didn’t want to overdue it.  I’m glad he felt that way.  This is no reason to push ourselves to anywhere near that point.

For the next three hours, we climbed 4,500 feet of mountain stretched out over seven miles.  It was a very difficult and challenging ride.  It challenged us both mentally and physically but we kept pushing forward.  It is really a thing to see Danny almost will himself up the mountain.  At 24-years-old with a working heart, I struggled at times to climb the mountain but Danny never wavered.  I am sure that is one of the reasons Danny is still with us today.  It really is inspiring to watch him on a bike.

At one point, we stopped in a small town by the name of Santa Ysabel.  Located in Santa Ysabel was the Julian Pie Company which we had been recommended by several locals.  Danny and I had the most delicious slice of apple pie completely covered in white ice cream.  After we finished licking our plates, forks and fingers, we met Billy.  One of Billy’s best friends had just been diagnosed with cancer and was given three months to live.  Billy led us in prayer for our safety and the safety of his friend.  Best of luck to your friend Billy.  She will be in our thoughts and prayers.

When we finally crawled to the top of the mountain, it was one of the best feelings of accomplishment you could ever imagine.  Danny and I had given everything we had into slowly pedaling uphill for several hours and now we were going to be falling 4,500 feet in elevation over seven miles of winding downhill joy.

While on the way down, I saw the first sign for 4,000 ft elevation and then what seemed like an hour later, I saw another sign for 3,000 ft elevation.  When I saw the second sign, I let out a big loud laugh.  I felt like I was a little kid again having so much fun.

Going down the mountain left us with absolutely breathtaking views.  I stopped at least four times just to admire the view.  Around every turn, was a new and even better view of the mountain range.  The baby blue sky with sparse clouds created a picture you only see after hours of Photoshop.

The twisting road with no bike lane kept us on our toes but we survived in one piece.  When we reached the bottom of the hill, we had one problem.  We were in the middle of the desert with no cell phone reception and Ken was waiting for our call to pick us up.  So we continued heading east.  After several miles of flat highway, we finally came into an area with cell phone reception.

As I dialed Ken’s number and heard it ringing, I saw a motor home heading straight for us.  It was Ken.  Perfect timing.  Danny and I put our bike in the motor home and off we went.  Being in the desert, we had to drive nearly an hour to the closest hotel.

After hearing Danny’s story and a little negotiation, the Americas Inn provided us with a great rate for the night.  We capped off the night by going to an authentic Mexican restaurant.  It was delicious and the atmosphere was just as good.  We are going to be doing around 60 miles tomorrow on flat roads.