Conclusions

As it is the last day of August and the day I wanted to end my trip by I thought it would be appropriate to do one last blog conclusive blog post to wrap up some of the details.

After La Jolla I have been spending my time around Southern California enjoying times with friends and family. I went back up to Newport Beach to see my God Family before they moved from out to Utah and kick it with some of the new friends that I had made there. Then I came back south to Poway to spend some time with my Aunt Punky, Uncle Thom & Cousin Garrett.

Last Friday on my way down there I ran into someone opening his car door in Oceanside California. It really banged up my shin (which is still sore) and somehow managed to knock off my back break. My bike is still functional but it was a disheartening incident, I'm just thankful it didn't happen on my actual journey. I was not discouraged and still met up with my cousin for a day filled with attempted spear fishing and body surfing. That night I participated in my first Critical Mass in San Diego. If you are unfamiliar with this it is a massive bike ride through cities all across the world to promote the benefits of cycling from reducing Green House Gasses to lessening congestion. More info can be found at this link. It was the final death rattle of my bike as far as I'm concerned with no back break. There was a good 400 or so of us that took off from Balboa Park and we ended up going over the Coronado Bridge. Seeing as this was illegal the police decided we were not allowed back over it to downtown. The only option was to ride down the strand to Imperial Beach. So I did actually reach Imperial Beach around midnight Friday and it was such an unexpected outcome of the night and my trip in general. My bike is in poor condition with the break and rack piratically falling off of it. We took the trolley back to downtown and I slept very satisfied that night. On saturday my cousin and I joined my aunt and uncle for some horse camping out past Julian, CA. It was very nice country and I enjoyed sleeping outside one more time, no JakPak though.

I have been relaxing here at my relatives house in Poway since then, filling out applications for a number of jobs online, eating lots of tasty veggies grown by my cousin and figuring out how I am going to get back home. I am doing something I said I didn't ever want to do in moving back to my parents in Spokane. Although I hope it is a temporary solution until something else pulls through. I will be taking the train there with in the next week.

Overall reflecting on this summer it has been the adventure of a lifetime and I have absolutely no regrets. I indubitably believe that it was the best way I could have spent my summer and hope to be adventure cycling for the rest of my life. So everybody keep an eye out for the next one, who known when though.

The fund raising effort did not raise as much as much original intent. It was an aspect of the trip that I did not really know how to manage that well but again I thank everyone who did contribute. This money will really help not only my alumni and former peers at Western but some of the endangered poor settlements of Guatemala City. The total raised was $ 1720, again thank you to all who supported and it really is never to late if you haven't. The Western Foundation is always accepting and the donations are totally tax deductible.

I again want to thank all the people who helped me out along the way. From the people who got the word out on the media, to the fellow cyclists who were great friends along the road. All my friends and family that I saw along the way. I could not have done this with out you behind me and for that I am eternally grateful.

I will keep this site active and hopefully be using it as a personal site that I will update with my future endeavors and adventures. Until then.

Sincerely
-TE

How it Ends

Day 55

Miles Ridden Since Last Blog: 50+

Miles Ridden Total: 2000 + I'm done counting...

So I knew this day would come and I have been somewhat avoiding it but now this is really the last time I will post to this blog for my 2009 Border to Border Summer Cycle Adventure. It was quite the last day getting down to the border and I will elaborate on that more.

After leaving San Elijo (funny pic above of surfing statue with a bikini on) I enjoyed some of my last hills of the ride before getting near U.C.S.B. and descending in La Jolla. It was a fairly pleasant ride for most of the morning and I was making great time. Then after getting past Pacific Beach I reached mission beach and the end of the boardwalk that I was riding. Looking out past a pier I saw what I thought to be more boardwalk but actually ended on some rocks. I dragged my bike & trailor down some stairs in vain attempt to avoid riding on the street. When I had pulled back to the street my back tire was almost completely flat, I think it was the stairs that did it. I attempted to repair it with the last patch in my kit with not long lasting result. I was able to ride to the marina and got quickly directed to Moment Bike Store on Rosecrans st. I waited an hour until the bike shop opened at 1 pm, purchased some new tubes and a patch kit. The tubes ended up not fitting my tires that well and even though I couldn't find a hole for the life of me would not stay inflated for long. Some how I got one situated so it stayed inflated for the better part of the afternoon. That's when I started getting lost.


