Day 18: Foothills to the Beach: Separation Anxiety

Half the team rides 30 miles to Environmental Charter
High School.


Half the team rides 15 miles to Carden of the
Foothills School.


As a full team we ride 43 miles to Manhattan Beach.



An early morning wake up in the CIC office in Altadena
led to some sad goodbyes as this would be the first time
our team splits up for morethan a half a day.
We now know the meaning of "separation anxiety".

The crew of 6 going to Environmental Charter High School
(ECHS) in Lawndale got ready for their 50 mile morning ride
through LA.
Thankgoodness for bike paths… we love them!
They certainly made our morningride fun and full of
laughter and singing most of the way (can't tell you how
many doughnut shops and McDonalds we saw).
We were struck by the change of scenery as we rode into the
heart of the LA urban jungle, getting to explore some new
human communities.
It's amazing to think about how many diverse communities we
have passed through on this bike trip…from the Redwoods to
beaches to canyons and now through cities.

And our fun certainly did not stop when we arrived at ECHS.
The highly energetic students made us feel like rock stars,
if only forthe day. We presented our slideshow to ~130 loud
and energetic 9th graders who were extremely excited to see
and reconnect with us. Then we broke up into smaller groups
for some conscious consumerism activities. It was inspiring
to see how the teachers and students at ECHS are working
together on various projects to better their community.
Thanks to the entire ECHS community for the energy given
to us, and a special thanks to Jenni for letting us overrun
her place!
Good times had by all.

Pegasus- Those of us who had the opportunity to visit
Pegasus School also had the chance to ride nearly 60 miles
before noon! It was a fun ride down a nice bike path along
the San Gabriel River to Huntington Beach. Along the way Nate
got two flat tires! At Pegasus we presented our slideshow to
the entire middle school and chatted about our dearly
beloved bikes. We also met with Pegasus faculty members
and discussed ways in which we could green the school's campus.
Thanks so much to the Contis for the warm reception.

Another crew rode to Carden of the Foothills- full school
intro/presentation, team building, composting introduction,
greening your school discussions. High parent and teacher
interest, participation and support. Thanks to Mona for looking
after all our gear while we rode.
Thanks to Jim Sims and family for hosting us.




Carden of The Foothills: Our visit to Carden started with lunch with the 6th, 7th and 8th graders. It was great to catch up with some students that we remember from the Island and meet some students that we will see on the Island soon! Students shared some of the ways that Catalina has inspired them to live more sustainably. After lunch we had an assembly for the entire school, k-8. Some of the Monrovia City Council Members came to show their support. Also, the local news Kgem filmed our presentation. Then, we split into a rotation of fun workshops: Team Building through Cooperation, Compost Relay/Red wrigglers and How to Give Back to My Community! Thanks Carden for the warm welcome and action packed afternoon! We put our blinky lights on and rode the bike paths to our overnight at Jim Sims.

Day 16 and 17: Keep on Pedaling

Day 17: Tuesday December 5th, 2006

Half the team rides 12 miles to Flintridge Sacred Heart
and will continue in the afternoon to ride 7 miles to
homestay destination.

Half the team rides 7 miles to Ribet Academy and will
continue in the afternoon to ride 15 miles.

We knew Flintridge Sacred Heart Acadamy was located on top
of a hill,but no one was prepared for what we encountered.
The directions said "rolling uphill", our experience was
more of extreme/massive uphill climbs (the 12 mile ride could
very well have been the most challenging yet for some!).
We barely made it on time, sweaty and tired, but energized
again as soon as we were greeted by the girls from Flintridge.
What a morning!
Beautiful view from campus, expo in amphitheatre, discussing
bike maintenance, ecological footprint, sustainable seafood
choices, and water pollution. It was great to see
the ladies at Flintridge striving to make their lives
greener one step at a time.

Another crew rode to Ribet School for some
"greening your school"activities and slide show presentations.

Carrie, Owen, Christine, Jacob, Travis, Heather and Laurie started the day off with a nice ride through Griffith Park en route to the Ribet Academy. After a picnic breakfast on the front lawn, the team started their presentation with an introduction in the dining hall. Being met with enthusiasm by the entire middle school, the sixth, seventh and eighth graders broke into their respective grades and set off for an afternoon of activity rotations. Carrie and Jacob gave a slide show presentation way up on the 5th floor (thank you students for making the trek up), while Owen, Christine, Laurie and Travis led the students through a handful of activities outside on the patio and in the bleachers including the Seafood Café, Conscious Consumerism, and a new Non-Point Source Pollution game developed by Laurie. It was great to see some familiar faces as well as have a chance to meet some future CELP students. A big thanks to Jamie and the rest of the great folks at Ribet for arranging our visit and making us feel welcomed.

Catalina Island Camps party at night in Altadena (we'll
miss you Courtney and GoGo).
Thanks CIC for the food and the space to sleep!




