Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to the following people for the help they were to us on this trip. They touched our hearts by giving us things far more than an open door. They left kindness, generosity and love. Those are irreplaceable and can not be depleted as they are shared. 

Thank you to:

- Bob and Judy for the camping supplies they lent us and for not thinking we were crazy wanting to do this ride.

- Nate and Sherry for letting us crash at their house  even though they were moving the next morning.

- Pam and Richard for a place to stay, haircuts, sharing their campsite in Astoria and great day of tourist activities.

- Phil and Robin for giving us a place to stay and the reminder of how awesome it is to live on a farm.

- Doug for his superb auto maintenance expertise and his lovely wife Tammy for the harp concert.

- Spencer and Angela for the lodging, cousin time and the garden inspiration.

- Dave and Abby for the great rest after a long ride.

- Castle and Coleman Logging for the gallons of ice cold water on a hot day.

- Kathy and Henry for treating us to dinner.

- The Warner's for being our full-service hotel for weekend.

- The Chiropractor in Utah who adjusted my back and taught Stephen how to do it in the future. He didn't need to do this, I was surprised at how quickly a tear to my eye. -Stephen

- Cindy for taking pictures of us on the Golden Gate Bridge, taking us to dinner and all the gifts for our boys.

- Mike and Janet for letting us take a zero day at their home and for spoiling us.

- Brandon and Amy for a peaceful evening in a wonderful place.

- Sue and Craig for letting us celebrate the finish line at their home and for helping us start our journey back home.

Lessons Learned

Major lessons that we learned:

I'm sure many have wondered how we convinced our kids to do this ride with us and how we kept them motivated.  For starters, getting new bikes and seeing their Grandparents and cousins were initial sales points.  Once riding, things got more complicated, especially for Tan.  Bins was content to ride all day long, but for Tan it was an adjustment.  The first day was no problem.  On day 2, the doubts started creeping into his confidence.  "This is too hard.  I want to go home.  Why did we come on this trip anyway."  I answered all his questions, but it really boiled down to the fact that we were in the middle of nowhere at that moment, and we had to at least get to civilization before we could do anything about it.  By time we got to the campsite that night, he was happy as can be and thrilled to keep riding his bike.

The next day, and for about a week, same complaints.  I soon realized that part of the problem was hunger.  whenever he launched into his first complaint of the morning (usually around 10 or 11), I gave him a sandwich.  The biggest breakthrough came though when I told him, "We are going to see your Grandparents in a week.  Will you try this out until then?  After that, if you still don't want to ride, then we can send your bike home with them and buy you a trail-a-bike."  That worked wonders to give him a shorter-term goal, and when we met up with my parents in Astoria, he never once mentioned sending his bike back.  Good bye doubts, hello joyful riding.

This experience taught us a few important lessons.  Lesson #1:  Children are capable of far more than we give them credit.  Stephen and I would never have known our boys could do this if we didn't give them the opportunity.  I wonder what else they could accomplish if no one was holding them back?  Lesson #2: Inspire, not require.  This is actually a Thomas Jefferson Education Principle we use in Home Schooling, but it was applicable on the ride as well.  We didnt answer Tan's concerns with anger, frustration or telling him that he HAD to do this ride or else...  We encouraged, persuaded, rewarded and taught by example.  He saw that this wasn't something we were forcing him to do, but something we wanted to do as a family and we wanted him along with us.  We were not requiring something of him that we weren't willing to do ourselves.  In fact, we were willing to make it as easy as possible for him by carrying all the weight ourselves and making it as fun as possible.

I'm not going to lie; biking the Pacific Coast was physically hard.  We had to push ourselves to get stronger and to keep going even when our bodies ached.  In every other respect, this trip was absolutely wonderful.  We loved living outside for nearly 2 months, sleeping and arising with the sun.  We spent all day, every day together as a family working towards a goal and met inspiring, talented and generous people.  Even more than all of that, however are the innumerable times we knew that God was aware of us and that our happiness and success mattered to Him.  I'm not saying that completing this ride was some important part of our eternal destiny, but it was definitely spiritually strengthening.

