Even though I didn't get a chance to soak my legs in hotel's 

whirlpool, I still felt pretty good pulling out of the parking lot Sunday morning. The first part of the ride was unattractive suburbia, but very quickly we found a bike path and started pedaling along the beautiful coastline. We passed an interesting little outdoor museum of naval missiles. This photo by Clinton Steeds shows the view:

We pedaled fast to Leo Carrillo State Park where we met up with a contingent of riders from Los Angeles. That was a fun lunch. By now, I was so thrilled with the ride I had to give our ride producer a big hug! I was nervous; this was our first fundraising ride. It was going to be OK. :-) 

After lunch, I got to ride alongside Eric Bruins for a stretch and that was a treat. Eric is the Policy Director for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, and a political whiz. This was the only stretch of the entire ride where we were riding next to fast traffic; and the ride marshals did a great job of making that feel comfortable. Eric and I discussed the Coastal Commission and what it would take to make the few (but politically challenging) changes to carve a bike lane along the Pacific Coast Highway. 

It was sweet to drop onto the bike path leading into Santa Monica. We pulled into the Youth Hostel with plenty of time to relax and get our bearings before exploring Santa Monica on our own. I had some work to do and besides, I'm getting more introverted as I age, so I went off on my own, found a great pub, took care of some work and watched some Sunday Night Football.