Last day + Closing Ceremony

Last day...
A few people got "lost." On the last day this means that they went into a coffee shop or restaurant and didn't see the caboose come through, wasn't paying attention to the route closure time, didn't hear us sweep "sheep dogs" hustling people out of the shops or were camped out in some porcelein toilet. So sweep and moto safety go nuts as people come out of the wood work, sometimes after the route marking have been cleaned up. (I had one cyclist stopped at a taco joint gripe at me when I tried to warn her that the caboose was coming up. It's not nice to treat roadies like hired help.)

I understand that people get excited.. and that's good. but it's not good to lose sight of safely issues.
LA and Santa Monica have really narrow roads and often cycle-hostile drivers. If any place this is the place to go single file, pay attention to safety shout outs and stay to the edge of the road.

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The lunch stop was just spectacular. It's a lagoon/marsh that leads to the beach. I decided to skip the long lunch line and just walked out into the park paths.... over ponds with fish, white egrets, ducks, lush vegitations... off to the beach. A few of the cyclists were laying out in the sun among the lounging surfers. Magnificent pelicans soared over head.

One of the cyclists dared me to run into the gaggle of pelicans. I'm wearing my bunny hat... so imagine a tiny woman with huge rabit ears running in to a group fo pelicans barking like a dog! Imagine the baffled pelicans! We all got a good laugh out of that.

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Closing ceremonies. This year the organizers made sure that the roadies got to hear the closing speech. Last year we were left out of the speeches and were brough in later. Maybe they thought that would be a dramatic way to highlight the roadies but the real result was to leave us out in the sun baking and have us miss the speeches.

This year they made sure that we were included.
Good

They rode in the "Riderless Bike" with the unworn helmet, representing all those who've fallen to AIDS.

The closing ceremony, under the bright sunny sky of LA on the lush grounds of the VA, is hugely moving and affirming. You just can't miss it. Huge screens allow for all of us to see the speakers. They compile a video of the past week that we watch, hoot and hollar and revel in.

We hug our friends good-bye, exchange numbers and e mails, we're re-united with our loved ones.

Even then, the roadies and LA-based day volunteers are working... After the closing the sweep unloaded our vans and did inventory of supplies. The luggage people sort people's bags for pick up. Traffic is controlling the flow of taxies and family cars waiting to pick up people.

Next week the tents get cleaned, equipment accounted for and returned, bills paid, accounts managed, etc. I think this is done by staff, but that's still people working on ALC 5 long after the riders have gone home and their butts have healed.

We all pitch in... because health, peace, love and live are worth it.