by Philip

And then, all of a sudden, we are home!

Yesterday began with a wonderful breakfast of pancakes (known as hot cakes) in a nearby cafe which has been operating for at least 40 years with friendly staff and great food. Then we packed our bags – we had intended to put each pair of panniers in a laundry bag (as we did on the way out) but couldn’t find any, so went with plan B which was to use quite a lot of cling film to wrap the panniers, then use bright red duck tape to secure them. This was all hot work! Liz went for a brief walk and then we departed for the airport via a very efficient Lyft taxi. San Diego airport was light and airy and the queues short. We bimbled around the shops for a while, then found a window seat looking out over the apron with muffins, tea and coffee while catching up on our AirBnB reviews.

The plane was on time, and we had seats in an exit row so had unlimited leg room. The flight was a little bumpy over the Rocky Mountains but otherwise uneventful and we landed 25 minutes early. The bags survived unscathed, and we came home via the worst taxi ride we’ve ever experienced – but at least traffic was generally OK! 

We were greeted by Andriy and Tadei, our Ukrainian family who have lived with us for the last three years, who have done a wonderful job of looking after things while we were away – including mowing interesting shapes in the lawn. It feels a bit surreal being back – did that all really happen? We will need some time to adjust and settle back into normal life, and we want to ensure we remember and reflect on what really has been a remarkable, astonishing, exhiliarating adventure.

We would like to thank everyone who has been following us here, cheering us on from the sidelines. We have only been able to do this trip through the generosity of friends and family at home who have looked after Liz’s mum had any intervention been required. Thank you too for supporting our two charities – it has been nice to add that as a level of meaning to this trip, and we’ve raised around £1,000 for each charity which is amazing.

This is the last blog post – at least until the next adventure – where next?

With lots of love from two weary travellers,

Liz and Philip

xxx

Additional notes

San Diego, San Diego county, CA, USA, to Epsom, Surrey, UK.

Left at 12.30pm on Sunday 15th. Arrived at midday on Monday 16^th.

Weather: A beautiful morning in San Diego, blue sky and fresh. It got hotter later in the morning on my walk – we’ve been very lucky not to have to contend with the heat on this ride. Warm and sunny at both ends of our journey.

Landscape: Cityscape in San Diego. The flight was mostly overnight.

Things we did: I woke at 4.30am again and the mockingbird started his singing at 5. I got up at 5.30, replied to messages and wrote up my journal. It was peaceful. Philip got up at 7 and had Father’s Day messages from the girls. On the way to breakfast there were lovely views of San Diego from up on the hill here. We did our packing gradually and carefully, everything had to be in a different place than usual, divided into hand and hold luggage. There was a cool breeze through the house and it was very light so a pleasant space to work in. When we were pretty sure there was nothing in our panniers we would need, we cable tied them in their pairs and wrapped them in cling film, leaving the handles out, and added parcel tape to secure them. It worked well – they were firm and neat, interesting but not so weird anything would think something suspicious like a dead animal was inside. They survived the journey beautifully. They were ready at 11.15am. I went for a walk. At 12.30 we took leave of our final home in the US and got a car to the airport. It was cool and comfortable and we passed the area of safe sleeping for the homeless and then the view of the bay. I did some more walking at the airport as we were early, to make sure I got my steps before we boarded the plane. When we checked in, Philip’s hold luggage was 16.1kg and mine was 12.9kg. I had just my Homper bag as hand luggage so it was very small and light. On the other side of security we wandered round the shops and bought some bars of chocolate as extra gifts. We boarded at 4pm, economy class, and took off at 4.45pm. We had extra leg room but no window. I was able to see the bay and city a tiny bit from a window just behind me as we took off.

Towns: San Diego.

Breakfast: We went out to breakfast at the Golden Hill Café. The waitress started by asking Philip if he’s a father and wished him happy Father’s Day. The café was full of Spanish speakers. We had ‘hot cakes’ with grape jelly and syrup.

