Goodbye Cali!

What an adventure so far! I am soaking in each day and moment right now. The feeling I have and share with all the other riders is one of freedom. We have been so busy and stressed constantly for so many years pursing our careers in medicine and now on this ride we are free from all of that, focusing on one goal that we all share and are passionate about. A life living out of a bag while not being reliant on others or technology makes me appreciate life in general. It's difficult to accurately share how great it feels but is one I need to hold on to and remember from now on.

So we are now on day 4 of our trip and so much has happened. We are now more a team and more a group of friends that share a unique, special bond from now on. I've ridden some with nearly every rider and have heard quite a few incredible stories and backgrounds that humble myself and where I'm at in life.

Day 2- my Garmin was charged and ready to go after the mishap on day 1. We left the mountains I'm fashion, nearly topping out at 50mph personally, everyone crushed the day giving us lots of free time on the afternoon. We stayed at a church/school in Westmoreland,CA that catered to children with rough upbringings. After arriving I joined a discussion over my nutrition PowerPoint with a classroom full of brilliant young teenagers. Then they took revenge of us lecturing to them by completely dominating us at volleyball! There had to have been some future all-star athletes in that group! We enjoyed a Mexican dinner and getting to know our host and the inspiring work she has dedicated her life to. Side note- carrots and avocado country is here! They were growing everywhere!

Day 3- we nearly had a century ride (100 miles) with a total of 94.5 miles logged. We will have plenty of chances to surpass that feat in the next several weeks. We did successfully make it out of Cali and into our second state, Arizona! The ride was mostly in the desert with some tough spots, with lots of head and cross wind most of the day and road work causing us to walk a few steps across a closed, destroyed section of road instead of doing a 50+ mile detour. We did pass through a rec area full of people exploring the dunes and had a great tail wind for a 20 mile section where we flew at over 30mph. We rode into Yuma and stayed at the nicest, largest high school I have ever been in. I missed the lectures that day as they took place in the morning by the crew members but my PowerPoint was used again to teach some basic nutrition to elementary kids. I'm looking forward to having the chance to present my work to a group soon but am so glad it is coming into such great use for everyone. My research and passion for learning about chronic disease is something I always love sharing about and seeing other people becoming interested in. That evening at the school we played HORSE in the gym and I was dominated since its been at less 4 years since shooting a basketball. It's not "like riding a bike", you do loose the form and skill of shooting.

Day 4- I was on crew which consists of preparing meals, marking the course, aiding rest stops, cleaning, and helping with the logistic for the day. We are a self sustained group which means we all must do our part to help ever so often. This keeps our cost down even more and allows us to make the most of our donations we receive by aiding our global non profit health organizations. I have a "servant leader" attitude so of course I loved the day but sure missed riding. I did run a few painful miles for some bad reason and will be taking a break from that for a while to focus on the ride. Tonight we are staying in another school gym in Dateland,AZ. It was another shorter day of 65 miles which allowed extra time to hang out. I ha my 1st date flavored shake, made a great chicken stir fry dinner for 25 people, and then we ended the day with a jam session with guitar, harmonica, and singing that involved most of the group and lasted a few hours. Showering has been an issue, yesterday no hot water and today using a garden hose outside, but that truly adds to the adventure and to what I talked about in the beginning of this now long post. I could go on for a while about everything but will make you wait.

Please go to r4wh.org for more info and my personal page if you would still like to donate. Also look for my Facebook and twitter account along with ride for world health's twitter and Facebook for the most updates. I have tons of awesome info about Oklahoma events that I will post in a few days once we have Wi-fi in Phoenix. I'm excited about the events and think with your help we can make it the best part of the ride for all the riders. Thank you everyone once again for the support though this life changing journey for myself, the people we encounter, and the people benefiting around the world.