Day One Monday Oct. 6, 2008

It has been a good day. I may not have said that if you asked me at 1:00 PM. The morning was very challenging. There were lots of hills, and many of them were steep. The weather was good for riding. Foggy and cool as well as bursts of sunshine. The views of the rocky coast and crashing waves helped keep me pedaling. The area between San Francisco and Santa Cruz is very empty. Even though I was only an hour from a major city, the coast is sparsely populated. There were very few stores or gas stations, and there were a lot of beaches, but they were only for picnics. They had no snack bars or even campgrounds. Finally I made it to Santa Cruz. Now I am having dinner, charging my gps and phone, and enjoying sitting still. I have a few more miles to ride to the campground - Brighton Beach. I think I will sleep well tonight. Thanks for all the emails.

There have been lots of great answers to my questions. Are you ready for more?
Lower grades
1. For a snack I had orange juice (220 calories), fig newtons (330 calories), and a banana (125 calories). How many calories did I eat at snack?
2. San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay. Which of these cities have the same number of syllables?

Upper Grades
3. My wheel has a diameter of 27 inches. What is the circumference of my wheel?
4. I rode 80 miles to Santa Cruz. If I subtract my breaks from my hours on the road, I was actually pedaling for 6.5 hours. What was my average speed to the nearest tenth?

Everyone - including parents
5. There is a photo from Pescadero State Beach. What does the word pescadero mean?
6. If you attended U C Santa Cruz, what would your school mascot be?
7. I had breakfast at Mel's Diner. What popular movie was filmed here?
It then became a popular telvision show with a different name.

AS THE SUN GOES DOWN:

I pulled into camp at Brighton State Beach about 7 PM. My first task was to set up camp, so I unloaded my gear, set up my tent, and got cleaned up. While I was doing those things, several others cyclists said hello. There were a total of 6 or 7. One talked with me about his ride. He started in Vancouver Canada. He has been riding since the first of September, and he is going all the to the border of Mexico. I think there are a few guys in his group. After talking and cleaning up, I sat down to plan the ride for Tuesday. The stove was warming some water for hot chocolate, and I was eating my leftover tuna melt and soggy fries from dinner. They actually tasted very good under the half moon and starlight. I planned my next day, finished my cocoa, and cleaned up. Now I will send off this latest blog and try to rest up for tomorrow.

The BIG RIDE begins at Golden Gate Bridge!

Monday morning at Golden Gate Bridge. I got an early start and with all your emails of encouragement, I was energized for a GREAT ride!

(See additional pictures posted to the "Send Off Rally" Post from Friday.)

This is a picture of Pescadero State Beach.

Sunday Morning in San Francisco

Here are some great shots from my walk along the marina in San Francisco. The weather is great. After a little rain on the drive yesterday, the skies are clear and beautiful. The sun is shining, and it is a warm Sunday morning. I hope this weather stays with me all the way down the coast.

I want to give a big thanks to everyone who has sent their good wishes and thoughts to me. The ride seems so much more achievable having all those emails and comments. Also, thanks to those who have emailed answers. There have been great answers to the questions, and I enjoy hearing from you. Hope to get more along the road.

Today is a day to relax and enjoy San Francisco. I hope to do a lot of walking around the city. Of course tonight I will have to get all of my gear together and be ready to roll first thing tomorrow morning. Looking forward to talking to all of you during the week.

Questions:

1. Of course the picture of the bridge is easy to recognize. What is the name of the island in the other picture?

2. How many feet long is the Golden Gate Bridge?

3. When was the Golden Gate Bridge opened? and how old is it now?

4. Here is a question for the upper grades. I know the 5th graders just finished a story about earthquakes, so you can try this one, but I am sure there are some other grades who can do this as well:
a. What year was the great San Francisco Earthquake?
b. I am staying in the Marina District. This area was originally all swamps until they filled it in with dirt and made a neighborhood. During an earthquake, this land here moves like l liquid. What is the scientific term for earth when it moves like a liquid?

Mr. Evans' Send Off Rally at CES

What a Rally! Mr. Evans rode in on his bike and took a couple of warm up laps as the students cheered and held up their hand made signs and banners. Banners lined the fence and balloons flew in the breeze as Mr. Evans announced that he has already raised over $7000 in donations, in addition to the trees being donated by Valley Crest! Then the teachers presented Mr. Evans with an early "Boss' Day Present" - it was a certificate of appreciation and a donation of over $400 from the awesome CES Teachers and Staff. We have a truly AMAZING school. I hope all the students realize just how lucky they are.

Special thanks to Ellen Cunningham, the PTA and all of the volunteers that helped to make this event so special.

Make sure to check in everyday, starting on Monday, to see "Where is Mr. Evans?" on the GPS Tracking system.

Santa Barbara Zoo or Bust

Well, the vote came in, and I was off. The results of your votes on the blog sent me pedaling for the Santa Barbara Zoo. From my house to the zoo is about 95 miles, but since I didn't have anyone to meet me and take me home, I had to change plans. I ride a lot, but I could not do 95 miles each way in one day. Instead I started in Ventura, and from there I rode up the coast to the zoo in Santa Barbara.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. It was not foggy like my last ride. I had spectacular weather. There was no wind to slow me down.

