Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The victory lap - to the Peace Arch.

Yesterday Jason and I did it - we accomplished our goal of reaching the US-Canada border. Yippee!


The Peace Arch at the US-Canada border

On the 'abandoned' road
It is a little hard to believe that we really did it.  The final 35 mile ride from Bellingham to the Peace Arch was so easy - flat and beautiful along the bays of Northwest Washington.   Traffic was light, or even non-existent in portions.  We got to ride on roads that had been shut to car traffic for nearly 10 years after 9.11, as they are close to a refinery in the country.  It is amazing to see how the fields and forests are slowly reclaiming the side of the roads.  I used to love to ride out there and pretend it was the post apocalypse, and I was delivering food and medicine to isolated country communities.  Silly.


At Birch Bay
Snacktime

We made it to the Peace Arch and found my parents waiting for us... with cameras.  It was like the Paparazzi or something.  There is a great park right along the border that British Columbia and Washington State manage jointly.  It makes it possible to go see the boundary line and the monument without actually going through customs.  So we posed, of course, still a little incredulous that we had really done it.



Now we are preparing for our trip back to State College, and our re-entry into the real world.  We have learned a lot on this trip about simplicity, focus, and enjoying time together.  Also, about being nice to people.  The trip flew by as we pushed through challenging days and conditions.  Ultimately, I am thrilled that we rode border to border, but next time I am determined to schedule in more time to explore and rest and spend time with new friends we make along the road. 

Two nights ago we watched a movie called Ride the Divide (check it out on Netflix) about a race along the border to border mountain bike route available from Adventure Cycling.  I am now determined to ride the route (but not race it).   You should seriously make the time to watch this 80 minute documentary.  The goal of riding through some of the US and Canada's true wild places will keep me focused just long enough to complete my PhD. 

Thanks to all who followed along on our great adventure.  We'll probably post a few more pictures and stories as we settle back into a more stationary life over the next few weeks.  Hopefully, we'll find some adventures around State College too. 

Citrus was happy, too!
The 'Paparazzi'
  

5 comments:

  1. Hello Daisy and Jason. This is the sheriff from Julian Ca. And his wife. We've followed your exciting ride through California and on to the border of Canada. We just want to say congratulations on completing your journey. We've enjoyed your posts.

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    1. Thanks for following along! We definitely remember you fondly. The little towns along the PCT in southern CA were some of the friendliest we encountered. I hope you continue to greet people passing through with such warmth! We just arrived back in PA and are already dreaming up our next route. Have a great summer!

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  2. Congrats Daisy and Jason! And hey, those paparazzi look like old hippies!

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  3. Way to go Jason and Daisy! Thank you for keeping us updated on your travels and adventures.

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