I wanted to pass through Imperial Beach like my original intention but ended up getting stuck by the Naval Base and then riding inland only to get hopelessly turned around in the town of Bonita. I eventually got put in the right direction and finally reached San Ysidro, only to find my back tire going flat again. I was less than a mile from my final destination and I was feeling completely despondent. I even got turned around in the big mess of all the duty free shopping areas with all the Sunday traffic. I pretty much walked my bike up to the walk in entrance of the border and felt a lackluster sense of accomplishment. I didn't really know what to expect, mariachi bands playing & people cheering perhaps but I really was just exhausted from the days trials. I indubitably didn't feel the accomplishment of riding the entire way across the country. (hence the very forced smile in the picture below)


I took the Hawaiian Lei (picture above) my mom got me for graduation off of my handle bars as some sort of symbolic gesture of completion. I ended up hoping on the San Diego Trolley Train that runs all the way down there and rode it back to Old Town north of Down Town. On the ride I was able to patch up and old tube to get my bike functional again. It really sunk in on the train ride that I have absolutely nothing going for me after this ride. It was more of a scary feeling than any thing else. But I don't fear the future I only have to embrace to possibilities that lay before me.

I made it back up to La Jolla after the last train stop to a friends place and I have no plans for the day except to write this blog, reflect and relax.

I wanted to take the last part of this last post to really reflect on what I think I learned during this journey.

For me personally this was just something I deemed necessary as a right of passage between education and employment. I feel like I really have done what was necessary on this adventure to call it complete, even though my plans for the future are null and I am considering riding back up. Now that I have been bitten by the cycle adventure bug I want to do this for the rest of my life. I am convinced if there is somewhere worth going it is worth riding a bike to get there. Even though I can be a little mad at my bike (like yesterday) it is always more appealing than a car. I want everyone one in the entire world to have the same passion for the wonderful invention that is the bicycle and to realize its true potential. I really know realize the saying that getting there is half the fun, for me it was more like 110%.

The amazing scenery of the West Coast has always been something that amazes and entices me. The diverse geography, plants and wildlife astounded me. From the Rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula to Sun baked beach of the Balboa Peninsula this countries coast line is something to be treasured. I have seen so much beauty these past 55 plus days I cannot even find words to explain it all. The best thing I can recommend is to get out there and see it for yourself.

There are a lot of people out camping and promoting tourism all across the places I saw. I think there is some irresponsibility amongst the way some participate. Recreational Vehicles have overtaken campgrounds and pervade scenic by-ways. In my opinion Camping has nothing to do with shelling yourself in a Motor-Home. These vehicles encourage waste accumulation and the amount of gas they consume is horrendous. Try a cycle tour, minimizes waste and NO GAS!!!

The trash was an interesting aspect of the trip that I wish I could have done more. It was overwhelming at times seeing how much garbage was strewn amongst the roadside, especially in parks. Due to the sheer lack of time and conservation of momentum I could not stop for every single piece but I do feel like I made a difference. The typical refuse that lays on the side of the road again stereotypes the people who seem to forget what trash can is. Fast food containers, alcohol, soda and in particular energy drinks were common. Not to mention the countless cigarette butts. It seems like if these things associated with bad lifestyles were some how ailed then we would eliminate a lot of needless waste that accumulates off the side of the road.

Thinking about how the people perceives something like waste reduction as factor risk is something that has been a difficult aspect of the journey. I wanted to do this as fund raising effort for my alumni at Huxley College for the Environment at Western Washington University. The project in Guatemala City partnering the Resiliency Institure with Oxfam had just gotten its feet wet this past spring and was something deserving of support. I do not think I got close to the original goal but it was something to raise whatever I did even though the bar was set high. Again thank you to everyone who did donate and if you haven't yet please NOW IS THE TIME!!! I have finished, so if you were waiting to see if I could do it, now's your time. I will update with the total amount raised by the end of the month.

