A great start to the 9th year of the Red Cross Ride! Captain Hiram's was the starting point for the Noon newscasts. Jan Taylor does a fantastic job as host at Hiram's, and once again they came through with a $1000. donation. Tommy Picarraro also raised money at his Sebastian Charter School with a hat day. He joined me on the ride for the first 3 miles. This kid is only 13, but I know you will be watching him do the weather on Channel 5 some day. He has the interest and a great community spirit. He also hands out WPTV Hurricane Guides at Publix, and shows customers what hurricane supplies they should buy.
I biked about 30 miles to downtown Ft. Pierce, with a strong headwind after Vero Beach. A strong police escort included the Indian River Sheriff Dept. Vero Beach Police and the Florida Highway Patrol. I appreciate their help. I've come close to getting hit in the past. The trek took about 3 hours.
Our evening broadcasts were from Dyer Mazda/Chevrolet. Tatiana and Will Dyer came through with a $3000. donation, and we has a strong turnout. There were several thunderstorms in the area but we were able to do the broadcasts. Overall a great but tiring first day.