Final day of the six – week cycling tour! The last day was particularly scenic. I rode along the San Diego harbour front before taking a bike path through Coronado Island to Border Field State Park, where the American – Mexican border begins. After leaving the Island, I rode along dusty back roads where ranches that had captured wild horses were trying to break them in, with one loose in the road when I passed. Although San Diego was not more than ten miles behind me, it felt as if I was in the wilderness. The road suddenly merged into a sandy and pebbly beaten track with the occasional horse hoof imprinted in it. Two Mexican rancheros on horseback signalled I was close to the border. Dust, sand and bushes went as far as the eye could see. As I rode through the park, which initially is bare with a single road running through, a huge barbed wire border fence punctured the skyline. One final hill took me to the most South-Western Corner of the United States, an area with a stunning view of the ocean in front of us, the fence and guards to one side and the sprawling mass of Tijuana just over the border.
Making it to the finish line of our journey was an elated feeling. One bruised bum, two sore legs, forty-two towns and almost 2,000 miles later we had actually made it to the Mexican border from Canada! Despite being so unfit at the beginning, despite the rain, despite the infamous Washington and Oregon hills, despite the padding in my shorts completely wearing out, despite only having faith and not certainty in my ability to repair a puncture, we had managed to reach Mexico with toned legs (slightly more than before, at any rate) and renewed confidence in what we could achieve next: whether it be on or off a bike.
KATHRYNESHARPE 