I have been home for a few days now and have been contemplating how to wrap up my trip.

I thought I would describe the highs, lows, lessons learned, and what next.

Overall I travelled 22,000 Kilometres, visited three countries, five Canadian provinces, two Canadian territories, and seventeen US states.

The highlights were many, and in no particular order:
1) Riding the final hours on the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Ocean in a rainstorm
2) Riding away from the Arctic Ocean in a day of cold and high winds
3) Seeing so many animals of all types and sizes
4) Seeing my kids in their homes with their families.
5) Having to stop because I was so often overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscape
6) Accomplishing the first part of my three part trip with no serious issues
7) The Suzuki Vstrom 650A motorcycle that performed so well through all types of conditions. The chain replacement was expected, the tires survived as well as expected. The sole surprise was the switch failure.
8) Seeing a cousin after more than fifty years
9) Spending time in San Diego with Anita and Dennis
10) Figuring out the Mexican bureaucracy without getting upset.
11) Having two of my photographs selected by Travelpod as being award winners

Lowlights:
1) The weather. The many days of rain did make it tough at times.
2) The extra cost of having to stay in motels because of the rain or heat
3) Seeing poverty in Mexico
4) Static on my radio system


People have asked why I don't spend a few days in the same place. Whenever I plan a trip I am very focussed in the detail of my research in order to travel a route that goes to places of interest to me. As I travel on the motorcycle I stop a lot for breaks, taking photographs, filling the bike with gas, camping, eating and any for many other reasons. Since a typical day is composed of many stops while travelling on a route that I know will be of interest to me, I find that there is no need to stay for any extended period of time. My typical day is riding from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, but it is interlaced with dozens of breaks.

Plans are now underway to return to San Ysidro, California in January 2009, and cross at the same border crossing into Mexico and then ride south through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and finally into Panama.

Thank you to everyone who has followed along as I travelled and I did appreciate the words of encouragement over the fifty two days I was on the road.