Along the way I saw a scout troop from Castaic working on their merit badge for surfing, so I stopped and talked to some of those boys. It was fun to get off of my bike and relax on the beach for a few minutes. I could not stay too long, because I was just starting my ride, and there were many miles to go before I reached Santa Barbara, and I had to ride back to Ventura.

Once I reached Santa Barbara I took a photo of myself in front of the zoo, and then I rode off to get some lunch. I needed more energy before I started the return journey. I have a favorite beach shack on the sand by Santa Barbara City College, so I sat and had a quesadilla and an ice tea before heading south.

By 2:15 I was back in Ventura. It was a great training ride, and I had a gorgeous day riding along the coast of California. I am looking forward to all of the great scenery as I ride all the way from San Francisco.

Questions: I have a lot of questions this time. Try to answer them, and send your response to me at cesblogger@sbcglobal.net

#1 for Kindergartners and 1st Graders: I rode past the beach, and I saw a lot of sand. Please email me at least five words that rhyme with the word sand.

#2 for upper grades: I started my ride in Ventura and I finished in Santa Barbara. What landmark does each of these cities have? Hint: 4th graders study these.

#3 - Grammar Lesson: Can you rewrite the paragraph from above so that there are only three sentences instead of five?

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. It was not foggy like my last ride. I had spectacular weather. There was no wind to slow me down.

#4 - Time: My ride started at 9:15 AM. I ended my ride at 2:15 PM. During the ride I stopped to take a break for 20 minutes, to take my picture at the zoo for 15 minutes, to eat lunch for 40 minutes, and I took another break on the ride home for 15. How long was I actually riding my bike during that time?

#5 - Geography: Look on a map and find two towns between Santa Barbara and Ventura

Let's see who can answer some or all of these questions. Send me your answers at cesblogger@sbcglobal.net

Catch you next time.

Ups and Downs of Cycling

When you see the "**" next to a sentence, that means there will be a question. Check below, and then submit your answer by clicking on my email address. Then I will know who answered and when they sent in their answer. You can also click on the email to send any comments you may have.

My training ride this weekend was not nearly as long as my last few, but it was still a lot of work. This weekend I ahd to do training for hills. The ride along California's coastline in beautiful, and it is spectacular, but there are many mountains and the ride goes up and down more than a Six Flags rollercoaster. That means I need to have strong legs to move me, my bike, and my gear up hills and along coast.

This weekend I spent many hours going up and then down, then up, then down, and on and on. I started by climbing from the floor of the San Fernando Valley to Mulholland Drive.** This road winds along the top of the Santa Monica Mountains, and it divides the San Fernando Valley from Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles.

As I rode along the crest of the mountains the foggy weather kept me cool, but it also made it difficult to see. My arms had drips of water, but it was not raining. I pedaled along Mulholland for a few miles, and then I turned onto Woodrow Wilson Dr.** The fog was so thick that my wheels were damp, and the brakes on my bike did not work very well.** Woodrow Wilson Dr. took me downhill, and then I climbed back up to Lake Hollywood before I coasted down to Warner Brothers' Studios.

I cruised along past Walt Disney** Studios and through Griffith Park past Travel Town, around the Los Angeles Zoo, and I went by the Gene Autry Museum.** About 90 minutes into my ride I reached the Alcove Cafe where I had some breakfast and relaxed for a while. I knew I had to do some more climbing, so I did not eat very much. I did not want to upset my stomach, but I needed some energy, so I had a bite and let my legs relax before starting the next ascent.**

The next hill led me past the old mansions of Hollywood Stars and up to a place where you can see the stars. The foggy photo of my bike in front of this building is one of the questions below. Can you answer it?

The new challenge I took on the way down was to go on the dirt tracks. This was a little scary and it took a lot of energy for going downhill. I had to go slowly because there were children, dogs, and people walking on the trails. I had to keep up my speed so I didn't get stuck in the sand. Even though I was going down a hill, it was still very tiring.

Once I got back to the pavement I was able to ride on through Hollywood, past the Capitol Records building (see the photo and the question below). Then there was one more climb up and over the Cahuenga Pass before I got back home.

Questions: If you have an answer or several answers to submit please send your responses to cesblogger@sbcglobal.net I also welcome any of your comments.

#1. Who was William Mulholland? Why was he an important part of California history - especially Los Angeles?

#2. Who was Walt Disney? Why was he an important part of California history - especially Los Angeles?

#3. Who was Gene Autry? Why was he an important part of California history - especially Los Angeles?

#4. Who was Woodrow Wilson? He was not part of California history. For what is he famous?

#5. I used the word "ascent" in my blog. Give me a synonym for the word ascent.

#6. Can you name the building behind my bike in the foggy photograph?

#7. I mentioned the Capitol Records building in Hollywood, and there is a photo of it above. It was built in 1954, and it was the first circular office building. Many people say it is supposed to look like a stack of LPs. What is an LP? and what do the letters stand for?

I am sorry to report that inappropriate comments were being posted on my blog. I have had to remove the comments section - but I loved the comments from most of you. Some non-CES bloggers posted unacceptable comments.

If you wish to answer my questions, please catch the link to my email, and I will look for comments and answers to questions there. You can reach me at cesblogger@sbcglobal.net


Thank You,

Mr. Evans