RIDING FOR CHARITY

At London Heathrow, after having the bag screened, I walked through the metal detector with no problem. Being an experienced traveler, my cargo pants had nothing in them and no belt. However, the security lady wasn't stressed by a multitude of passengers so upon seeing my T-shirt (of course I wore the Land's End one), stopped me to inquire if that was what I had been doing on holiday. She gave me a congratulatory "Well done!" then asked if I had done it for charity. I explained that I had not but some of our group had, and mentioned Lyn (not by name) and Alzheimers. She liked that, too, and I moved on.
I bring this up because several people, during the ride, would inquire and donate. The first time was a mistake, in that an old gentleman sidled up to **and asked if he were doing it for charity and rather than take the long answer about some were and some weren't, ** gave the short answer of yes, and before he knew it, the gentleman had pressed (I think £5) into his hand and went on. Surprised, ** couldn't very well chase after and return it, so pocketed it.
Lyn, on the other hand, was an extremely good spokesperson for Alzheimers. Since a majority of my ride time was with her and Steve, I learned a lot about symptoms and care and a lot about how many folks feel the need to donate. At one coffee stop, she came away with more money (from the owner) than we paid for the snack. What amazed me was the people who donated gave no thought that their money wouldn't go to the organization. Not everyone in the world is jaded by scam artists. Anyway, I can't say about the other charities, but Alzheimers was well served on this trip.