Lunch spot: Found a nice table at the airport and ate our sandwiches left over from Friday’s ride, continuing the tradition. Philip got tea and coffee to go with them and I went on a donut hunt (again) but still no luck so we had blueberry strudel muffins which were amazing.

Dinner: On the plane. I don’t recall anything about it except it tasted good.

Wildlife: The mockingbird. Monarch butterflies as we walked home after breakfast.

Plants: Drought-loving plants in front gardens like cactus and aloe.

People we spoke to or saw: The taxi driver.

Incidents: With everything packed differently, I had no idea where anything was, a bit unnerving, but I didn’t need any of it. Philip was a bit reserved, maybe struggling with not wanting to go back.

Shopping: Gifts at the airport.

Accommodation: Our economy plane seats.

Special moments: It would have been my Dad’s birthday today so I was thinking of him. A sunny day for our departure. Claire and John sent a photo of them with Helen and Jesse in Worcester, a lovely surprise to see they had visited. I sent a photo to Christine of us with our faithful rubbish bag from the trip as it was the bag she gave us with cookies in it. I went for a walk on my own after we finished packing, took photos of homes and gardens and saw Monarchs again but always on the move so no photo of them. The delicious muffin at the airport. Unexpectedly I spent the whole flight just thinking, feeling deeply, quietly content, no need to read or write or watch anything, just reflecting, absorbing this huge experience. After the meal I managed a little sleep but mostly I just sat in the semi-dark contemplating, awestruck at what we’ve just done. It felt like a blissful space of feeling intensely, profoundly satisfied.

Positive experience from my journal: The opportunity to think and feel so intensely good on the plane.

Appreciation from my journal: Being ok with leaving and feeling at peace with myself.

Blog comments from my mother and Marshall Johnson. My mother: ‘Well done indeed both of you. Welcome home! So good to have you back. Memories galore! Thinking of writing a book with some or those splendid pictures?’. Marshall Johnson: ‘Home is really just where you are at the moment, as I am certain you both have discovered throughout your left coast USA travels. Well planned, well adjusted to and I have heard of no saddle weary comments. Yours was an adventure for me to enjoy also. The organization of all your spot visits along the way and the scenery of both nature and food was so very much appreciated also’.

Social media replies from Sharon, Lynn Hedges, Olenka, Roger Jones, Lorna Hunter, Tim Baldwin, Ian Clark-Jones, Terry Burridge and Kaye Ayre. Lynn: ‘Welcome home!! It’s been fabulous reading about your adventures. Thank you’. Roger: ‘Welcome back. Wow what an adventure. Congratulations to you both’. Lorna: ‘Welcome back! Well done for the journey, the fundraising, the blogs, and surviving the taxi ride home’. Tim: ‘Well, what a wonderful adventure you’ve had! It’s been great to have followed you through the photos you kindly posted and, boy, have you seen some sights and places. Welcome home and enjoy the rest and adjustment back to your normal routines’. Ian: ‘Congratulations, what an achievement by you both. I hope the journey exceeded your expectations. But what’s next?’

Audio: Mockingbird song from the AirBnB (1m).

Day (vii)

Arriving home in Epsom, Surrey, UK.

Arrived at midday.

Weather: Warm and sunny. Summer had arrived in the UK. It felt like a time warp as we’d left in April and we missed a whole season. Everything had changed.

Things we did: We landed at 11am. Immigration was easy and the bags survived beautifully. The taxi drive home was the worst part of the journey. Cathy was at home yesterday and left us flowers and a high-quality welcome basket  (we had lots of discussion about welcome baskets in America, as the quality varied considerably). After lunch we walked to Drift Bridge to look for a cake for my mother’s 94^th birthday, then we looked round the garden. I went to the White House where my mother opened her cards and gifts and we had tea and cake. While there Cathy messaged saying she had been knocked off her Lime bike on the way home from work and was on her way to A&E by ambulance. As soon as I got home we packed some things and started driving to King’s A&E but Cathy called to stand us down as she had been discharged on the basis that video footage of the accident provided by a passerby showed her injuries were unlikely to be bad. Andy was going to bring her home on the train. We shopped for ingredients and made a macaroni cheese, comfort food for them. Philip posted a final blog post and we signed off. We were astonished to think that between us, Philip, Cathy and I had ridden around 5,000 miles without incident, and on the day we got home Cathy got knocked off her bike.

