Orientation in San Francisco

Today is Day 3 in San Francisco.

I arrived on Wednesday mid-day, luckily with my bike and bag making the trip also (after initially being tagged under a Mr. Mitag, headed to San Diego). After trekking to the US Air baggage claim, I met up with a group of about 10 PiKapps and took the 1/2 hr trip to the University of San Francisco lodging.

After moving in and building the bikes, we met up and began our orientation. After an early night (3 hr time difference) it was day 2. The day began with an early wake up and a practice pack, making sure we could put everything we had into a backpack and a duffel bag. After this we had a skills assessment and unfortunately I remained at Stage One for the duration of the assessment; not due to the lack of skills, but rather due to the stubbornness of my tire. Long story short, I have gone through 3 tubes (initial, plus 2 brought with me) and heard the crew chief utter the words 'that can't be good' too many times to count. My tube is currently being replaced at a local bike shop. After this ordeal, the day markedly improved.

We headed off to our first friendship visit. These visits are the staple of the Journey of Hope. After a long day of riding, the schedule is rarely empty. Almost always a friendship visit is scheduled with a local center for people living with disabilities. On day 2 we spent roughly 5 hours at the Janet Pomeroy Center in San Francisco playing basketball, having a barbecue, and interacting with the adults and children who benefit from what the center provides. On more than one occasion I experienced goosebumps and chills at the sight of how these residents, despite their limitations, are able to persevere and enjoy life for all it can be. Highlights for the day were seeing a man with little or no vision sink a foul shot, an adult holding up a younger kid so he could slam dunk (which drove the whole crowd crazy), a halftime dance party, a resident, Susan's epic crowd riling speeches and patriotic songs.

Today, Day 3, is a little more of a relaxed day before our practice ride tomorrow. We woke up at 8 and began the day with meetings. After completion of these meetings, we headed to In-N-Out burger, a traditional meal for the team. On the way, we managed to go down the 'crookedest street' in America. While there we explored the Fisherman's wharf and had a great view across the harbor of Alcatraz.

Right now as I write this, I am preparing to leave for a SF Giants game. Tonight, they are playing the Athletics and it should be a packed ballgame. As I stated before, tomorrow is our training ride, a brief 15 miles of fun and we kick off on Sunday morning at the Golden Gate bridge.

My next post will most likely come from Napa, CA which is our first stop on this epic journey.

This is going to be a great summer.