08/02/2025
Day 1: LA River → Ventura Coast 🌊🚲
On Tuesday, our youth set out on an unforgettable journey from the LA River to the beaches of Ventura, carrying everything they needed—sleeping bags, pads, and group gear—powered by their own legs and determination. 💪✨
We kicked off the morning by packing panniers, doing an ABC Quick Check ✅, grabbing lunch bags, and circling up to stretch, ground ourselves, and review the day’s agenda. We ended with a bike blessing from our plant relatives and words of encouragement from our moms before rolling out along the LA River bike path to Glendale Station. From there, it was all teamwork: folding bikes, loading gear, and catching the Amtrak to Ventura. 🚆Amtrack may not always be the friendliest to cyclist so we had little bit of a hiccup but we made it through.
The train ride was full of laughter, card games, and quiet moments of reading. By 1 PM, we arrived at Emma Wood State Beach and the real adventure began:
🏕️ Camp set-up: Tents up, gear stashed, campsite tour.
🌊 Ocean time: First dip into that salty breeze!
🍽️ Dinner: Fresh-grilled fish (🔥 thank you, chefs!) followed by campfire vibes with s’mores and stories under the stars.
As night fell, we listened to the sound of waves—but not without a little drama! 🌊 With a recent earthquake in Russia and a tsunami advisory, our camp leaders stayed alert. A ranger reassured us we’d be notified of any changes, so we finally rested easy under the night sky.
Shout out to our camp leaders .y.romero and at ❤️A tremendous shout out of love and appreciation for the moms who accompanied us! It wouldn’t have been as epic without out you! Thank you for coming! , Yaya, Monique! The Queens!
Stay tuned for Day 2—more riding, more water, and more connections!
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