Day 30 2021 – Se Acabo

I finally get to write something new. The sky was bright and sunny and there was no fog obstructing the view of the ocean when we got up this morning. From Ron’s house to the Mexican border was a ride of less than 37 miles. I didn’t bother to plot a route. My plan was simple. Stay behind Ron’s wheel.

For once, I was finishing a real breakfast. I had a large hot egg sandwich on a toasted ciabata with ham, banana, and rich coffee. I was just finishing the previous day’s blog, when Ron laid out the plan for the border. I needed to be ready to roll in a little less than an hour. I told him I would only need 5 minutes to finish the blog and I’d get ready. Fifteen minutes later I was preparing to ride. I helped Ron install the new bike rack for his car so his wife, Carol could carry us back from the border. I lubed our chains for the last time and filled my water bottles. Getting ready was so much faster because there were no panniers to pack or carry for today. I put 2 masks in my string bag and used a bungy chord to hold it and my vest to my rear rack. It was like having no load at all.

Ron led us through the residential neighborhood and very soon we were riding near the shore. We were getting brief glimpses of the water. They became more frequent as we rode along Harbor drive toward the ferry dock. When we got there, Ron bought his ticket and I noticed the sign that masks were required to board. What I didn’t notice was that my string bag and vest were no longer on my rear rack. Somewhere along the first 9 miles, they had fallen off. To add insult to injury I had to pay $2.00 to get a mask to wear on the ferry when needed.

With that minor tragedy behind me, we boarded the ferry to Coronado Island. The aircraft carrier Midway was on display. It looked much different than another across the bay.

We landed on Coronado and were on a short bike path initially. We passed by some very nice neighborhoods and rode past the Coronado Hotel.

Now we were on the multi mile bike path along the strand, a narrow stretch of land that would connect us to our final miles to the border.

When we finished our ride across the strand, we rode through some small neighborhoods and could start to see signs of the Mexican border. We could see antennas on the mountain tops that were on the other side. On another mountain top, there was that wall.

We headed east from the Tijuana river campground and we found 2 places where we could see the Mexican flag across the border.

If you look carefully at the video, that same flag is seen briefly as I make my ride for the border.

We made a final turn south and there we were. It was especially strange for me. Two years ago there was a mass of humanity. Now it was deserted as this crossing was restricted to essential workers.

When I was growing up, my Dad would often say a phrase whenever a movie was over or a sporting event was completed. “Se Acabo!” It’s a Spanish phrase that basically means something is over or done. So for you, Dad, se acabo!

The final day’s stats can be found here.

The Not So Lone Rider (and glad of it)