Well the BEST news is that I DID IT!!!! And that when I arrived, I had my wonderful psrents and tired girlfriend welcoming me in.. riding in that last moment and realizing I just cycled the state of California, made new amazing friends, and was a part of a huge effort to raise money and awareness about HIV/AIDS.. I burst into tears.
But.. let's rewind a little - I know I missed a few days of updates! I was exhausted. :) Still am.

After the winds riding into Lompoc - I was so tired. Coming into Ventura, I was really looking forward to a Southern California beach! And sure enough - the campsite was right on the beach! As the entire moving city came closer and closer to Los Angeles, more family and friends showed up. I was really excited to meet the important people in the lives of friends I had made. The buzz around camp was surprisingly more serious and I think the realization set in that we only had 67 miles until the trip was over.

That evening was perhaps one of the most moving experiences I have ever had: The Candlelight Vigil. No amount of descriptive words will do it justice.. but I will do my best. We entered the beach in a large line - the ALC staff handed us candles and we all lit each others. Before we knew it, our feet touched the sand and I found myself entering a circle of 2500 people - their faces lit by 2500 candles. The beach was absolutely silent except for the crashing of the waves -- we found our place in the circle and looked across at all the people. It was amazing to think that the people across from us had once been strangers and now we were all part of a community -- a community of love, of caring, and that found ourselves on the beach for the same reason: remembering people who could not be a part of that community, who had been taken by HIV/AIDS and taken too soon. All at once, everyone lifted their candles to the sky and held them high... one by one, people began to walk to the ocean and let the waves put out the little lights. The emotions, the overwhelming silence, and the companionship of all the people still gives me chills.

Our tent-neighbor let ashes go of a friend who passed away from AIDS after he signed up for the ride.

The next day, we rode into Ventura and as I remembered the Vigil, I rode with wings. I felt the power of a thousand people push me through the coast and up every last hill. I am convinced they were all there because I made the best time to each stop and to the closing ceremonies all week! And I was SO excited to see my parents.


The closing ceremonies were emotional... as the Riderless bike was walked down the center of all the cyclists and Roadies, the girls next to me grabbed my hands and we all remembered why we did this. Yes, we did it for the challenge and yes, we did it to push ourselves.. but most importantly, we did this to join the fight against HIV/AIDS.

We did this because since the AIDS epidemic began in 1981, 1.7 million Americans have been infected with HIV and 583,298 have died of AIDS-related causes through 2007.

We did this because an estimated 21% of people living with HIV are undiagnosed.

We did this because every day people are being infected. and every day people are facing sickness and death because of HIV/AIDs. We did this because we have to do more than "treat" but we need to find a cure.

This has been the most emotional and life-changing week of my life. Kaili and I are both exhausted still and the reality of life was a let-down from such a high week, but every day we remind ourselves the importance of the cause and the importance of making a difference - even if it is just one person a day.

Oh! And we signed up for next year already!! So we can look forward to more of this:

Rest Stop 4 - California Gurls

Another day conquered and it was a windy one!! We rode from Santa Maria to Lompoc today and the last 20mi we were met with horrendous headwinds! Down steep hills, I had to peddle to even hit 12mph. I told Kaili, who greeted and cheered me in that today was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Exhausted.

Highlights? Solvang -- a super cute little town! AND today was red dress day! The story behind red dress day is that it originated when someone saw all the riders going up one of the many hills and thought they looked like an AIDS ribbon. The next year the encouraged everyone to wear red.. And it quickly turned into Red Dress Day! It was amazing! One man wore clipped stilettos! I'll post pics when I get home.

One team is riding for a 3 year old little boy who was born HIV+ and has a life expectancy of 7. The local pool in his neighborhood would not let him swim because of his status. So many things reveal
how horrible the stigma and attitude are surrounding the virus.

I am falling asleep writing this -- tomorrow we ride into Ventura!!

Peddle peddle peddle!! That has been the story of my life the last few days--ohmigosh. Only a few days? They sure have been long ones...

Yesterday I climbed the Quadbuster .. A huge infamous climb that usually makes veteran cyclists groan but guess what!? I survived and loved it! My feet did some walkin but mostly my butt was in the saddle! I pulled in after about 11.5 hours on my bike and was greeted by the most wonderful person -- kaili!! Her smile made every single ache and pain go away.