Day 16: Monday December 4th, 2006

Ride 3 miles to Viewpoint School.
Ride 28 miles to Burbank; homestay at Casa de Nate!

Woke up in Malibu with frozen h2o bottles and people.
A short chilly ride to Viewpoint, fingers numb from the cold.
Took a short time to thaw out our bodies while gardening with
primary school and slide shows with middle and high school.
Worked with all ages this day…K-12! A whirl-wind of a day, we
all felt like we didn't stop moving and it was amazing how much
was accomplished! Pizza party lunch... then to Burbank at
night through beautiful LA bike paths.
Thanks Nate for letting us take over every inch of your place!

Day 15: Last tent and rider standing

Woke up after a windy sleepless night...
that's right the wind did not stop
-tents were flapping in the gale force
winds howling through the canyon. But
luckily, no matter what was blown at us
somehow our tents stayed standing.
Little did we know our teamwork and creativity
extended to staking and wind proofing.

Rode uphill into the challenging headwind
winding through the beautiful hills of Malibu.
Some riderssay this ~20 mile day was in fact
the hardest day yet, making the downhills on
the other side even more exciting and rewarding.
Arrived at Malibu Creek State Park in time for
lunch, some hiking, and a nap.

Day 14: Celebrations in Malibu

Happy Birthday Kathy!
We slept in at the Emma Woods campsite in
Ventura, some of us not waking up until 8:30am.
WOW!!! We thought the 25 mile day would be a "leisure" day, so
many took advantage of a relaxing morning to swim, eat, lay around,
etc. We even had the time to swing in and visit a good friend
at the Patagonia store in Ventura who had helped us out
tremendously with gear donations. With cold mornings and windy
afternoons the gear has certainly proven to be more
than helpful. Thanks Chris Hearst and Patagonia friends!

The "leisurely" 25 miles to Leo Carrillo campground
outside of Malibu turned out to be just a little more challenging
than we expected. With tremendous and excruciating headwinds
blowing us backwards, sideways and some to the ground, we felt
like we survived a tornado. You never know what Mother Nature will
blow at you! That's what makes this trip so exciting though,
as we all celebrated our accomplishments that night with chocolate.

Day 13: Aliso School Botanic Butterfly Cafe

12 mile Ride to Aliso School in Carpinteria from
Santa Barbara.

Our last day in the Santa Barbara area, we rode to
12 miles to Aliso Elementary school where we were greeting
with smiling faces and welcome signs. More compost games and
lots of time to revamp their butterfly garden with 6th grade
classes. When we left the garden it was filled with colorful
butterfly-attracting flowers, plants, and energy. Good times and
great teamwork! Another 15 miles led us to Emma Woods campgrounds.

We also got the privilege to sit in on a lecture given by the
wonderful Peggy O'Neill, a tiny speaker with a HUGE message.
We lovedher talk on celebrating diversity. She certainly
inspired us! Check out her website at:
http://www.yopeggy.com/

Day 12: Goleta and Carpinteria

Half the team rides 24 miles round trip to La Patera
Elementary School in Goleta, creating gardens and composting
systems with the 4th grade.

At La Patera School (24 miles round trip) we rolled up in
the morning and got busy on their raised garden beds.
Pullin' weeds, plantin' seeds (in the ground and in minds),
breakin' up clumps and chit chattin' with the 4th grade classes.
Their enthusiasm was certainly contagious and continued with
our composting games too. And we can't forget the worms...
we all loved playing with the worms who certainly
have a very important role!

AND

Half the team rides 24 miles round trip to Carpinteria Middle
School in Carpinteria, teaching the entire middle school
(over 400 students) about the AMBASSADORS OF THE ENVIRONMENT
4 Principles of Nature ....

EVERYTHING RUNS ON ENERGY

THERE IS NO WASTE IN NATURE

BIODIVERSITY IS NECESSARY

EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED

At lunch our bikes were showcased and our bellies were filled.

Day 11: The last of the Bermuda Grass

An easy-breezy 24 mile round trip ride to Brandon School in Goleta
seemed like a piece of cake. As we pulled up to the school we were
pleasantly surprised to see the bike rack filled with bicycles. Each
Wednesday at Brandon School is BOW-WOW day: "Bike on Wednesday, Walk
on Wednesday" What a cool idea!

When we arrived the 5th grade class was waiting and ready to work in
their garden and learn about composting. Together we pulled out
bermuda grass, amended the soil to plant peas and lettuce in their
garden, and played in compost. We hope the visit not only left a
positive mark on the school community, but also encouraged the 5th
graders to become ambassadors of the environment.

The day ended with a pot-luck dinner with our Ocean Futures family in
the Santa Barbara office (our home base for the next few days in Santa
Barbara). Such a wonderful and welcoming community, and the gathering
left everyone with full bellies and smiles on our faces.