Day 41 Sat. Oct 25, 2008

The last day of my journey—from Long Beach to Downey, CA.
My Son in law, Ed, and my granddaughter, Hallesha, joined me on the last leg of my ride. My daughter, Nerrissa, drove them over to Long Beach, including my 2 grandsons, Joshua and Nehemiah and Maya, daughter of a childhood friend of Nerrissa.

They arrived about 9:30. I was ready but there was a lot of visiting to be done. The ride began in earnest about 10:00. The riders consisted of Ed, Hallesha, age 12, and me. The course was on the banks of a river. There are bike trails on both sides of the San Gabriel River. The river begins at the foot of a mountain and winds through several towns, including Downey.

Our ride commences on the bike trail located on either bank of the river. The river flows in a very wide concrete bed, in the center of which the canal maintains the flow. We headed west to Downey, riding on the right bank of the river that supported 2 bike lanes.

Ed rode ahead, Hallesha in the middle and I brought up the rear. It was Halle’s first time riding such a long distance. The process was at a pace suitable for Halle. She was nervous and wobbly, but tried hard not to show it. I kept my eyes on her, encouraging her and helping her to make better use of the pedals. The dangers are that insufficient speed will create a problem for other cyclists. These were many.

Hallesha was a very quick learner. She used the ball of her feet to acquire better leg pressure, and accelerated up hills at precisely the right moment. We arrived at Downey at1:30 where Nerrissa and the rest were awaiting us. It was a glorious day. The sun was shining brightly and there was joy in everyone’s hearts.

I completed my journey and I have a litany of well wishers and benefactors to thank.