West Is Best

One way or another, today would be my last day in San Diego. Once I upload this update I’ll start getting my gear together for tomorrow’s ride. Phase three of my ride is on the horizon. And this time the horizon is to the east.

Craig and Sue left the house early this morning, so I was left to my own devices. Literally. I spent much of the day on my computer and other electronic devices. There was more editing to do. More writing to do. Plus, there were maps at which I figured I should take a glance or two. And all of that required my computer, phone, and/or camera.

Last night, Craig had mentioned there was a stand-up paddleboard as well as kayaks that I was welcome to use “if I got bored”. Given my limited comfort level in the water (gross understatement) I pretty much ruled out the paddleboarding right away. The kayaks? Well, that sounded much more interesting.

By noon I had decided that I had done enough work related tasks and that it was time to enjoy my final day in San Diego. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy editing and writing (especially when I can do so while sitting outside), but I also enjoy NOT staring at a computer screen. As such, I decided it was time to take my chances with the kayak.

Despite not being particularly experienced with kayaks, nor a very good swimmer, I didn’t think twice about heading out onto the open water on my own. “On my own” is kind of my thing so why should this be any different. Besides, I had a life jacket and the water was relatively calm.

The kayaking went very well. I didn’t stray too far from shore but certainly far enough that tipping the kayak would have been more than a little unpleasant. Spoiler Alert: I didn’t tip the kayak. I also didn’t bring a tripod for my GoPro camera so the photographic evidence of my solo adventure at sea isn’t exactly brilliant. But better than nothing.

The afternoon was coming to an end when Craig and Sue returned home and they were in a bit of a rush. Sue mentioned that if I wanted to join them at the Yacht Club for some sort of electric boat race that I would have to be ready in two minutes. I wasn’t exactly sure what this race entailed but finding out seemed like a good idea. I was in the car in about 90 seconds.

Not long after that we were on a small electric boat with four other people preparing to head out on a pseudo-scavenger hunt. In reality what we needed to do was locate and get photos of six houses as described by clues given to each of the eight boats in the contest. Needless to say, I wasn’t any help in figuring out the houses. Fortunately, Sue was. I had brought my camera so I became the official photographer for our boat.

It turns out the clue sheet was a little confusing. We successfully located the six homes on the list but we failed to realize that there was actually a seventh home we needed to find. As a result, there would be no prize for our boat on this night. Oh well, there was food and wine on the boat so a good time was had by all.

With the race festivities concluded, the last task for the day was dinner. After a brief discussion it was decided that we would go to K-Pasta.

As we drove along the coast towards K-Pasta, Sue pointed out the sunset. I’m glad she did as it was a somewhat significant sunset. It was 47 days ago that I pedalled into North Vancouver. That means I’ve had 47 glorious days on the west coast. No, I didn’t see the ocean every one of those days. But I was on the west coast. And every day there were constant reminders as to why I love the west coast. And I DO love the west coast. That said, tomorrow I start my ride to Florida which meant today’s sunset would be the last I would see overlooking the Pacific Ocean for the foreseeable future. Starting tomorrow, the next ocean I’ll see will be the Atlantic Ocean.

Craig, Sue, and I had a very enjoyable dinner at K-Pasta. Sort of a last supper! I opted for the Wednesday special which was Raviolis and, much like the lasagna I had last week, the Ravioli was was excellent. Side note: Great pasta at K-Pasta will make going back to my bland style of pasta all the more difficult. I know, I know … first world problems.

The evening was filled with so many stories of work, school, play, travel, and more. I could’ve listened to their stories all night. To say that I feel very lucky to have met (and stayed with) Sue and Craig would be a gross understatement. They have been incredibly generous hosts and have become great new friends. On the drive back from K-Pasta, Sue went so far as to say I was almost family now. I was flattered by the statement and I very much feel the same way about them.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a week since my last travel day (by bike anyway). My vague plan for tomorrow is to get a somewhat early start and just see how far I get. At the moment, the temperatures seem to be slowly coming down in the desert so maybe my Mexico plan (actually, it was Sue’s plan) will work out after all.

I may not know where I’ll end up tomorrow, nor where I’ll be staying. I don’t really know what route I’ll be taking nor how long I’ll be on the road. But as I embark on my journey to Florida, I do know one thing. For the first time in a long time my blog is now officially caught up again. Finally. And, with that, it’s time to pack my bags.