People's support has been a important and necessary part of the trip. From the random people I meet along the way to old friends and family it has always been nice to be taken in. From seeing my immediate family in Portland and staying with my Cousin Gretchen, to spending the better part of this last week with my God Family in Newport Beach. To every curious person who saw that sign on the back of my trailer with my blog link on it, thanks!!! To all the fellow bikers who I met along the way, thanks for the friendly times and memories. Also thanks to my former peers, faculty and professors at Western who will be utilizing the money of the fund raising to benefit the research in the Guatemala Landslide Risk Reduction Project.

It was also nice to get support from the media and a product. First of all big thank you to JakPak and Jeremy for letting me field test one of their units. It was necessary addition to my trip that made many nights sleeps much more comfortable and drier. I highly recommend picking one up for hiking/biking/backpacking needs or for emergency situations. Also to Marissa Willis at the Northern Light, Brianne McDonough at the Western Front, Mike Prager at the Spokesman Review (who's article can be found here) & Jackie Tushinsky at San Diego Loves Green (who's article can be found here).

I think that this experience has really been the culmination of my life thus far and I really want to emphasize the astounding feeling of gratitude I have to everyone who helped me out along the way and supported me. I feel so honored to be able to take this time in my life of freedom and turn it into something inspiring to other people and supporting a good cause. Please keep spreading those good vibes along.

I guess that this pretty much does it for now. It quite the whirlwind of a summer and its not even over yet. I am going to keep the site active. I hope to keep this updated with the further progress of the fund raiser and information on what I am now doing in my life. This really has been such a great time and I don't want to say its over but I guess its just back to transition.

"There's nothing so stable as Change" - Bob Dylan

-TE

Crystal Cove to San Elijo

(sunset over the Balboa pier)
Day 53

Miles Traveled Since Last Blog: 60

Miles Traveled Total: 2001

Wow I really didn't realize it until I just typed in right then that I have ridden over 2000 miles on my bicycle in the past two months. I never thought I could or would ride that much in a year this time last summer. However now it feels like riding my bike is all I really want to do.

Like I mentioned last post it was an amazing time in Newport Beach, kicking it with my God Family on the Balboa Peninsula. Indubitably one of the highlights of the trip and a well deserved time of rest and relaxation.

Yesterday afternoon I went from the Peninsula on the short ferry to Balboa Island and hit the road again just a brief ride south to Crystal Cove. (A nice State Park area that has some vintage beach houses pic above) Mara my God-Mother knew a friend who rented a nice little cottage there. It was a very peaceful afternoon and evening spent along the coast perched high on a cliff. I took a nice walk on the beach and got some good reading done in my book. I think I feel asleep before 10 which was a nice change from some of the crazy nights of the week before. Below is picture of the hazy sunset I saw there.


Today I took off from Crystal Cove and really set off to San Diego. I was taking a picture of some coastline pretty soon after I left and when I was walking back to my bike I saw a rattle snake about 4 or 5 feet away from me (picture above) The weather has taken a nasty turn with overcast skies and a fiercly strong headwind coming from the south. I got to ride on I-5 today after missing the turn off to go into Camp Pendelton, it really wasn't that bad and at some points traffic backed up and I was going faster than the cars. An unfortunate thing is I couldn't get a hold of my friend in San Diego so I am going to camp one last night at San Elijo by Encinitas, CA. I think that I could finish my trip tomorrow but I might make two days out of it as well. It has been so long since I started I really don't know what else to be doing besides biking, camping and visiting people.
(picture of entering I-5, something I never thought I do on a Bike)


I am going to try and take some time and reflect on what this trip means after I finish and have a more conclusive long blog then. I just had some time right now and wanted to do a quick update.

Ride on.

-TE