After a few days catching our breath in Los Angeles, we started the last stage. Two days were left. The food in our bags was almost gone, and the forecast said rain. In Vancouver we had started out as "Raincouver to Sun Diego". Would we really reach "Sun Diego", or would the rain follow us to the very last day?
- DohenySanta Monica → Doheny State BeachSouth along the Los Angeles coast. Night: Doheny State Beach, $6, a corner hidden behind the showers and the last ramen.
- San DiegoDoheny → San DiegoThe last day, the last mile. Night: HI Hostel San Diego, with a fisherman going to Hawaii in the next bed.
- 8 NovemberSan Diego → Santa Fe DepotThe last point in my trip journal: the Santa Fe train station.
- The way backSan Diego → Vancouver (by train)About 48 hours. My card did not work, so a noodle with my last dollar. Philip, meanwhile, in Hawaii.
| Santa Monica → Doheny | 108 km | ↑ 290 m | ↓ 260 m |
| Doheny → San Diego | 121 km | ↑ 420 m | ↓ 470 m |
| Stage total | 229 km | ↑ 710 m | ↓ 730 m |
I could not keep a daily GPS log: in 2011 power banks were hardly a thing, and with GPS tracking on the phone battery died within an hour, which would have made recording the rest of the tour impossible. So these are approximate values from Google Maps cycling directions along the route I rebuilt from the location points on my phone. On the few days where Google pushed the route onto other roads, distance comes from my own route and climbing from an elevation model. Ferry crossings are not included.
Doheny State Beach · The last camp for $6
Camping at Doheny State Beach was only $6. The hiker-biker site was squeezed into a slightly hidden corner right behind the showers. Who cares? For $6 it was a great place. The beach was beautiful too. I was hoping to see the sunset, but the clouds did not allow it. And the forecast said rain for the next day.
For dinner we mixed the last ramen noodles from the bottom of the bag with chili beef and beans. After that we had nothing left to eat. That evening I wrote in my notes: most probably we will ride 70 miles again to reach San Diego. So: the last day, empty bags and a long road.
The last day · Riding to San Diego
Luckily the rain forecast was wrong this time, and San Diego welcomed us with sunshine: palm trees, the bay and a deep blue sky. On the last day we rode to San Diego, Philip in front and me behind. A trip that began in the rain in Vancouver was ending in the San Diego sun. The sentence we wrote in the sand in Oregon had come true: Raincouver to Sun Diego.
HI Hostel San Diego · 3,200 km done
The first sentence of my note at the San Diego hostel was short and clear: "3200 km done." The hostel was not what I expected, but it was good enough. The night before, a man had offered us his garage, but we had already booked. A fisherman was sleeping in the bed next to me. At first it felt a little strange. But after this trip, nothing feels strange to me. He was a really nice man, and he was going to Hawaii. Remember that detail; you will need it soon. The hostel also had a free breakfast. For someone arriving with empty bags, that was like a red-carpet welcome.
After this trip, nothing feels strange to me.
8 November · Santa Fe Depot, the last point
The last entry in the trip journal on my phone is the morning of 8 November: the Santa Fe train station in San Diego. No note, just a location. As if the phone was also saying, "OK, that's enough." Now I would go back up the coast we had ridden down for weeks, this time by train: from San Diego to Vancouver.
The way back · 48 hours, 1 dollar and a noodle
If I remember correctly, the train trip took about 48 hours. It was a train with amazing views; I watched through the window the coast we had pedalled for weeks. My bike travelled with me in the luggage area reserved for bicycles. The car was so empty that all the seats were mine. It was a spacious, comfortable ride.
What made this trip unforgettable was that my credit card did not work. I had spent my cash down to the last cent. With my last 1 dollar I bought a cheap noodle, poured hot water on it and ate it. Luckily I had brought a sandwich too. The train stopped at stations for only 1 or 2 minutes, and I never dared to get off and buy something. I did not want missing the train to be the last adventure of this trip.
With my last 1 dollar I bought a cheap noodle, poured hot water on it and ate it.
So where was Philip while I was making that long way back alone? He was sending me photos from Hawaii! Yes, you heard that right. While I spent 48 hours half-hungry on a train, Philip was in Hawaii. The fisherman in the next bed at the hostel was going to Hawaii too. It seems I was the only one not going. Well, life is not always fair, is it :)
At the end of the road
I put this series together from the notes I wrote on my phone on the road and the photos we took. Some days have no notes at all; that is part of the road too. Looking back, what I remember most is not the kilometres but the people: Steve and Doddy, who opened their home to us; the campground worker in Astoria who gave us a cabin for free; the couples who shared their food with us; the cyclists we met along the way.
And of course Philip. Philip is a wonderful person, and we still keep in touch. Crossing paths with him was an amazing piece of luck for me. I can never thank him enough... including for the waterproof gear he gave me in Lincoln City :)
If I learned one thing from this trip, it is this: when you go somewhere by bike, the place shows you not only its views but also its people. Thank you for reading. Maybe one day we will meet on a road :)
- Where we slept: Doheny State Beach ($6), HI Hostel San Diego (free breakfast). For their status today: Where we stayed
- In total: about 3,200 km, the number I wrote on my phone in San Diego. 2 countries: British Columbia in Canada; Washington, Oregon and California in the USA.
- Lesson from the road: Plan the last days too. When the food bag is almost empty, ramen may be the only menu left. And before you get on a train, make sure your card works.
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