Mission: Cycle from San Jose, Calif. to Atlanta, Ga.

I am a chef of 25 years. I just published a bilingual kids' book, Luna Needs a Miracle! Luna Necesita un Milagro! I love smoking cigars and enjoy wine with dinner. I cook for my lovely one, who is taking this journey with me--though not on a bike. When we met, she made it clear that she would not cook. That was not a problem.

Training will take place on the road. I'll admit, I'll start training tomorrow. I'll go to the gym and spend about half an hour on a stationary bike on the most difficult setting.

If there's specific thought I live by, it's that life is a gift. You are a gift. Breathing is a gift. The meaning of "gifted" is a present gift. When you wake up in the morning, look at yourself. Realize the gift of life looking back at you is you. You do not need to look outside of yourself to see the gift.

The equipment necessary for this journey...

• A bike, of course. In my case, it's a Bianchi, about 17 lbs, and maybe about 9-10 years old. I took the bike to the shop for a tune-up yesterday.
• New tires and plenty of spare tubes--four. Maybe that's enough. If not, walking to another bike shop will be in order.

My training...

• My training consists of drinking wine, smoking cigars while I cycle... Just kidding. But I won't rule it out. Truth is, I am not on a mission to break any records. I just need to do this.
  

My Mission...
My mission is to ride on a miracle. I want to raise awareness about fearlessness and realizing that the possibilities (and miracles) are everywhere. (I might even go so far as to say that they are exactly where you are looking, except you just can't see it.)

My Philosophy...
Age is unimportant.
The physical challenges are there. The only thought in my mind will be "ride, Luna, ride". In order for an establishment to hire you, all you need is to be willing to learn. Experience you get when you are at work--or doing. (You just graduated in your field. Why is the interviewer asking about job experience?) I am entering into this journey with no experience.
The unknown to me is known: I just need to make it to Atlanta.