We ran into friends at church who offered us a place to stay for the night.  We pulled into a campground in the rain and rented the first cabin that had been available in 4 months.  We crossed paths with The Thompson's who knew only that we were somewhere in the state of Oregon.  A stranger stopped to tell us about a nearby campsite (not on any maps) that we unexpectedly needed a short distance down the road.  These experiences and countless others confirmed to us that a loving God is not just concerned with the righteousness of His children, but with our comfort and joy as well.

Getting Home

A long train ride

Although reaching Mexico was the culmination of the bike trip, it was in no way the end of the road for us.  When we got back to the United States, we rode 11 miles to Coronado Island to stay with friends for the weekend.  Saturday we enjoyed some R&R in San Diego Bay on kayaks and a paddle board.  We did laundry, went grocery shopping and packed to get ready for the next part of our journey.

When we talked to Amtrak a week ago, we found out that there was track maintenance this weekend.  If we wanted to go all the way to Seattle on the train, we either had to leave on Friday morning or Monday morning.  We didn't finish our ride until Friday evening, so Monday was the best option.

On Sunday we rode our bikes to church, then continued on bike to the Amtrack Station in San Diego to drop off our luggage.  We had to dismantle the bikes and put them in boxes to load on the train.  We removed the wheels and handle off each bike trailer, and they were checked as suitcases.  Our friend Sue picked us up at the station to take us back to her home.

At 5am Monday morning, we were back in the car heading to the Amtrak Station.  By 6:30 we were on the train, and then the waiting began.  It was fun to pass some of the campsites that we stayed at our last few days on the ride.  We were on the train all day Monday, slept in our seats Monday night, then stayed on the train all day Tuesday.  The boys decided that train travel is far better than airplane.  It takes longer (obviously), but it's more comfortable, you can walk around whenever you want and you never have to wear a seat belt.  At 8:45pm on Tuesday, we rolled into the Seattle Amtrak station.  Sigh...that leg of the journey complete.

We retrieved and reassembled our bikes, then rode a couple blocks to the light rail station.  We boarded another train and headed for SeaTac airport, then rode 1 mile to our hotel.  Ahh...a bed! In the morning Stephen took a shuttle to the airport, then another shuttle to the rental car lot to rent a car.  He picked us up at the hotel and we drove 2 hours north to the border where we left our van before starting this whole adventure.  We had to jump the battery on the van and transfer all of our bike tour belongings from the rental car trunk.  2 more hours south to drop off the rental car and pick up the bikes that we left at the hotel.

Currently, we are traveling south at 70 mph.  We finally feel like this journey is complete and we are heading in the direction of home.  In 3 days time we will be sleeping in our own beds.  It will be nice to have fluffy towels, a refrigerator and the ability to do laundry whenever we please.

Debriefing

Here are a few statistics from our trip.

Days:
Riding - 45
Rest - 6
Using Butt'r - 2

Nights in a hotel - 1
Nights in a home - 5
Nights camping - 45
Riding in the rain - 2

Miles:
Canada to Mexico - 1875
Average per day (45) - 41.7
Average per day (51) - 36.7
Max day - 67 (twice)
Min day (excluding rest days) - 18 (our first day riding)
Addition miles ridden by the boys at campsites - Unknown, but many

Flat tires:
Stephen - 7
Annette - 1
Bins - 0 (A point of pride for him)
Tan - 2
Trailers - 2

Max Speeds:
Stephen - 48 mph
Annette - 41.7 mph
Bins - 38.4 mph
Tan - 36.8 mph

Books listened to:
Stephen - 4 (Good portions of his time were focused on navigating)

Annette - 3 (Half way through the trip we had an MP3 stolen and I gave up my phone so each of the boys could still listen)

Bins - 15 (Listed below)
Pathfinder, Ruins and The Gate Thief, all by Orson Scott Card
The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
Eragon, Eldest, Brissinger and Inheritance, all by Christopher Paulini
All 7 of the Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

