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Accompanied by ducks
in Santa Maria's Priesker Park, Cyclists geared
up for a relatively short day of 54 miles.
At the first rest stop, children
from a neighborhood school brought smiles
to the Cyclists' faces as they lined up to meet
the heros cycling through their town.
This morning, Prema
Kerollis (Cyclist #4720) told us she's cycling
in honor of her father. "He was a really
 fun
man, he was absolutely amazing," she said.
"He passed away six years ago, from AIDS.
I've been holding on to his ashes now for about
six years. I felt that a way to honor him would
be to scatter his ashes along the way for the
ride."
 Farther
down the road, Cyclists received roadside
blessings from a Native American woman using
wisps of sage and the wing of a hawk. She had
waited at the spot since 4am in anticipation of
the Cyclists' arrival. Two of her loved ones had
died of AIDS, and she spoke with each cyclist,
asked them questions about their journey so far,
and blessed them.
 Tonight,
folks in camp will cheer their fellow Cyclists
and Roadies as they're dazzled by the unique talents
of the AIDS/LifeCycle community, in the inaugural
Talent Show, at 8pm!
-- Jeff Brock
Webmaster, AIDS/LifeCycle (reporting again from
the Kinko's in Santa Maria)
Dinner Menu
Mixed grill BBQ
Vegetarian Chili
Farmer's Market Salad
Corn on the Cob
Baked potato
Corn bread
Pecan Pie
Destination: Lompoc
The first settlers in the Lompoc Valley were
the Chumash Indians. Lompoc is a Chumash word
meaning little lake or lagoon (pronounced LOM-POKE,
never Lom-pock!). The Chumash and their predecessors
lived in this region for nearly 10,000 years prior
to European influence.
The establishment of La Purisima Mission in 1787
marked the earliest European settlement of the
Lompoc Valley. The restored mission is now a State
Historic Park.
Early Lompoc was essentially agricultural, but
the community's economy and labor base grew and
diversified. This was due in part to the establishment
and growth of Camp Cooke, now Vandenberg Air Force
Base. The population of Lompoc soared from 6,665
in 1957 to more than 58,301 in 2001.
-- Joe Fera
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