Day 40: the final plunge into the Pacific: Pine Valley to San Diego!

May the Lord give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Psalm 20:4

52 miles (+1 more) – 1,972 ft climb – 5,758 descent

Wow! So many emotions! I can’t believe this day has arrived! It was 50 degrees when we woke up in Pine Valley. Brrr. The temps have definitely been a surprise for me. I pretty much expected 90s the whole trip. I mean come on: Florida, southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona & California. Isn’t the south hot? And deserts? It has been a pleasant surprise to not be stifling hot all the time. More so for Bruce. Since he’s actually outside.

The scenery along this stretch was beautiful! I didn’t expect California to have fall colors. I thought it would either be desert or spring like flowers. It made me smile to see 2 palm trees sticking up out of some fall foliage. This must also be intense horse country because we saw stable after stable of horses. I would have loved to go for a ride through the mountains. But the ocean was calling.

Speaking of calling, Bruce called to tell me that he saw some little shops on the side of the road that I might enjoy. I love having a scout. After a few miles I did indeed come upon some little shops in a town called Guatay. But on closer inspection one was a hardware store, one a gas station and the others were boarded up. I figured Bruce had flown by so fast that all he noticed were the buildings. Which at first glance did look old and inviting. A few miles down the road in Descanso I came across another little group of buildings and these actually were little shops. Ohhh! So this is what he meant. I meandered through and bought a few things. Wanda, the owner of one of the shops told me that her building, which was a little house, had been the first house in Descanso to have running water and electricity. I was looking at a plate with Betsy Ross on it (for my USA bathroom – don’t judge) and she told me I could just have it because it was Avon and she hates Avon. The evils of mass production.

The owner of the next shop was collecting tack equipment for people affected by the recent fire. She told me that a fire had swept through the valley and neighbors just opened gates and let all the animals out to fend for themselves. Another neighbor who had land that wasn’t in the path of the fire opened the gates to his field for the fleeing horses to come in. The animals were saved but once the hay in the barns caught fire, it destroyed everything in the barns. Wow! What a story of love and compassion for your neighbors.

Bruce was ahead of me all day. He loved the scenery and all the winding downhill runs. I was thankful that he was in front of me because sometimes the shoulders disappeared. We didn’t have too much traffic on most of the roads and there were signs all along that said “share the road with bikes.” But the few drivers that did pass me may possibly have been going too fast to read those signs.

Harvey’s gas needle showed half. I couldn’t remember if the sudden drop is from 1/2 to empty or 1/4 to empty, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Gas out here is outrageously expensive. So when I saw a station that had $2.79 gas I thought I better grab some. What the sign didn’t say is that to get the bargain price of $2.79 you have to pay cash. No problem. I called Bruce and found out where his secret cash stash was. I grabbed a $100 and ran in to pay. I told the guy I wasn’t sure how much it would take and he assured me that I could come back in and get my change. Perfect! The tricky thing about filling Harvey is that you have to make sure the gas tank filler place is lined up with the actual gas station tank because if not, those hoses are pretty short and won’t reach. I expertly lined it up and began to fill. I forgot how big Harvey’s tank is. He gulped down the $100 and wanted more. I had to go back in and put more money down. Bruce wanted me to put gas in the little cycle also but alas the hose wouldn’t reach. As soon as the guy in the Prius in front of me moved, I pulled up until the hose would reach. This took a few attempts. Finally mission accomplished. Stuck the nozzle in and it took 15 cents worth. Fifteen cents! I only had 13 cents. So the guy made me break a $20. Seriously? This little ordeal took about 4 hours. Not really. But long enough for Bruce to get way ahead of me.