Tan - 8 (Although he re-listened to Pathfinder at least 3 times)
Pathfinder and Ruins, by Orson Scott Card
Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger and Inheritance, all by Christopher Poulini
2 of the Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

Items lost or left behind:
2 pair of bike gloves
2 pair of sunglasses
1 bike lock (we had 2 with us)
1 bike computer
1 mp3 player (stolen, actually)
1 water backpack

Favorite part of the trip:
Stephen - The kindness and generosity of the people we met and who served us, expecting nothing in return.

Annette - Manzanitas to Florence, OR was my faviorite place to ride.  The best part of the trip was the simplicity of what we needed and what we needed to do every day.

Bins - "Listening to audio books, playing at the beach, and the triumph of going really fast down a hill."

Tan - Swinging on the giant rings near Santa Monica Pier.

Day 51 - Success!

Cardiff, CA to Tijuana, Mexico - 43 miles

We made it!  It's over!  We biked all the way from Canada to Mexico!  The actual crossing of the border was anti-climactic because it was so crowded with people.  Where we crossed, there was no "Welcome to Mexico" sign where we could get a good picture, so we had to settle for pictures of us walking our bikes down a ramp and waiting in line.  When we entered the border patrol building, we got our passports stamped for the sake of memorabilia.  When asked how long we planed to stay in Mexico, we said, "Maybe 5 minutes."

50 days ago when we crossed into Canada it took all of 5 minutes in and another 5 minutes to get back to the United States.  We knew that Mexico would take longer.  We hoped for 1 hour, maybe 2.  We were not expecting FOUR HOURS!  I don't know which was more amazing: that our boys rode the length of our country on their bikes for 7 weeks or that they were absolute angels in line at the border for 4 hours.  We were blessed to wait in line next to a gentleman who held our bikes and our place in line when we had to find a restroom for the boys.  Thank you, Jimmy!

As we waited in line, I kept remembering a line from one of my favorite movies.  "She would go all the way to Italy just to get a stamp in her passport.  I don't know if that amounts to insanity or just being really, really...likeable."   Hmm...maybe we'll bike Italy next.  :)  I know we could have avoided the whole border business and taken pictures on the US side, but we really wanted those stamps.

By time we made it back to the United States, it was dark and we still had 11 miles to ride.  We plan to stay the weekend with friends we met on this trip who live in Coronado.  Monday morning, Amtrak will take us back up to Washington State where we left our car.  Thanks for following us on this incredible adventure!

Day 50 - Taste for adventure

Dana Point, CA to Cardiff, CA - 45 miles

 

We realized halfway through our ride yesterday that we left one of the water backpacks in El Segundo.  Good riddance.  Here's another  consumer reports analysis.  The knock-off brand water backpack is a pain in the neck to close!  The bite valve is so stiff that it makes your jaw tired and the whole contraption leaks down your back if you didn't fill it perfectly.  Maybe there are decent ones out there, but the inexpensive brand we bought at Big 5 doesn't even compare to our Camel Back.  Spring for the name brand and it will make your water consuming adventure much more enjoyable.

We've crossed paths a few times now with 2 British brothers named Rob and Andrew.  Check out their blog at abrothersjourneyaroundtheworld.co.uk.  These 2 adventurers left England 15 months ago and rode their bikes to Singapore.  They then rode through Australia and New Zealand before flying to Vancouver to start the last leg of their journey.  Their final destination is Argentina.  They plan for the trip to take 2 years and cover 27,000 miles.  So far they have completed 20,000.  They shared a few funny stories with us that I'll repeat here for your enjoyment.

In China, they went to a restaurant and ordered chicken.  Since they don't speak any Mandarin, they ordered the meal by flapping their elbows like chicken wings.  When they were brought only the head and feet of a chicken to eat, they decided to fill-up on rice instead.  In Vietnam, they wanted to get out of the heat for a while, so they stopped at a theater to watch The Secret Life if Walter Mitty.  After the movie they were commenting on how adventurous the main character was.  Then they looked at each other and one said, "Aren't we cycling around the world?"

