Arun and I arrived safely in LA. The bikes are already packed up and I look forward to being on the road home. Meow, says my little kitty. My lips have little bumps all over them because I am allergic to the sunscreen ingredients.

I will unlikely do the Ride again next year. Perhaps it is too close to the finish line to make that determination. There are too many riders is my main feedback.

Did the ride change my life? Yes. Why? Because I chose to be a little more healthy and exercise long term. I will take the cycling lessons into my next training plan. Did I find "the answer"? No, but there were some very insightful moments and internal messages. Mostly about my tendency to worry. I will continue with another post later today.

There are thirty miles to the end and we have five hours to do it so I am hanging back quite a bit. I think that I have one blister afterall. I will do more thorough research later. I look forward to being home with Ben and the cats. A nice hot bath and a beer are in my future.

The CHP (California Highway Patrol) closed the route the first time in ALC history. There was a major accident and our permit expired to ride on. We had a four window to ride through that section of the ride. Also, it became too dangerous to ride because of the wet conditions and the number of riders. There are ten of us huddled together trying to keep warm under mylar sheets. The buses are sagging all riders to the next campsite.

Cheers to all the roadies, bike parking folks, etc. who are having a hell of a day. Lastly, thank you to whomever took this photo. It was risky to take that camera out in this rain!

It's the start of day six and it is raining. I have trained in the rain, but that does not mean I like it. We have 84 miles to go today and it will likely be slow. I do wonder if the line for food is in the rain too or if they have devised a way to keep dry for the 30 or so minutes one has to queue for food.

The announcements and talks last night lasted so long that I missed a wonderful talent show because I was in the tent by 21:15. Ugh, I can tell I am crabby this morning. Hopefully that does not last the majority of the day. Time to change this attitude around. Hard to do with the cackling of a young 20-some year old woman. Part of me wants to say, "shut up and let people get their coffee first." Seems quite obvious for 05:16. Again today I will not gather data on my drained-battery Garmin. If I do this ride again, I will stay in motels or hotels to avoid the chaos of everyone's thoughts and to have power. If I am on vacation, I still usually bring my laptop.

I am told that the scenery will be beautiful today. In 84 miles, the weather can change quite a bit. Ok, time to pack up and eat.

...wind. Today's ride was brutal at the end. We had winds continuously for 10s of miles of the 67. I keep thinking of a hill for headwind or hill for flats. Have I lost my mind that I want to swap out for more climbing?

Things I heard today:
"Manhole!" - consider the context.
"Heeeeere fucking little bikie..." - a woman trying to spot her bike amidst hundreds.
A loopy chuckle on a climb in the final headwinds onto Hwy 101.

Time for bed because I am falling asleep mid sentence. Tomorrow is another long ride of 84 or so miles.