The Last Day 51

I woke up late to the final day of this trip. Got on my bike and left. Didn't eat a thing. Didn't give a damn. Today, I could finally piece together 51 long days into one moment of joy.

Got to the San Pablo Bay and my adventure cyclist route map said to take the ferry. At first I was reluctant to take a boat so I asked around but the locals said it was impossible for me to cross over on a bridge unless I wanted to die. One of the bridges was an interstate which didn't let cyclists on and the other one had no shoulder and was deemed way to dangerous. Didn't exactly want to die the day of, so I took the ferry. Plus, I could save a couple miles this way.

On the ferry, I met this Chinese teacher from Shanghai, Angel, who I chatted with and even rode

with for a while. She rented a bike and we both rode to the Golden Gate Bridge. We had to part ways after a bit though. When I got to the bridge, there was a Chinese newspaper reporter waiting for me there.

He asked me some questions, but I was mainly too happy to think properly. Afterward, my dad met me, we took some pics, and then I biked across the Golden Gate bridge.....

and back.

It was sort of disappointing since there was thick fog and I couldn't see anything, but I was too upbeat to even care.

After about 20 minutes, I got back to the South side. I still had to make it official and get to the Pacific Ocean. Half an hour later, after climbing these two gigantic hills, I made it.

When I first heard the ocean, I wanted to jump for joy.

When I first smelled the ocean, I wanted to run in circles.

When I first saw the ocean, I wanted to do somersau lts.

(All things I can't do while on a bike)

And when I first felt the ocean, I was the happiest per

son in the world.

So concludes my 51 day bike across America.

Distance traveled: 36 miles
Time outside: 5 hours

Fairfield, CA >> SAN FRANCISCO, CA

(Almost there...)

(there)

~Chris Xia