Home again! Home again! Jiguedy-jig!!

There was a bit of a homecoming at 1591 Champneuf yesterday;

and this is what it looked like when I left

Well. the odyssey is over.

I returned home yesterday afternoon at around 3:30 after riding from London; and my objective for the day was to reach home as quicly as possible without sacrificing safety or any points on my license.

It was an adventure of a lifetime that has created a large cache of memories of the places I've visited and the people I've met along the way, only a few of which I've mentionned on this blog. There are way too many interesting places and events to mention but some of the highlights include visiting with my two brothers and then riding with my older brother Gillles from Coniston to Blind River; riding under undless skies through our somewhat soggy but still beautiful prairies; staying at Steven and Alma's in Saskatoon and getting to meet a number of Alma,s family; meeting Jane in Calgary, staying at Glenda and Neil's condo in Canmore and then crossing the Rockies with her, spending some time in Vancouver meeting "Coutts family" and seeing Kim, Chris and their two boys Cam and Jake who were all caught up in World Cup excitement; riding the ferries to Vancouver Island and Port Angeles; the magnificent if often oh so impossibly twisty Pacific coastal highway from the northern tip of Washington State to San fransisco, with an interesting detour into wine country to the Napa and Sonoma valleys; magnificent Yosemite National Park; Las Vegas, where everything is so over the top; the Hoover dam, an engineering marvel; Death Valley, probably the most intense experience of the trip, the view and the HEAT; the ride through the Hopi and Navajo nations lands in the northeast part of Arizona, agin the stunning landscape; GRAND CANYON, te scale of which pictures and words can never do justuce to; the whole State of Colorado with its rich diversity from the tallest peaks, like those in Mountain National Park, to the plains in the northern part; the plain states of Nebraska and Iowa; Chicago and going for a picnic and a concert in Millenium Park with new friends Bill and Chris: crossing the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia and boasting about my motorcycle to the inquisitive CBSA agent; and finally pulling into the driveway at 1591 Champneuf and seeing Jane.

The ride was nothing short of spectacular and my BMW lived up to its reputation as probably the best touring motorcycle around. I could easily ride all day, sometimes as many as 700 kilometers and still be able to walk around afterwards. It proved to be reliable as well; the only maintenance it required was to change two riding bulbs and an oil and filter change in Palo Alto after 7300 kilometers.

There are many ways to tell the story of this journey; here are a few numbers:

Days away: 36, from June 21 to July 26

Provinces crossed: 5

States visited: 12

Kilometers riden: 13,301

Stops for gas: 45

Litres of fuel used: 625

Hotels/motels stayed at: 26

Pictures taken: 782

And I didn't counnt the number of curves in the road, but there were thousands; the number of other motorcyclists I waved at, there were a lot, especially on the coastal highway and through Colorado; and the people who, at various stops along the way, asked about the trip, some of which wishing that they could do the same, all of them wishing me a safe trip.

What is truly amazing is that, with the exception of one stretch of riding in the rain between Sault Ste Marie and Wawa, and again with Jane on a stetch in the Rockies, the weather was great throughout the trip. There were sometimes clouds and rain ahead, behind and on either side of me as I was riding, but it's as though some benevolent force was holding up an umbrella to shield me from it, doubtless it was many of you hoping and praying for my safe travels; and I thank you for that.

Many of you will have to "bear" with me as I recall thsi or that part of the trip in the weeks, months and year's ahead. I thank you in advance for your indulgence.

THE END!

Closing in on Canada after Chicago

There are a number of these interesting looking old farm buildings along Route 30 in Iowa. Off in the distance you can seee a few of the many many wind turbines that dot the countryside.


Fields in Iowa; corn as far as the eye can see.

Major tragedy in Chicago. Part of the movie set for Terminator 3 that's being filmed in the heart of the city.

The Congress Hotel on Soth Michigan were I stayed from Friday evening to this morning. A great location from whch to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, other downtown sights, and attend a concert last night with Bill and Chris, friends of Chuck and Lynn, in Millenium Park.

The weather today is sunny and hot. After a bit of confusion getting out of Chicago, I am now well on my way to U S - Canada border. I've just driven through Kalamazoo; a place I had to see because I know a girl from here. Traffic on I-94 is not very heavy and with a posted speed limit of 70 mph I am making decent time.

Nebraska - there's nothing much to say

A flower from Nebraska for the bouquet.


This town has less going for it than a similarly named friend.



The second most noteworthy thing about Nebraska. They are everywhere. Well, they're certainly everywhere in the Route 30 corridor which one takes to avoid the trucks on the I-80; and besides the view is better and you get to drive through all the towns, like Chapman.


The most ubiquitous sight in Nebraska; cornfields as far as the eye can see.

And this is what it looks like from the middle of the road. Why the chicken would ever want to cross this road beats me; it's all the same, on both sides.

