USA – California

September/October 2018

🚴🏻‍♀️🚴🏻‍♂️ California Border – San Francisco (500 Miles)

A small blue sign marked the entrance from Oregon to California, the last state of our Pacific Coast route. Shortly after was a checkpoint. A border control between states? Yes! The import of any fresh produce into California is illegal. For a second we were worried we would be arrested for smuggling kale and other vegetables in our panniers but, as usual, being on bikes didn’t register as a (produce related) threat and the border police waved us by. We were in Cali!

USA – Washington & Oregon

September 2018

🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏻‍♀️ San Juan – California Border (1300km)

We arrived by boat at what may be the quaintest entry point into the United States – Friday Harbour. A harbour large enough for just one ferry and a small shed, within which the two border guards resided, on the island of San Juan, the largest of the 170 San Juan Islands. Testing the assumption that all small islanders are friendly, even border guards, Lucy ran straight over the border keen to pedal to the campsite before dark. Unfortunately, border guards are still border guards, the smiling face turned to a frown and I was pulled back to the arbitrary line to show my passport.

Canada – B.C.

August 2018

🚴🏻‍♀️🚴🏻‍♂️ Vancouver – Victoria (550km)

On leaving Asia and telling our tales of people’s immense kindness, we were told not to expect anything like that from our next leg through the Americas. People with more give less, said almost everyone on hearing our stories and learning of our future plans. Two and a half weeks in Canada has blown that out of the water entirely!