Yep, it’s salty alright! We made it to the Pacific Ocean today and can’t stop talking about how crazy it is that we’ve gone all the way across the entire contiguous United States. Today was supposed to be another hot one (100 degrees F), so we woke up an hour early again this morning. The route was scenic as we steadily climbed for 45 miles before descending for the next 40— not as easy as it sounds; the first third of the ride, we had 3mph tailwinds, but it quickly and aggressively changed to stronger headwinds! I’ve never had to fight so hard to ride downhill!

A little bit of bike path had us winding about before hitting the road, where we got to cycle through part of the Redwoods state park! We’ve all been so excited to see these enormous trees and are still looking forward to our stay in the national park in a few days. The California state border sign was our lunch stop, and we had a blast taking team photos and feeling very accomplished. California is our 15th and final state, and it marks the beginning of the “victory lap” as some say; once we reach the coast, it feels complete, though we’re still headed to San Francisco.

Upon arrival in Crescent City, we unloaded the van at the stayover and biked as a team to the beach. Last time we rode together as a whole team, we were leaving Chicago on day 24! At the beach, we ran our bikes down to the shore and into the water (sort of) (salt water isn’t great for the mechanical parts of the bike..!). Dipping our wheels into the waves and getting sand in our shoes solidified the past 71 days. We ran and hollered and laughed and hugged and were kind of shocked that we made it to the Pacific. Not that we thought we wouldn’t— it just always seemed so far away. And yet, here we are! Running into the ocean wearing helmets and bibs and jerseys and cycling gloves!

I’ll leave the reminiscing for when we get to San Francisco. For now, we’re still looking ahead at the next seven days of riding. We’ve got one more National Park to visit (and more trees to hug) and many more people to meet. The ride isn’t over yet! Our mission is continuous and we are so excited to see it all the way through. Rest day tomorrow, and then to Arcata!

— Marielle