USA-Ride Diary

WE ARE FINISHED!
Today we completed our journey across the country! Since Tahoe we have been riding under perfect blue skies, taking in more hills than we were expecting to be between us and the coast!! Perhaps we spoke too soon when we suggested the last climbs were already done?! In more ‘typical’ fortune, Owen took over in the puncture rankings…he racked up numerous punctures in a couple days, and wore through another tire. Good work. As you will see in the photos, entering California was not the most exciting part of the trip. A narrow, vertical post at the side of the road indicated that we had moved from Nevada in to California, and thankfully, having rolled past it, Liz’s beady little eye noticed we had entered our final state on the route.
So after passing through some more small towns, we started to get in to more built up areas surrounding the suburbs of the major cities. Owing to some road construction work, we had a few interesting navigation issues which were soon sorted without too much trouble. We rode through some really nice countryside, with lots of fruit growing areas, and vineyards too. The humidity briefly seemed to return too, but thankfully the cool breeze from the coast quickly came and cooled that down.
Our final day has been a pretty short one in terms of cycling time. We rolled 1.5 miles from the centre of Vallejo to the ferry which took us across the bay to San Francisco…We were surprised by the extent of the fog, and also by how much the temperature dropped. It was, for the first time in a while, pretty chilly. We were met straight away with skyscrapers and gridlocked streets. Car passengers seemed happy to swing open their doors, just as we were riding beside…something we were not too keen on! Eventually after weaving through the traffic and making our way up some very steep San Franciscan streets…we copped a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, just as the fog was clearing. We took plenty of pictures at the beach, and then headed over to the far side of the bridge to officially complete our journey across America. It was a wonderful feeling to finally reach this point, and look at the map, seeing the journey which we had just completed.
As usual, the tummy was in control, so we soon set off in search of some food and drink. Then the sleepy eyes set in…which is why I am struggling to write something decent as this entry! Perhaps I should re-try in the morning when we upload our pictures! In fact, I think that is what I will do!
Thanks to everyone who has been following us and keeping an eye on our progress. It has been wonderful hearing your comments…
Keep an eye on the gallery for our pictures once we upload them very soon!