Another long day in the saddle, over 600 km. I've crossed the state line (unaccompanied by a minor) and am staying at the Day's End in Missourri Valley. The beer and steak sandwich, in the lounge accross the road, the one with the 12 big screen tv's showing different channels, were very good.

Tomorrow I continue to drift northeast.

Colorado all the time

A herd of cattle and some horses in Pawnee National Grassland, in the northeast corner of the state of Colorado


"Picked" flowers at over 12,000 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park.

A view from the Alpine Visitor Center at the top of Rocky Mountain National Park.

The never Summer Mountains in the park.

I spent nearly all of the day in Colorado, and most of that in Rocky Mountain Park. The park road, Route 34, winds its way up the mountain to the Alpine Visitor Center which is above the tree line at more than 12,000 feet above see level. The views from the top of the mountain are spectacular. One even sees herds of elk wandering the grassy slopes of the mountain at this altitude. The driving is sometimes a bit nerve raking, particularly on the very twisty bits at the top when the 12 fooy-wide lane of pavement is abutted by a shear drops of God knows how maany feet on the right! "Luckily" there was some road construction nearly at the top which meant that traffic in either direction was stopped, at times for more than 15 minutes, which allowed drivers to take in the spectacular views. The logistics of road construction at these altitudes must be just mind-boggling, and the costs must be astronomical.

I was again struck today by how much motorcycle riders, regardless of the brand they are riding, easily enter into conversation with other bikers. - Where are you from? Where are you going? What's the weather been like on your trip ? Have a safe trip. Keep the shiny side up! - These conversations rarely happen between motorists.

Colorado is a beautiful state, rich with diversity; there are the mountains but also the grassy regions in the eastern part of the state where oil and gas are extracted and cattle is raised in wide open spaces.

I've now crossed into Nebraska on Route 30 and, after a couple of beer and a steak dinner, I am spending the night in Sydney.

Tomorrow it's more Route 30 heading east.

Arizona and Colorado

This is Colorado from the top of Mount Monarch which I reached via a short gondola ride.


Northern Arizona is beautiful; even if it's nearly a dessert and the temperature is in the 40s.

One of the 'monuments' right along Route 160.

You've got to enlarge this one to get a sense of the scale of the Grand Canyon. Its impossible to imagine how immense and impressive it is.

5 steps back and I'm a Grand canyon statistic!

From Tuba City I headed northeast on Highway 160 up to Colorado. Thee sceneray in Northern Arizona is beautiful; the blue sky with white clouds and the orange-red and pink earth frame some monumental rock outcrops, some of which are referred to as monuments, and one can see why.

Colorado is something else again. By the looks of it it,s much more a bikers destination as I saw was more motorcyclers here than anywhere else on my trip. It probably doesn't hurt that the roads are curvy, the scenary is beautiful and the gas is cheap. I slept in a small motel with a pool in Montrose last night and have made my way to Winter City, still in Colorado, where 've found a room at the Sundowner Hotel. Earlier on I had stopped for lunch at a family mexican restaurant in Buena Vista. I picked this spot because there were a half dozen or so motorcycles parked in the lot beside the restaurant. While I was having my lunch I noticed out of the window that one of the riders from the group, a guy of about my age I'd say, was cleaning the windscreen of my motorcyle. I thought to myself, now that's really a nice gesture. I hurried to finish my meal and pay my bill, and went out to thank the author of this good deed.

When I approached the group he asked: "Is that your Beemer?"

''Why yes, and thank you for cleaning my windscreen; you folks sure are friendly."

The others in the group were smiling when he said: "Well I thought the bike was one of ours, but when I noticed it wasn't I stopped. But if it's not clean enough I can finish it."

I told him he had done a great job, we chatted a bit and then we were off in our seperate ways. Another lovely moment on the trip. I continued through the magnificent mountain passes to Winter Park where I had a lovely dinner in an excellent italian restaurant; the food and wine weere excellent and for a while i had the whole restaurant to myself as apparently it's slow season.

Now i must plan tomorrow's route.

Friday pictures of Death Valley and Las Vegas

GPS showing that I was 240 feet below sea level at this point in Death Valley. The lowest point of the road is at around 250 feet.












After climbing out of the valley heading proper, but still in the national park you arrive at this interesting spot called Zabriskie Point. The landscape is awesome.





One of the "cooler" sections, only 43, the hotest was 50 degrees.

















The 'valcano' in front of The Mirage on the Strip in Vegas.















View from the road in Death Valley.
























Lonely cactus by the road in Death Valley

Thursday Pictures

Another "picked" flower for Jane; the rest of you can enjoy it too.










Olmsted Point in Yosemite named after the famous American lanscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and his son Frederick Jr.












I thought Phil would appreciate this one.



An interesting piece of roadwork along the Meyer River in Yosemite. That's actually just a boulder that has been drilled and blasted to make way for the road.