Our friends, Van and Janie Buchanan generously put us up in a beautiful Marriott right on the water. We decided instead of going to Ocean Beach as originally planned per the Bike Association Southern Tier map, that we would both head for our hotel and once Harvey was parked, I would go down to the beach and take pictures of the final plunge. Sounds easy right? That’s what we thought. But driving an RV and finding a place to park in downtown San Diego is not an easy feat. After a few trips around the block (or through the Dole packing plant parking lot- whichever the case may be) and a phone call to the Marriott front desk, I ended up in the Marriott front driveway. Bruce had already arrived. I was getting frustrated. I didn’t want to take a wrong turn and end up in a parking garage or some place really hard to get out of. So God sent an angel in the form of a Marriott employee walking by. When we asked him how to get to the outside Marina parking area, he said “follow me, I’ll lead you there.” He walked ahead of me through a few little parking lots and a parking garage and out the other side to a good Harvey sized spot. I never would have found it.

So yay! We were ready to head to the beach! Wait. Where WAS the beach? We were actually in a marina. With rocks or railing between us and the ocean. I guess there was a reason the Southern Tier map ended in Ocean Beach.

We asked around and found out the nearest beach was several miles away. I wasn’t about to get Harvey out again. Our other option was to jump on the little ferry to Coronado Beach. An easy 5 minute ride. So we bought tickets. And missed the ferry by 2 minutes. Thirty minutes later we were on the next ferry. And so excited. Our kids set up a group facetime so they could all see the culmination of Bruce’s ride. It was such a blessing to have the kids and our moms be a part of that moment! Bruce rode off the ferry boardwalk or landing or whatever it’s called and up to the sand. Since it’s a road bike, I guess riders don’t technically ride into the ocean like I envisioned. He carried his bike down to the water and stuck the front wheel in the Pacific. Mission accomplished!

Waiting in line for the ferry Bruce bonded with some other bikers who were pretty excited about his accomplishment. We got on the ferry and relaxed. Until Bruce noticed that we were passing by our hotel. We didn’t realize there were 2 different ferries. Instead of our 5 minute ride straight across to our hotel, we were on a bit longer ride that ended down by the USS Midway. No problem. What’s one more mile when you’ve just ridden across America? If I didn’t need the exercise, I would have jumped on one of the little scooters conveniently placed every where.

Our room was amazing. On the 19th floor with views out 2 sides. Wowza! Thanks so much Van & Janie! Bruce went down and swam a few laps to loosen up his muscles. In the pool. Not the ocean.

We felt obligated to eat sea food since we were on the coast. So for our celebratory dinner at Harbor House, I had seabass and Bruce had fish tacos. I guess I was celebrating more than he was.

If you pay attention to numbers, you are probably wondering where I came up with the 44 days. That is a good question. I’m sure somewhere in the early stages, my schedule included 44 days of biking. We all know Bruce & the weather totally messed that up. But that only accounts for a few days. So we were actually 40 days on our journey to the Pacific. Plus 5 days home = 45. Still off. Plus 2 1/2 days at the beginning = 47/48. Nope. Still can’t get to 44. Oh, well!I guess I have to admit that I just flat out forgot to update it. Or added wrong. I’m not actually an accountant any more, you know.

Another thing I have to mention. I love when God does little things that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but are a huge blessing to me. Remember Pensacola when I had my traffic melt down? Ever since then, whether I was merging onto an interstate, pulling out from the side of the road or just turning onto a different highway, God cleared the road for me. I’m talking BOTH lanes. No traffic IN SIGHT. Even on that one interstate packed with trucks, when I was ready to get on the highway, it was empty. Even in San Diego afternoon traffic, when I had to pull out to find the parking area, no cars in sight in either lane. Crazy, right!?! The first couple times I thought it was luck (I’m kinda slow sometimes). When it happened day after day, EVERY time, I knew. Thanks God!

Also I’m sure inquiring minds want to know: just how much weight does one lose on a 40 day bike ride? On Bruce’s new diet plan, which includes ample amounts of Bit O Honey candy, ice cream, Stacy’s chips and beer, you can lose almost 20 pounds in 6 weeks. You simply bike 2,500 miles and wa-la! Sadly I did not lose anything. I don’t understand why not because we traveled the same route.