These brothers will soon be leaving the United States and entering Mexico.  They mentioned that they were studying Spanish in the evenings trying to learn a bit before crossing the border.  I thought maybe we should offer to leave them Stephen's cell number in case they ever need help with translation.   I decided against it when I realized that if they made it across the entire continent of Asia, then they could certainly hold their own in Spanish.

Meeting these two, I couldn't help but think of my own sons 18 years from now.  Have we given them a taste for adventure that will fuel them in the future?  Time will tell.

Day 49 - Found on Facebook

El Segundo, CA to Dana Point, CA - 63 miles

We left El Segundo and rode The Strand to Redondo Beach. From there we were on surface streets until just past LA harbour. Luckily, we timed it right. From 9 until 10:30 am we missed morning commuter traffic and school carpools and we also beat the lunch hour. It was perfect. In Long Beach we were back on the beach path.

Riding through Newport Beach a car drove up beside us and a woman asked from the passenger window, "Are you the family riding your bikes 1400 miles?" I told her we were riding from Canada to Mexico, but I didn't ask where she had heard about us. I got the chance to ask a few blocks later when she pulled over to take our picture.

Apparently, she is Facebook following the gal running the length of California (Cheryl). Cheryl mentioned us in a post when we passed her the first time. We have seen her two other times since then, and it looks like we will be finishing our ride the same day she finishes her run. It's hard to believe that a woman driving in Newport Beach picked us out from a Facebook post, but I guess it confirms my previous assertion. 4 bikes and 2 bright yellow trailers are quite conspicuous.

Day 48 - Memory lane

Malibu, CA (Leo Carrillo State Beach) to El Segundo, CA - 38 Miles

Ventura, Oxnard, Malibu, Santa Monica, Los Angeles.  We made it to Southern California!  Some people like Southern California for the sandy beaches, crashing surf and the shopping.  Me?  I get excited about the candy cane striped smoke stacks south of the airport.  It's funny how a place can feel like home when I've only lived there for 3 months in conscious memory (birth to 3 years old doesn't count as conscious).  I'm talking about a charming little place called El Segundo, CA.

El Segundo is blocked-in between the ocean, LAX, standard oil and the aerospace industry on Sepulveda Blvd.  I know I'm not alone in my adoration of this place either.  I'll drag all my siblings into this confession.  During my childhood, El Segundo was our family vacation destination.  We did enjoy the beach and the shopping on occasion, but the nostalgia is more all-encompassing than those experiences.  It was the 15 hour drive here playing goofy games, eating too many fishy crackers and attempting to sleep in a van with a someone's foot in your face.  It was rewatching our favorite movies at Grandma's house and perusing the toy aisle at Target.  It was roller blading through the town that is in the Guinness Book of World Records for having a hill on every street.

Unfortunately, we aren't spending any significant amount of time here.  We are just staying the night and leaving in the morning.  I'm providing different experiences for my own kids, but I hope that I'm creating memories they will cherish into adulthood.

Day 47 - Water Conservation?

Santa Barbara, CA to Malibu, CA (Leo Carillo State Beach) - 67 Miles

Just when I was thinking I didn't have much to write for today's blog post, I had my first accident. Luckily, It didn't involve any other bikes or motor vehicles, just me and an unsuspecting curb somewhere in Oxnard.

For those interested, here is my consumer report on the Burly Nomad cargo trailer. If one trailer wheel hits a curb and you're going slowly, the trailer will tip on its side and the bike it's attached to will remain upright. If, however, you clip a curb going fast, then the trailer will flip completely upside down and it will throw your bike to the ground quickly. Caution: make wide turns.

During this graceful display, there happened to be a fire engine stopped at the intersection. The fire fighters stopped traffic to cross the intersection and make sure I was all right. By that time I was already on my feet with Stephen at my side, but I was grateful for their concern.

