1 November – 6 November

I’m going home.  I have accomplished seeing all the things I wanted to see in North America in half the time frame I allowed for this journey.  I came to see the National Parks, the mountains, the deserts and all the terrain that is so different to Australia.  Apart from New York I did not earmark any other city’s to visit as I already live in one and I find most of them look and feel the same after a while. I did not realise how tiring travel can get, especially on a motorcycle and I feel I need a break.. now isn’t that a strange statement to make ?

With a crippled motorcycle which I have now lost faith in and reluctant to venture beyond a first world country, I am getting the gearbox fixed under warranty, selling it and heading back to Sydney.  I was also unrealistic thinking I can be away from my business, my customers and my family for a year and expect everything to be as it was when I left.  Despite all my incredible detailed planning, there were still some holes where I came unstuck… a $700 fine from ASIC one of them.

This was a great holiday and I have seen so much, met so many people, made many new friends and gained great travel experience.  This has been a very successful part one and I plan to replicate my motorcycle travels in another part of the world in the not too distant future.

My Police escort to the BMW dealer...

I delivered my bike to the selling dealer in Reno Nevada on Monday, my friend Scott will organise to pick it up in a few weeks time when the work is completed, I will then advertise it for sale.  I flew back to Las Vegas that same morning and went about the task of packing all my belongings and all the parts and accessories I had bought for the bike at the beginning of the trip.  As I have the same model back home, all these parts will not go to waste and in fact I have saved several thousand dollars in this process.

On Wednesday night my neighbour Kate and friends Matt and Roo joined me for dinner at a nice Thai restaurant in Vegas, a small but befitting farewell party.  With one day remaining on my American visa I flew from Vegas to Los Angeles and boarded flight VA2 to Sydney, 6 months ago I did the same thing, thinking “what in the hell am I doing” – my thoughts were exactly the same, but this time I was going the opposite direction !

One final entry will follow on my thoughts and opinions of the USA – but I will write that one in the ‘safer’ confines of Australia after everything has sunk in…

The final figure - 45,366km

We had a love / hate relationship...

Pack and go time.

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