DAY 1 Santa Monica pier to San Bernardino, California
Today was the official start of the #conversationsCoasttocoast from Santa Monica pier. Glenn and I enjoyed the nice accommodations that were generously provided to the team. We had a view that looked out to the Pacific Ocean.
We got up especially early so we could help with the preparations and loading of the van with everyone's gear. The photographers, James and Jon had Neil miked and ready to go early so they could take some "shots" of Neil.
We're trying to figure out the of loading and unloading the van and where everone's gear is located. It was quite comical as I was learning the "ropes" and "procedures" of the bicyclists. For example, it was kinda cool on Monday morning but about 2 hours into the ride the bikers were shedding their jackets and changing their cloves.
Footnote: please excuse any error in my commentary, as I am new to this and my language and bicycle terminology might be different that what is commonly used.
The 4 folks, Caroline, Neil, Wes and John were all at the pier at 6:45am. Even before we began the kickoff, Neil was sharing the Gospel with a fellow. I haven't heard of his life experiences or what the conversation was about, however, I do know that the Gospel is being shared. I even went on "Facebook Live".
We gathered around the bikers and had a word of prayer. Prayer for protection and wisdom on this 3,000+ mile journey over 30 days and hundred of conversations. As soon as the prayer was finished, one guy that was walking along the pier, stopped and prayed for us also. Neil had a chance to talk with him too.
I know there were many other occasions where Neil was sharing and stuff. However, Glenn and I were occupied with other tasks such as packing the van, helping the bikers with miscellaneous stuff.
We putt putted along behind the 4 guys, weaving in and out of the famous Los Angeles landmarks, through the beautiful homes of Beverly Hills and along the famous Route 66 road.
We stopped in Monrovia for lunch at Mimi's. 4 folks sat out on the patio to "watch" the bikes, and the rest of us were inside. We met up with Pamela and Gary and had lunch with them. Good to see them.
We continued along Route 66 until arriving at the Wigwam Hotel. How fun is that! Official Wigwam. The Motel configuration had me staying with Caroline for the night. We unpacked, then went to a quaint mom and mom's place for supper. Glenn and I shared our dinner, just like we did at lunch. If we are going to be eating out every meal, we can't eat a full meal.
Yes, it was different going 15 miles an hour behind the bikers. We kept ourselves interetained by joking. One time, the guys were on a bike tail and we kinda "lost them". but we all caught up. Again, we are still trying to work out the kinks of everything. Monday was quite an unusual day where there were several photos stops, the also riding through the city, they guys had to stop at stop lights. I am thankful that it was Memorial Day holiday as there was not much traffic on the streets which made it a easy to track the bikers.
Day 1 May 27, Monday
Approximately 89 miles
Beautiful Sunny California weather
We have such a busy schedule, my blogs will not be proofread by Glenn this time. So please excuse any gramical errors.
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