With a day of rest under our belts, we boldly planned to complete a 68 mile ride today. With the flat terrain, it turned out to me much easier than Friday's 67 miles. Our confident boys were even willing to go all 100 miles to our next stop. We all had the energy, but we would have been racing a sinking sun.

As you know, California is in a drought. We have seen various measures by cities, citizens and businesses throughout the state to conserve water. The state park we stayed at tonight was also attempting to do their part. Their method of water conservation: lock some of the shower doors. I'm sure you all see the flaw in that logic. Maybe I'm crazy, but just because 2 of the 4 showers are locked, doesn't mean I'm going to skip a shower. I'll just wait for the next available stall. I honestly hope the practice is conserving water resources, but I don't see how that's possible.

Last week at Plaskett Creek Campground, they had turned off the water in the bathroom sinks in an effort to save water. It doesn't mean that people don't wash their hands, it just forces them to walk outside to the closest spigot to do it. How about they install some simple flow reducers and call it good.

Day 46 - Primary program

Santa Barbara, CA - 0 Miles

This was our last rest day before the end of the ride. We went to church with Mike and Janet and our boys participated in the primary program. Bins was willing, but Tan took some convincing. I didn't bribe, but I did beg.

Can I just sat what a beautiful thing it is to belong to a world-wide church? The song leaders in Houston taught the same songs to the primary children this year that the song leaders in Santa Barbara taught to their primary. I know that no matter where I go to church there will be a primary program sometime between September and November. I know that the adult Sunday School class will be studying the Old Testament this year and that I will be welcomed at the meetings even when I don't know another soul in attendance. It is a beautiful thing!

Day 45 - Physical fitness coordinator

Gaviota State Park, CA to Santa Monica, CA - 27 Miles

Stephen reminded me today of something that happened during our first year of marriage.  He asked me to be the family physical fitness coordinator and we both sustained me in that calling.  Today he informed me that I am currently going above and beyond in that capacity.  I admit that throughout the years of our marriage I have fluctuated between very active and less-active in my responsibilities, but I agree that right now I am magnifying my calling.  Now I just need to figure out how to maintain the momentum once we return to a more balanced lifestyle.  

On our first day riding, 18 miles took us until 3pm.  It appears that we are getting faster and more efficient.  Today we rode 27 miles in 2 1/2 hours!  It may have also have been that we were excited to make it to our destination.  We are in Santa Barbara now and plan to take the rest of the weekend off visiting with Stephen's Aunt and Uncle and their family.

We relaxed for a few hours after our ride, did some laundry (without using quarters), showered (without using quarters), then went out for dinner and a movie.  I don't think the few dishes I volunteered to do made a dent in the debt of gratitude.

Thank you Mike and Janet!

Day 44 - Confessions

Pismo Beach, CA to Gaviota State Park, CA - 67 Miles

It's time for a confession.  We are not avid cyclists.  Stephen has biked quite a bit for years (18 months of his mission, to and from work, to and from church, morning rides for exercise), so he may be worthy of the "avid" classification, but as a family we are far from "avid."  I think that to be an avid cyclist, one looks for every opportunity to ride as opposed to driving in a car.  While completing this ride may not earn us the "avid" title, it at least qualifies us as "experienced" cyclists.  What is experienced?  Riding daily?  Completing a cycling tour?  Riding more than 50 miles in one day?  Whatever the definition, I think we've all earned the title in the last 6 weeks.  Time will tell if we ever become "avid."

We had a long day of riding today, and 15 of the last 20 miles were uphill.  The good news is that I believe that was the last major mountain of our ride.  From here to the end we have some rolling hills, but that's it!  The last 5 miles of our day were a glorious downhill.

We found out when we got to our campsite that this one is only open on weekends.  If we had been just one day ahead of schedule, we would have had to keep riding 10 more miles before finding another campsite.  What a blessing!

