Day 25: Wednesday December 13th, 2006
Box bikes up and return to Los Angeles.
Back to our homes; now with a greater sense of sustainabilty and community to share with all!
We hope to see all of you again at our AOTE programs, in our communities, and next year along our annual Sustainable Bike Outreach Tour.
It was a tough good bye to good friends. Bikes were boxed up, riders flew to be home with their families throughout the country. Everyone was eager to share stories of their adventure and accomplishment.
Goodbye Everyone!
Slowly people started to trickle away- to train stations, airports, and carpooling off to our respective winter adventures.
Thank you to all of the students who provided us with the energy and inspiration to do the ride and thanks again to everyone who housed, fed, financed and supported us along the way. We couldn’t have done it without you.
See you next year!
Day 24: Tuesday December 12th, 2006
Morning ride 20 miles to Mar Vista High School.
Afternoon ride 12 miles to our last home stay and our final Sustainable Bike Tour celebration at the Brisebois'.
Reunited for our last school and our final day of riding, we catch a morning ferry to Coronado and ride down the Silver Strand bike path. Everyone in San Diego should try this flat fun ride with the San Diego Bay on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other! After our bay side picnic we arrived at Mar Vista High School, home of the Posiedon Academy. Our riders got a chance to talk candidly about their job experience and career paths, exposing 11th graders to outdoor, adventure opportunities. We also explored biodiversity in our perspectives, skills and life. We are looking forward to some early morning soil sifting with Mar Vista on the Island in the Spring!
Then, we rode our last few miles to Friendship Park, a grassy park on the beach south of the Tijuana Estuary where the Mexican American Border fence disappears into the Pacific Ocean, a powerfully fascinating and complex space to end our exploration of California's coastal communities! This look at the beach and its surroundings captured all of our senses and curiousities- the litter, the wall, the pollution, the plantlife, and the border patrol helicoptors buzzing above. Our time on that beach reflecting on our three week journey emphasized what our riders hope that the students we visited along the way learned, that- we must "be the change we wish to see in the world". We can take action in our everday lives to make our home, school and city communities better places to be!
Our Last School!
Mellow ride to the Coronado ferry where we got some spectacular views of the city of San Diego as we rode to Mar Vista school in Imperial Beach. At Mar Vista, Kathy and Cynthya facilitated our final slideshows of the trip with the same energy as our first slideshows over 3 weeks ago. Well Done! Following the slideshows, each cyclist gave a quick history of how they ended up at Catalina and discussed what options students have for a career in environmental education. One of the main points made was that any job you have could be environmental in nature from working in an office to construction to being a doctor- everyone can strive to reduce their ecological footprint and as a steward of the earth teach others how to do the same. After Mar Vista we rode to the Brisebois home in Bonita for a final celebration feast and toast to all who supported us along our journey of over 700 miles. Emotions were mixed and bodies were tired, but you could sense the pride and satisfaction in the group. Thank you Mark, Sandy, Parker and Ross for the food and the warmth and for allowing us to take over your entire home.
That night we celebrated a safe & healthy ride, a ride filled with inspiring sights, students and schools. This tour gave us a new appreciation of cycling, a practical perspective that bikes can be used for everyday errands or for extended vacations. We learned that when we challenge ourselves, and work together we can accomplish anything!
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