I’m still far behind on updates, but had to post today’s chance meeting in Loma Linda, CA
This morning Gary and I rode from Annaheim to Loma Linda today, 43 miles. We stopped in at an Irish Pub called Liam’s. Lynn was tracking us down with some lunch she had picked up, so Gary and I ordered some water and Coke until she found us.
When Lynn pulled up I went to pay the bill and the young gal bartending asked me how many miles we had ridden so I told her and saw a chance to add a few more details about TOT. When I finished she asked if she could take a picture with me and asked one of the ladies at a table of 5 that were there if one would take the picture. One asked why the pic and Erica responded with the TOT kidney story and bike ride I had just talked about with her. Erica also mentioned to Gary later that what we were doing was so cool, it was the best thing that happened to her today.
One of the young ladies at the table asked if I knew Ernie….I said I had just ridden with an Ernie yesterday from USC Keck. (yes, I’m behind on the USC Keck update from yesterday, as well) She said, yes, that’s him and she had just noticed an Instagram from Ernie and she recognized me in the photo. Melissa said Ernie and her had worked together at one time.
One of the other ladies asked if I was Mark Scotch….she happened to be one of the Transplant Team members at Loma Linda that I had been talking to about putting an event there the past few weeks, but their media department there felt they didn’t have the capacity to support an event.
Well, we still had a bit of an event in Loma Linda, anyway!
Continued on for another 30 miles.

Some shots from today.




Awesome connection!