Well, we did it!
Today was a long day so we left our hotel in San Clemente at 7:15 am. At mile 11 we entered the Naval Base at Camp Pendleton, exiting the base at mile 21. We rode through the town of Oceanside where all the surfers were getting an early start. We passed through Carlesbad, a town filled with surf shops and then on to Encinitas where we stopped for a quick drink and muffin at this wonderful pastry shop that was a favorite of cyclists. We saw hundreds of riders today, it was a beautiful day for riding. We proceeded on through Cardiff by the Sea, Solana Beach Del Mar and La Jolla.
The sea lions attracted tourists with their barking. I couldn't wait to get through town because the smell from the birds and sea lions was so strong.
At mile 65, we took a 10 minute ferry ride from downtown San Diego to the Island of Coronado. Then after another 20 miles we made it to our final destination, Imperial Beach. Imperial Beach is as far as you can go in California without crossing the border into Mexico. Several helicopters were overhead, I'm sure trying to spot people trying to illegally cross the border into the USA while border patrol were canvassing the area on 4 wheelers,
We celebrated with Champaigne before taking a final 10 mile ride to our hotel in Chula Vista (a suburb of San Diego).
Upon arriving at our hotel, bikes were packed and we headed off for our last dinner together as a group.
There's no better way to see the Country than by bike. It opens your eyes to the good, the bad and the ugly................and you get to eat whatever you want.
We traveled just under 1,800 miles in 27 days, we had 2 days off, we had one accident (Sherman) and we had one bike stolen (mine). We made new friends and we got to ride again with friends from previous rides. Sue and Graham , our leaders, did a remarkable job keeping us safe and fed and rolling. 2014 was ou Cross Country ride, 2015 was our LEJOG (length of UK) ride, 2016 was the West Coast ride...................I wonder what's in store for 2017. Stay tuned!
We'll spend 2 nights in San Diego and then head home to see the kid's and grandkids, we can't wait!!
Best,
M and Big
More pictures to come.........
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