Robin, Clint and Raina Crawford after a 2006 bicycle ride for charity. (Photo by Nancy Crawford.)

The father-son duo of Robin and Clint Crawford know a thing or two about California scenery.

They are both veteran participants in the AIDS/LifeCycle bike ride. During the first week of June, they will peddle 545 miles from the Cow Palace in Daly City to Veterans Hospital in West Hollywood to raise money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Robin is an attorney with a practice based in Pacifica. Clint is a Skyline College student who works as an administrative assistant in his dad's office and hopes to attend law school one day, as well.

It's Robin's fourth time in the saddle riding for AIDS, the second for Clint.

"It's getting more fun," Robin said.

"It's nice to have the experience behind us," Clint added.

They have been practicing for their trek by biking around Pacifica.

"Pacifica is a great place to train because it's hilly. That's excellent experience for the California hills we'll be riding," Clint said.

Sharp Park Road is Robin's favorite hill for training.

"It's a nice vertical hill. If I can go up and down it with confidence, I can tackle anything between here and Los Angeles," he said.

The ride will have many picturesque experiences, beginning around here when they will coast down Highway 92 into Half Moon Bay. And they are really looking forward to seeing the cookie lady in Salinas. It's a sweet little oasis in a stretch of the ride that doesn't get many spectators. For most of the ride, the AIDS riders aren't alone. Local residents fill up their cars with cookies and drinks and offer them to the riders. The volunteers associated with LifeCycle provide meals in the campsites and food and drink along the route, along with medical care, if necessary.

"It's a real positive experience," Clint said. "That was really clear to me not only with the fellowship of all the people involved with the event, but also the people on the roads lining the streets cheering us on. There's a lot of support for what we are doing. People realize this is a beneficial thing."

This is the seventh year the San Francisco AIDS Foundation has run AIDS/Lifecycle, but before that another outfit ran it.

Last year, the event raised $11 million for services for those who are afflicted with AIDS.

The number of people living with AIDS is increasing in San Mateo County and has risen to 817, according to the San Mateo County Health Services Agency. In California, there are 60,000 people living with AIDS and another 91,000 living with HIV. The cost of medical care and treatment for a person with HIV is about $20,000 a year. Patients are living a longer time and enjoying a better quality of life but are requiring treatment and medication for a longer period of their lives.

"We spend a week with friends and relatives of those who are struggling with AIDS and with those who have the infection. It's really inspiring. They are not just surviving but enjoying life and keeping their fitness. It's remarkable how people are able to live with the illness now. It's also a time of grievance - so many people lost their lives. It is a time of remembering. It's an important way for those people to remember they are cared for," Robin said.

Robin and Clint hope the Pacifica community will support them in their efforts to raise money to support AIDS patients. Donations may be made by May 15 to www.aidslifecycle.org/2340. That's Clint's donation form.