Day 43 - Smells

Morro Bay, CA to Pismo Beach, CA - 30 Miles

We camped last night in a Eucalyptus grove.  It is so refreshing to exit a stuffy tent in the morning and breathe in the scent of Eucalyptus.  I'm going to take a tangent here and write a bit more about smells.  Of course, if you've been reading this blog, you already know that I follow many tangents without the courtesy of a forewarning.  My apologies.

While there is plenty to see on a bicycle tour, I don't think I've done justice to the many things there are to smell.  Some smells aren't so pleasant, like land fills, road kill and water treatment plants.  Some smells, however, are so wonderful that they will be forever cemented in my mind.  I mentioned the strawberry fields last week, but today we rode past a cilantro field.  Acres and acres of cilantro combine to pack quite an olfactory punch.  Another more surprising scent that has accompanied us is fennel.  Wild fennel grows on the side of the road in Southern Oregon and Northern California.  Every once in a while I still pick up the scent, but it is more sparse in Central and Southern California.  And of course, there are always flowers.  Occasionally we pass a well manicured flower garden in full bloom.  My favorite is when we pass one in the morning.  Flowers always smell better in the cool of the morning when they're wet with dew.  OK, tangent complete.  Thanks for indulging me and my hyperactive sense of smell.

We planned such an easy day of riding today that we decided to take our time breaking camp.  We finally packed up and left at 10:30, then visited the Natural History Museum that's connected to the State Park where we were staying.  We learned about the history of Morro Bay and how changes in the local economy have affected changes in the landscape of the bay.  We learned about ocean food chains, erosion and sea life.

Today's destination: Pismo Beach.  I first visited Pismo Beach during my freshman year of college.  It was the first time I ever tried clam chowder in a sour dough bread bowl.  It must have been memorable because I didn't remember anything else about the city.  Either I didn't see much of it when I was here last or the place has grown significantly.  Coming into town, we passed at least a half dozen RV parks that were huge and packed!  It may be like this all year, or it could be that we unwittingly chose to visit Pismo Beach during the annual clam festival.  We were lucky to find a campsite!  We were just passing through, so we didn't participate in any of the local festivities.

Day 42 - Flats and the not so flat

Plaskett Creek, CA to Morro Bay, CA - 62 miles

As we were leaving the campsite this morning, Stephen realized he had a flat tire.  At about 11:30, he had another.  At 3:00 this afternoon, Tanner got his first flat.  In terms of tires, it was a flat day.  In other respects, it wasn't such a flat day.  We climbed to the top of 2 - 1000 foot peaks before we finished the coastal cliffs south of Big Sur.

We passed Hearst Castle today.  I think I have now passed Hearst Castle 3 times in my life, but still have yet to go inside.  You have to take 3 separate tours if you want to see the whole castle.  I think it would be awesome to do someday, but $225 for all of us to see the whole castle was a bit much for now, not to mention the time commitment.  It's a good thing we passed up the castle tours though because when we got to our first campsite option for the evening just down the road, there were no showers.  We promised the boys real showers this evening, so we decided to go to the next park.

We stopped to watch the Elephant Seals today and met a woman who is running the length of California.  She started at the Oregon border and is running all the way to Mexico.  She runs 40 miles every day, that's more than a full marathon and a half...daily.  I know quite a few people who have run marathons and I think they are amazing.  Once I ran 11 miles without stopping and that was intense for me.  Biking is so much easier on the knees!

Day 41 - Long wind(ed)

Big Sur, CA to Plaskett Creek, CA - 36 miles

My childhood was peppered with trips to Southern California to visit family.  I have great memories of those trips!  My siblings and I became very familiar with the route and our typical stops.  On one trip, my parents decided to spice it up by cutting across California and driving down the coast.

I remember the following conversation near Big Sur between my parents and one of my siblings:

Sibling: Mom, turn around and look at this.
Mom: I can't.  I'm watching the road.
Sibling: But Dad's driving.
Mom: I know.
Dad: OK, I'll look then.
Mom: Don't you dare take your eyes off the road!

