Pine Valley tonight!

Hi to you all,

Well, we are resting comfortably in a cabin at Pine Valley Bible and Conference Center. We are glad to be here, but the snow that is falling is not welcome!!!  We had dinner here and opted for the cabin over the motorhome since they were the same price.  When we came out of the dining hall, snow was coming down.  Can't believe it.

But let me take you back to this morning in San Diego.  After a day of shopping for groceries, biking items, laundry, etc. yesterday we had planned a supper with Bob Ream and his family.  Bob is a family friend originally from West Chicago and Wheaton.  It never worked out because of an "incident" on the main road from San Clemente to San Diego essentially closed down the highway.  Bob tried to come down but traffic was at a standstill immediately so he went back home and promised to try and come down this AM to see Dave and Mike start off.

We all got up really early and started out for Ocean Beach at 7:15 to be at the breakfast arranged by CFO friends.  A slight drizzle started as we left the campground.  We stopped for gas and the steps up to the door of the motorhome were stuck down, not a good thing while traveling.  So Dave and Mike worked on them for a while and finally had to wire them up so now we do not have steps to get in and out.  We finally got to the beach to find out that a surfing competition had begun and there were lots of people and limited parking available.  It started to rain harder (surfers could have cared less) and we found a spot to park temporarily.  We found our friends under a blue shelter over the back of their car, and they served up quiche, homemade Danish pastry, coffee and juice.  Among the people there were Lisa Winterhalter, a high school friend of Carrie's, Bob Swan, Howard's brother, and Bob Ream and his son Jules.  CFOers Walt and Veba Clark and her niece were there. Len and Peggy Marinello, Marjorie Rahill and her son and daughter-in-law, Becky and Rachel Sutherland all braved the elements to see us off.  It took a long time for Dave and Mike to get themselves ready to take off.  It was after 10 AM before they were on their bikes and on the road. 

Paula drove and I navigated out of San Diego with a plan to meet the guys just a little way down the road.  We turned into a shopping mall to wait for them (and use the Sears bathroom) and when we hadn't heard from them we called and they had passed us and were ahead.  We caught up and stopped in the middle of an intersection to figure out the next stopping place.  Paula and I drove on and ended up parked in a middle school parking lot.  We called the guys and they were getting bogged down with the rain and traffic.  We waited for two hours before they showed up, wet and cold.  Over lunch in the motorhome we decided to go the rest of the way together in the motorhome and get to Pine Valley before dark.  The biking would have been uphill all the way and the rain was continuous.  Since tomorrow is a day off, we will drive back to the school and they will bike back to Pine Valley to complete the first leg.  So they biked 30 miles today and 20 tomorrow.  We will be here in Pine Valley tomorrow night as well.  

We need a day of good weather to regroup.  Spirits are still high!  It is already quite the adventure.

Goodnight.

Blessings and love,

Lana