|
 Six
days into AIDS/LifeCycle, many of the Cyclists
are coming to grips with the fact that the route
is about to end.
"I am filled with happiness
-- that our ride has been so great -- and yet
filled with melancholy -- that we only have 1
day left," writes Cyclist #1001, Jan Olson,
in her webcast
journal.
"Today was remarkable,"
writes Ben Goldstein, Cyclist #4794 and Positive
Pedaler, in his webcast
journal. " Going
through the Gaviota pass was stunning - majestic
rock formations and a terrific downhill ride.
I've been on that road in a car, but on a bicycle
I could truly feel the impact of the grandeur
that surrounded me. ... I actually feel stronger
now at the end of this week than I did when it
began - in fact, I feel as if I could bike another
600 miles!"
"There is something about
cycling along the Pacific
Ocean that is therapeutic," Edna Flores
(Cyclist #4146) writes
in her webcast journal.
 Of
course, the Roadies injected their own brand of
fun at the rest stops -- including the world premiere
of Cirque
de So Gay at rest stop #1 and the musical
stylings of Britney
Spears and Hedwig
and the Angry Inch at rest stop #4.
Tomorrow -- the Cyclists' triumphant
arrival in West Hollywood as a testament to perseverance
in the fight against AIDS.
-- Jeff Brock
Webmaster, AIDS/LifeCycle
Avid
playground enthusiast, reporting from the
Kinko's in Ventura
Destination: Ventura
Located an hour north of Los
Angeles, Ventura was established in 1782 when
the Mission San Buenaventura was built. Though
explorer Gaspar de Portola passed through 13 years
earlier, the region grew only after Father Junipero
Serra decided to break ground and build one final
mission in his chain of 21 stretching along the
California coast.
Adobe houses sprang up around the mission in
the early 1800s and by the trime a railroad system
arrived in 1887, word was already out about this
garden spot near the coast. The city's name was
shortened from Buenaventura to Ventura as the
town grew into a cultural center for nearby farm
enterprises and growing oil businesses.
Many of the historic buildings in Ventura provide
insight into an earlier time. The city is full
of charm that is threatening to disappear due
to the burgeoning beach communities.
-- Joe Fera
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