I don't remember the specifics of the journey, but that conversation always conjures up images of narrow, winding roads, swift-moving traffic, no shoulder and steep cliffs.  I was a bit nervous about this part of the trip with the boys, but I needn't have worried.  We had plenty of space to ride and turnouts to rest.  Besides, 4 bicycles and 2 bright yellow trailers are quite conspicuous.  We tend to stand out like conservatives in Garberville.

Did I mention Garberville?  We drove through there about 10 days ago.  How should I describe Garberville?... I've got it!  At my High School senior awards assembly, there was a special award given.  After the typical awards "Most popular," "Most Athletic," etc., the Juniors presented an award to the "Most Grunge-Dressing, Long-Hair-Wearing, Frisbee-Hucking Hippee in the School."  That is the phrase that comes to my mind when I think of Garberville, CA.  It was a bit too free-spirited for my conservative nature.

It's fitting that today's post is long-winded because today was long and windy!  At one point, Stephen asked me if I wanted to ride all the way to Argentina.  I told him that was like asking a woman in labor if she wanted to have another baby.  While Big Sur on a bicycle in a head wind is a beautiful experience, it's also a brutal one.

Tonight we are staying at a National Park.  The only difference between a State Park and a National Park is one thing: showers.  National Parks don't have them.  I knew it was a possibility on this trip that we may stay at a campground without showers, so I had a plan.  I would warm up water on the stove and at least towel myself clean and put on clean clothes before going to bed.  There's no way I'm climbing into a sleeping bag covered in sweat and dirt from the day!  What I wasn't prepared for was the boys' reaction to no showers.  "WORST CAMPSITE EVER!"  It warms my heart that they're so concerned about personal hygiene.  We each took a bath with a pan of hot water and a towel, and I didn't hear any more complaints after that.

Day 40 - No Disneyland! Say it aint so!

Monterey, CA to Big Sur, CA - 34 miles

Before getting too far out of Monterey, we stopped to visit Point Lobos.  We weren't disappointed.  The waters were a beautiful aquamarine and the crashing surf was mesmerizing.  Tan looked out at the ocean and said, "This world is amazing!"

We only had 30ish miles to go today, but they were tough with the wind.  We maintained 3 - 4 miles per hour going uphill, and at one point we had to pedal to go downhill.

Stephen and I were considering topping this trip off with a visit to Disneyland.  We thought it would be fun for the boys to spend a day at the Magic Kingdom in celebration of finishing the ride.  Today, Stephen rode up next to me and said, "I just talked myself out of Disneyland."  He concluded (and I agree) that if we finish a bike tour of the Pacific Coast with one day at Disneyland, then when people ask the boys how the trip went, they will talk about Disneyland.  We want them to rave about the 8 weeks they spend biking and all the amazing things they saw and did, not the 12 hours they spent at Disneyland.  We have loved our previous visits and we may go again sometime in the future, but for now we don't want Disneyland to share the limelight with a great accomplishment.

Day 39 - Earrings

Day of rest in Monterey CA - 0 miles

I was wrong about our route to church. We didn't have to go down the big hill. We had to go further up it. Oh well. This morning at church we met a man named John. He and his family moved to Monterey, CA to be near a place called Point Lobos. He is an oil painter and loves to paint the coastal landscape and the Cypress trees of this area. We plan to check out Point Lobos tomorrow. You can check out his work at:

www.burtonartstudios.com

The day of rest was much needed, but we didn't know what to do with ourselves towards the end of the day. We are excited to ride again tomorrow and finish the last stretch of this ride. We still have almost 2 weeks, but it feels like we're on the home stretch.

We met a couple in Half Moon Bay that we ran into again this evening. They are doing the same ride that we are, only they split the ride every day. He rides half while she drives it, they meet for lunch, then she rides half while he drives it. They were at our camp this evening and she gave me a pair of the earrings she makes out of bicycle tubes.