Today I climbed two hills called The Evil Twins but I have renamed them the evil bitches!! They almost got the best of me but with such an incredible support team (aka the caboose!!!), I made it halfway to LA! I also made it to lunch but was a little spent and dehydrated so I swept in .. Which I think was the right thing for my body! I can't miss red dress day!

We have made incredible friends here and heard so many stories that have
changed every way I look at life. For example.. Before we rode into lunch today there was a lady sitting on the side of the road and to every rider, she looked them in the face and said, "thank you for riding for ME." I learned later that she was a victim of rape and contracted HIV. she receives all her medication and services through the San FraNcisco AIDS Foundation. With each peddle, I think of her and everything she has gone through and my temporary pain seems so small.

Also, there is a Rider called The Chicken Lady and he lays eggs throughout the route. I found one yesterday and it had s lifesaver in it with a note saying, "You are a hero saving a hero." He actually had a stroke a few years ago and the doctors thought he was done.. But because of his 15 year dedication to the ride, his muscle memory helped his body fully recover and he is still here laying eggs.

I have a million more stories to share and Kaili does too but she is already asleep. Tomorrow is a shorter day // 67 mi// but I know I can do it! I love this ride -- I love all the people I have met -- and we are registering tomorrow for next year. I feel so lucky to do this and cannot believe how amazing it is.

Thank you for all your support, enthusiasm, and encouragement.. I really do read them every day and it makes a huge difference.

Truly Changing,
whitney

Made it today! ...goodnight. :) haha.. It was an incredible day and I feel so lucky to be a part of this.

Tomorrow is 107 miles!! Kaili has her first real day tomorrow and so far she is loving it!

More tomorrow!

The latest

Hello everyone! Whitney has asked me to help her post pictures and whatnot on here so you will see the occasional update from me (Jessica). Here are the latest pictures Whitney sent me...so inspiring!

This is all beginning to feel real.. And exciting! We arrived in the city yesterday and checked into The Good Hotel. What an interesting place! It's focused on the Green effort and everything is pretty modern. The toilet is also a sink and when you flush, clean water comes out of the nozzle where you wash your hands. Once it drains, it goes into the toilet bowl -- pretty nifty! Also, there is a glow in the dark "goodnight" on the ceiling! I was so exhausted last night that I forgot to look!

Yesterday we spent the day adventuring through Golden Gate park. We started in the Japanese botanical gardens and made our way past hippie hill -- we also
had an opportunity to visit the National AIDS Memorial Grove.. It took as a while to find it and we were all laughing because we were lost.. But when we entered the Memorial, all three of us fell silent. A large circle of names surrounded a pot of fresh flowers.. We walked around and around the circle, reading the names. One just said "Mom." Next to the carvings was a riverbed made of rocks and along the path were giant stones with names on them -- all of people who have died of AIDS. Really powerful and really sad.

Today we arrived to Cow Palace to check in -- we were greeted
by men in itty bitty shorts, vests, and bow ties! They handed us all the details for check-in and The Daily Spin which gives us information about tomorrow.. We will get one each day! We were then ushered into a room to view the safety video (and the smell revealed why it is called Cow Palace!). The video made us all emotional and excited -- and I learned we will be biking on the freeway! We have already met some incredible people, been moved to tears several times, and we all rang the Newbie Bell! We are SO excited! Oh, and my bike made it in.. She is all nestled in with her bike friends and ready to go tomorrow -- pictures of the 2000 bikes will follow :)

Kaili is in a roadie meeting until 4 and I'll be waiting..
Envisioning all the carbs waiting for me!

Shipped!

This is my bike on her way to get shipped... I dropped her off, signed some paperwork, gave her a big fat kiss - and like any parent is directed when their kid goes to kindergarten for the first time - walked away. I hope she will be okay!

We are packing our last stuff tonight... taking a deep breath... and our flight is at 755 tomorrow! I can already taste the carbs waiting to be eaten in San Francisco!

Word of warning: The blogs will probably be pretty short and sweet on the road because I will be updating from my phone. Also, I am not sure if I will be able to upload pictures on here but they will definitely be on my facebook (www.facebook.com/whitney.hynes) and I'll post them all when we return!

Leave your comments anytime - we will love to hear from all of you while we are on the road!