Day 27: The end has arrived
(Dana Point to San Diego)
date: Saturday August 31, 2002
daily miles: 82 miles (132 km)
total miles: 2,129 miles (3,426 km)
The ride is over
Last night and this morning weren't any fun as I predicted via my journal yesterday. Loud neighbors, trains and car traffic kept me awake. The baby crying at 5am and the father carrying her around while whistling for the next hour to appease her wasn't the way I had planned on starting my day. Earplugs helped but they just weren’t enough.
So packed and out of camp early -- 7:30am. The Germans that I was sharing the hiker/biker site weren't that far behind me. They weren't being as gracious as I was in their comments about the neighbors. They wanted to wake a couple of them up with the noise – turnabout is fair play at times.
Yes -- I am tired and exhausted and worn out...
No problem riding to Camp Pendleton. Then started the I-5 part of the ride itself, as riding across Camp Pendleton is still not an option. Six miles of four-lane freeway to get to Oceanside. One mile in on the freeway and I get a California State patrolman on his speakerphone going "pedal faster" and driving behind me on the shoulder. I'm hammering at 24+ mph already and he wants me to go faster!!
Get to Oceanside and I'm completely drenched in sweat. Call Ken -- my best bud for 25+ years and we coordinate to meet in La Jolla so he can finish the ride with me plus give me a ride back to his place to recuperate for a few days.
 For my bike -- the trip is over now... |
At least that was the plan. He made it to La Jolla and I did too. Except we waited at two different corners about fifty yards apart -- for at least two hours when he finally called me on the cellphone. So close and yet so far. I was on one side of the Ferrari dealership parking lot and he was on the other corner. |
| We rode into San Diego via Pacific Beach and Mission Bay. Proceeded toward the docks and the Star of India -- an old masted sailing ship. Did the final photos of the trip. |
 My buddy Ken from the sixth grade |
I guess the trip is now officially over. :-(
We rode back up the pier and loaded the bikes into Ken's truck. Felt strange loading my bike and BOB trailer into a truck -- we have come so far together under our own pedal power. It almost feels like cheating.
The rear wheel on my bike is toast. Cracks all over the place and they are severe – Ken is mortified that I was actually able to ride it. Five rim eyelets and the resulting spokes are totally torn out. Riding it the last few miles wasn't for the faint of heart -- it could have completely collapsed at any given moment. Tonight it gets the spokes snipped and the hub will be saved -- everything else will be trashed because it is truly that bad.
I had a nice long hot shower at Ken's tonight. Feels strange to be in a place with walls, windows and doors. The shower didn't even require quarters. I got to use a real towel instead of my funky chamois towel. Not bad -- just strange after calling my tent and the outdoors and the state parks my home for the past few weeks.
Time to go get some good Italian food -- I'm famished!!
Thanks for letting me share my trip with you.
Mark Savory
September 2002