Day 38 - Fresas (Strawberries)

Santa Cruz, CA to Monterey, CA - 48 miles

Yesterday was pumpkin day and today was strawberries. It's not hard to see how California could supply strawberries for the entire United States. There were "strawberry fields forever." I wonder if this place was Simon and Garfunkle's inspiration. The strawberry fields were amazing to look at and even more wonderful to smell. We passed by some field workers packing strawberries near the fence and asked if they would sell us a flat. We bought 8 pounds of strawberries for $10 and didn't even mind the extra weight on our trailers.

The campground in Monterey is right in the city limits. The only problem is that it's up the side of a mountain. It was killer to climb! The only bad thing about taking tomorrow off to attend church is that we have to go down the hill then back up it. 

I am continually amazed at all the different people we are meeting from around the world. To date we have met cyclists from Australia, England, Singapore, Germany, Thailand, Canada, Spain, France, Russia and from all over the United States.

Day 37 - Pumpkins Galore

Half Moon Bay, CA to Santa Cruz, CA - 59 Miles

We struggled to get out this morning.  We have been trying to break camp by 8:30 am, but today we didn't get out until 9:40.  Before we were even out of the state campground, one of the bike trailers got a flat tire.  We don't have any extra tubes for the trailers, so we took the time to patch it, rather than just changing the tube and patching later like we do with the bike tires.  Then, we still had to stop at the store.  Yikes!

We knew we had a long ride today, so we had to make up the time.  Luckily, the weather was great, overcast most of the day, then pleasantly sunny towards afternoon.  We were able to maintain over 11 mph the whole day even with hills.

Our route was along the coast, but ocean wasn't the only sight that dominated our view.  Brussel sprouts and pumpkins are everywhere!  Nearly every city I've ever lived in has at least one pumpkin patch in the fall (hay maze, corn maze, pick-a-pumpkin, etc.), sometimes even a handful of them.  We saw dozens between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz!  Half Moon Bay even has it's own Pumpkin Festival.  This year at the festival they are showing a documentary about the 2013 world's largest pumpkin competition (check it out at www.riseofthegiantsmovie.com).

We stopped at a produce stand for some brussel sprouts, but decided to forgo the pumpkin for now.  Hopefully we'll finish this ride in time to carve at least one before Halloween.

Day 36 - Golden Gate Bridge!

San Rafael, CA to Half Moon Bay, CA - 54 Miles

There have been a few days on this trip that were truly significant.  By significant I mean that it really sunk in for me just how far we have come on our bikes.  The first such day was in Newport, OR.  For some reason, arriving at a place I have been before in a car and realizing that I am now there on a bicycle made the experience more significant.

Today was one of those days.  We made it to San Francisco!  We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge!  We have come 1200 miles without our car!  Compared to other bridges we have crossed on bikes, the Golden Gate was a piece of cake.  Although I've been to San Francisco before, I never crossed the bridge before today.  There is a dedicated lane, separated from motorist traffic, for cyclists and pedestrians.  Very nice!

Lets back up.  Here's a conversation from last night:

Me: We're going to see someone we know in San Francisco tomorrow.

Bins: Who is it?

Me: Her name is Cindy.  She's a friend of your MaJu.  She met you when you were a baby.

Bins: Sidnee?

Me: Cindy.

Bins: Sandy?

Me: Cindy.

Bins: City.  Cindy.

Me: Good job.

Bins was very proud of himself that he remembered and said her name correctly when we saw her today.  Cindy was on the Golden Gate Bridge to take pictures of us when we neared the other side.  The last time she saw Bins he was 2 days away from his 1st Birthday and she held him on her lap.  Now, 8 1/2 years later, they look each other in the eye; he's tall, she's not so tall.

Cindy picked us up at our campsite in Half Moon Bay this evening and took us out to dinner.  When she asked us earlier in the day what we wanted to eat, Tanner said, "Macaroni and Cheese."  She found a great restaurant with fresh sea food, local produce and...homemade mac and cheese.  Thanks Cindy!  You are wonderful!