Breakfast: On the plane.

Lunch spot: At the kitchen table at home.

Dinner: Macaroni cheese and salad. Strawberries and Biscoff ice cream, and finally donuts which in the end we never had in America, despite trying. Cathy liked we were having a bowl of small, sweet things for dessert like we used to on the ride.

People we spoke to or saw: The French dad behind us with a profoundly disabled son was inspiring, so kind and caring to his two children. Andrii and Teddy welcomed us home with gifts. My mother and Jennifer. Cathy and Andy.

Incidents: Cathy’s bike accident. She was bruised and battered, shaken up by the incident. My cooking was haphazard as Andrii and Teddy were asking all about the trip. I was glad we were back in the UK to help Cathy in her hour of need. She was worried and tearful at bedtime, and I was able to comfort and reassure her.

Shopping: Sainsburys, Kiln Lane.

Accommodation: Home 🙂

Special moments: The Dad in the row behind us. Cathy had ordered us a soft, underfoot kitchen mat – we loved them at the AirBnBs that had them, they were like standing on a cloud. I found I had not put on any weight – I’d thought I had. When Andy saw Cathy’s message about her accident he literally ran across London until he reached her. It was the quickest way in rush hour. We all rallied around her, took care of her and she managed to eat supper. Andy was sweet and tender with her. Passers-by had been very kind which made her tearful.

Positive experience from my journal: The profound experience on the plane.

Appreciation from my journal: Helping and comforting Cathy.

Things I liked when we got back: Wearing different shoes. Nice orange juice. Comprehensible rules of the road.

Things we missed: The ocean views. Being on the road with its constantly changing scenery. Always looking and listening – what is that?! What can we see?! Our bikes and attire inviting interesting people to strike up a conversation. Being deeply content for such a long period of time.

Blog comments from my mother and Marshall Johnson.

Mementos: I found places for each of our mementos – the glass whale and bald eagle, the three fir cones one from each state, two extra fir cones from San Diego (collected while I waited for Philip outside a bike shop), a Tillamook yogurt pot that came home as packaging for a fragile object and the two ceramic discs I found on the bench at Yachats.

A final note

Total expenses for the trip amounted to £17,160.45 (including purchase and sale of the bikes). This was subsequently reduced to £16,181.45 by a generous donation.

After our return Christine Koch sent this message: ‘It was a joy to follow your bicycle adventure.  Your blogs were well written and made us feel as though we were traveling with you. I am very relieved that you were able to satisfy your dream in a safe and uplifting manner. I was quite concerned about your bicycling along busy highways, so I was pleased to read that you could use less travelled and rural roads to a large extent. Biking is so much more rewarding than driving, because you can experience your surroundings more closely. You mentioned the important part that birds played – something you might not have noticed otherwise. I’m glad that the B&B arrangement worked out so well for you. Kudos for fabulous planning! Of course, I was delighted that Cathy could share some of the adventures with you. I hope that she is doing all right after her accident.

You mentioned that if we wanted to support you, a donation to one of your charities would be appreciated. What I really want to do is to send you some money to help defray some of your expenses. I would be happy to support the group providing clean water. I would like to send you a sum with the understanding that half is for you and half for the charity.

Later she amended the distribution to 2/3 to us and 1/3 to WaterAid. We were humbled when we found she had sent $2,000.

We met up with Ray from Albion on 6^th September and spent three hours reminiscing and exchanging experiences.

We continued to play the ‘Where we were five/ten/fifteen/twenty weeks ago’ game until September, at which point we could recite in order and with ease all the places we stayed.

Talks