After several fits and starts, the day finally arrived for me to begin cycling across the USA, this time the southern tier.
I had a very good and healthy breakfast with Yvonne before heading to Dog Beach (San Diego CA), the official starting point for the southern tier ride. There is a long-standing tradition that cyclists dip the back wheel of their bike in the ocean at the point of departure, and the front wheel in the ocean at the point of arrival after riding across the continent. But there was a challenge - getting the trike to the ocean was impractical. So Yvonne waded into the sea to collect water so that we could still fulfill the tradition.
During the final minutes before my departure I was checking that my trike was ready to go. Orph was strapped on the front of the trike and panniers were in place. The countdown was about to begin. Then we met Dee, a lady who was extremely interested in the trike and the journey ahead. It turns out that Dee, together with fellow cyclists, had completed the same ride a few years ago. Who better to contribute to the tradition? Dee graciously agreed to pour the sea water over the back wheel with me. As an FYI, Dee is in her 80s, still rides her trike, and brings her dog, Charlie, to the beach in the mornings for his daily dose of fun.
The beginning of the beach trail was great as it is relatively flat and continues along the coastline for about 3/4 of a mile. Then the climbing started and continued until the end of Day 1, and then into Day 2.
Beginning Of The Trail
Orph All Ready To Go
Enjoy 😎