Jody - I never would have imagined we would ride our last day in the rain. It was so nice to know where I would be sleeping and showering at the end of the day though! It was great to ride through Encinitas and other familiar places. It helps so much to be able to picture what is coming next. It was a little surreal thinking about finally finishing. I was very excited about seeing friends at the end! I’m so grateful that God got me home. I give all the glory to Him. I couldn’t have done it without Him! The last few miles I listened to “Victory in Jesus” on my phone. It was fun to finish riding alongside Dave and Kristi and I loved seeing my youth group students on the hill cheering as we rode in. Jesus did it!

Kristi - As I sit to write my last journal entry for this trip I am overwhelmed by two things. First of all... God's goodness to us throughout this trip. We dealt with very little rain until the last day. No one was injured even though we were riding on some windy mountain roads very close to dropoffs that went down hundreds of feet to the rocky coastline. We remained healthy as a group. I praise God for all of that. We saw some spectacular coastline. God is an amazing Creator. The second thing that overwhelms me is my love for my husband. Not only did he ride every mile of the trip he also was up early helping to get the first snack out while others were getting ready to ride, at meal times he would help watch Josh as well as help some with food prep when he came in early, in the evening although his muscles were sore he would sit in the very small bathroom of the motor home and give Josh a bath in the 2 foot by 2 foot tub. There were some evenings when I went to bed with Josh while he stayed up to finish putting away the food and dishes. Almost every evening he stayed up until the last rider who wanted to had finished typing in their journal entry. I could not have made it through without his support. I am blessed with the best husband in the world and I thank God for bringing us together.

Brad – Its our last day. Unbelievable. It is raining this morning but no wet tents and equipment to put away. Hallelujah! The ride went very smoothly and we arrived at the border park about 4:30pm. We traveled a lot on bike paths and took the ferry to Coronado and took the Strand then down the coast. Many people met us at the border with a fine picnic. Unfortunately we had to hurry out by 6 pm so it was change clothes, repack for the trip home say goodbyes and head for the airport. Remember that last scene in Monty Python's Holy Grail when they just broke off the battle and went home or the scene in Forrest Gump where he quit running. It sorta felt like that, but what an experience! I got home at midnight and slept in my own bed. It will take a crowbar to get me out of my easychair for the next few days. Again give the glory to God that these old legs and that old bicycle had no problems. Just shoot me if I ever think or doing this again.

Craig – After one of the team members had a flat tire at Mission Park, we had to "double-time" it to catch the two o'clock ferry from San Diego to Coronado. It was fun to push ourselves one last time on the trip. We made the boat just in time and enjoyed the 15 minute ferry ride across the San Diego Bay. Once on the "Strand", it was surreal to be riding on such familiar territory the rest of the way to the border. Once we touched the front tires of our bikes to the US/Mexican border, we enjoyed a picnic lunch provided by Sondra and friends from North Park Community Church. While the rest of us were busy eating, Steve spent time talking, sharing and witnessing with the Mexican's on the other side of the fence. We had to say quick "good-bye's" to everyone as the park closed at 6:00pm. Thank you Christopher and Katherine for helping us empty our things out of the motorhome and into our house. Once again, your servant hearts were such a blessing throughout the whole trip. Thank you Kristi for your great meals and everything you did to make the trip possible. Thank you Dave and Jody for you vision and leadership throughout the trip. Ken, you were such a blessing to everyone on the trip- Thank You. Dutch, thank you so much for your selfless service to us. Wes and Shirley were such an inspiration and encouragement to us all. Thank you Joey & Dianna for your service the first week. Praise God for keeping us all safe and healthy. Praise God for the funds He raised for our various charities.

Steve – The last week of the bike ride was great. Our confidence and excitement were building each day as we approached the border. We stayed one night at the house of Dutchs' uncle - wonderful hospitality. Throughout the night we could hear sea lions barking in the distance. The next morning, Jeff, Mary, and I had a personal tour through some of Montereys' more exclusive neighbourhoods, thanks to local tour guides Patty and Claudia. A little later, I think I saw a sign for warthog crossing, though I must have been hallucinating due to overconsumption of bananas and Powerbars.

One fine day there was a sign that read, "Hills and curves, next 73 miles." Phil. 4:13, Phil 4:13, Phil 4:13 is my strength.... and bananas and Powerbars and chocolate milk. Anyways, it was a beautiful ride. We passed by beaches full of sea lions, and watched the sunset over the ocean - admittedly not always a good thing when you're still 10 miles from camp and without bike lights - though I enjoyed it that night. The last week was wierd because during the day there was often this big bright thing in the sky. Although we couldn't look at it directly, we knew it was there because we felt a warm presence - one that we hadn't experienced much in Washington and Oregon. It was pretty warm going up those hills though!

