Day 1 -- San Fransisco to Napa

I'm exhausted! We woke up at 5:30am this morning from USF to circle up in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Rick Spinks, from Psi Chapter, came out to surprise me at the kick-off. After a hearty breakfast and tearful goodbyes, the team lined up, and we crossed the bridge. Since I was one of the top fundraisers on the team, I was asked to lead the team across. As I looked out my left and saw the Pacific Ocean, it struck me how crazy this summer is promising to be. I can't believe I am going to cross this entire country this summer.

On the other side of the bridge, I teamed up with my friends Mike, Andy, and Joe to form Team Brosaurus Rex. We were going at a steady pace of 15 to 16 mph, hitting 20 on some flats. Two of us got flats along the way, myself included. A staple went through my tire and popped the tube, although it was quickly replaced on the side of the road. 29 of the 55 cyclists on the North and South routes finished the 75 miles today (by reaching a designated rack point after a certain time), my team included. It took us 4:30 hours and a couple sunburns.

After the trip, we quickly got our equipment into the Best Western hotel, which is kindly sponsoring us for free tonight, and headed out to Patty's House, our host for the night. They had amazing food, and we spent some quality time outside making new friends. I was even asked to marry two of my new friends, Ian and Brittany, after they declared their undying love to each other in my presence. Although I had no idea what I was doing, I had a great time helping them exchange fake vows and we took a picture together! Tomorrow, we're off to Sacramento...