"Do One Thing Different and Change Your Life" was the gist of a book sent to me by my friends, Camille and Bob in June 2000. One of those "as seen on Oprah" books.
It was a surprise gift which I picked up on my way to the beach. I can't remember whether it was that day or the next bike and beach and book day, but I met a guy who had just finished the California AIDS Ride 7 from San Francisco to Los Angeles. He was full of enthusiasm for his recent accomplishment and his excitement was contagious.

I was familiar with the Palotta TeamWorks rides, having ridden from Boston to New York in 1995, so I decided on the spot to sign up for the June 2001 California AIDS Ride. A whole year away....

Well, here I am flying west into the darkness with my bicycle in the belly of the plane. Was that day really a year ago? I am nervous about the hills in California, but I have been cycling and am in OK shape. I think back to when I had to raise $2700 U.S. ($4300 Cdn) and I was nervous about that, too. Thanks to my very generous friends,
I now have $4300 U.S. ($6800 Cdn) in donations in my account. Biking 575 miles (925 km) seems daunting, but less so than it did before. You do what you have to do and we can all generally do more than we think we can.

This morning started at 5:00 a.m., loading up my bike and heading off to work at dawn. Flight delayed in Chicago, so my expected time of arrival is 4:00 a.m. (EST)
in San Francisco.

WOW. The adventure is just beginning!