A pretty little place in Southern California down San Diego way

This post is from a newsletter I sent out while cycling from Canada to Mexico in 2017

Hello friends,

A few days later and I’ve finally rolled into San Diego. Miraculously, all those 10-mile stretches to the next break have added up to 2,347 miles and I find myself at the end.

All that’s left is to say thank you to anyone reading who offered me food, advice, “someplace warm to stay” along the way; to my wonderful playlist-makers for giving me wings; and to everyone else for following and sending messages of encouragement. The kindness of strangers and support from friends & family has been extraordinary, Mitch says he won’t forget it.

There’s a pertinent piece of writing by Flann O’Brien, in which he describes people who spend so much time on bicycles that they “get their personalities mixed up with the personalities of their bicycle…you will not see them so much because they spend a lot of their time leaning with one elbow on walls or standing propped by one foot at kerbstones.” After 203 hours of pedalling, I think it may be worth asking one last favour: should you find me, for example, leaning against a bike rack, I’d be ever so grateful if you could gently walk me back to the pavement.

Love, Elishka