In the last days we cycled some on a beach bike path. It's hard to dodge hippie surfer dudes, power walkers, and i-pod listening roller bladers. After nearly colliding with one runner (who stopped running and tried to cut in front of each of us), Brad and I decided that we would rather ride on a road where we were the slowest ones on the road. And as I write this I think of the day we were riding and passed a turtle in the bike lane. How did it get there? Where was it going? Needless to say, we never caught up with the hare.

Arriving at the border was strange. On the one hand, we had made it to Mexico - 3 weeks and over 1700 miles... and nearly as many bananas, it seemed. But on the other hand, some of us felt like we could ride farther, or to another ocean or border (I think it's called Forrest Gump syndrome). Regardless, it felt great to know that we had accomplished our goal. As we stood at the border with our bikes, posing for photos, I realized that in no way did I do it on my own; so many people helped, encouraged, and supported me along the way. They deserve to be acknowledged. Obviously God is number one, especially for providing strength, perseverance, and faith each day.

Thanks to all of the members of the support crew who kept us fed, found, and functional each day. Kristi, thanks for the wonderfully delicious meals each day. Your good food carried us many miles. Thanks to Kenny for your help with the tents, meal stops and so much more. Your tireless service everyday was humbling and inspiring. Thanks to Christopher and Katharine for help with the bike and a ready supply of mints. Thanks to Wes and Shirley for, um, support at the rest stops and oatmeal every morning. Dutch, well, thanks for the stories that made me laugh and clean gear every day. And to Joey and Diana, your encouragement and smiles helped. Thanks. Thanks to Dave for allowing me to tag along. Where do I sign up for the next one?

To all of the riders, for your advice, company on the road, laughter, and donations of proper cycling gear. Thank you; I learned much from you all. Thanks to all the extra people who prepared meals for us along the way. And thank you to everyone who encouraged and prayed us onward, or donated to the wonderful charities for which we rode. Lastly, thank you to Craig for inspiring me and getting me involved in the first place. It was great to ride with you. Hope one day to ride4Christ with you all again.

Jesse – While it was a shorter day at 80 miles, and easier because I had done the route before, the first part of the ride was difficult. It rained and was wet for the first couple of hours (which is very unusually for San Diego area), and this meant that we had a head wind until about 2pm, which also was unusual. We almost missed our ferry boat too. We left lunch with about 50 minutes to get to the ferry, and just about 30 minutes of riding. However, Jim got a flat within the first miles. There were 5 of us with him, and we were tag teaming on changing the tire, but then had to ride fast to get to the boat. We made it with 5 minutes to spare - everyone who wasn't from our group was already on the ferry. Craig, Jeff, and I were riding with Jim, Ron, and Steve. WE had to cruise at 18.5 mph for about 20-25 minutes to get to the boat. Ron was VERY glad we had the 1/2 hour break on the boat. We had one more flat tire for Jan with about 4 miles to go too. Again, we got split from the others, but were able to get Jan's tire fixed - although being so close she was frustrated with all her flats through the trip and thought about just getting picked up. We all told her no, that was not an option. I think she was glad she rode in. Once we got to the finish line, it was nice to have so many people from San Diego church meet us and provide a cookout for us. We even had a couple (Laura and Daniel) from our church drive 3 hours down to welcome us, and pick up Jeff and Mary. I am so glad to be done, but look forward to riding in the future days. I felt very strong, and think I might try to get into some local races to see how I can compete with others in my age at the novice level of racing. In fact, today I tried to ride a few extra miles - by riding back to others who were behind me - so that I could get my total miles ridden from Sumas, WA to San Diego, CA to 1750 miles. This is NOT the official mileage, as we go by Dave's computer, but I took a few long-cuts throughout the weeks, and I think he said his official mileage was around 1720 or so, which was definitely more than the scheduled 1667 miles. I will surely not be taking a 2 and 1/2 year hiatus from the bike, as I did the last time I participated in coast-2-coast ride. I am looking forward to taking a few days off, and then getting back on the bike, to do a shorter ride 20-30 mile ride anyway. Thanks to all of you for reading the updates, praying for us, supporting us, and cheering us on. God was good, and got us all home safely. We thank Him for His guidance, and the opportunity to Bike for our Lord Jesus Christ.