Ive made it back to Vancouver Canada... Where I set out on this little jaunt, and the others from earlier in this blog too for that matter.
So, it took pretty much 10 months to ride to Ushuaia and back, and I covered 76,000Km (same as twice around the planet at the equator!).
I had only a single "self inflicted" riding accident (I fell off on a muddy section of dirt road) and
likewise had only one flat tire... Actually, thats only a single flat tire in over 145,000Km of riding now!
But, its now time to "let the tires cool" for a while so to speak and I expect to be here in Vancouver for a fair while... There is of course nothing certain about that as the future is always a mystery, but thats how it feels at the moment :)
And the bike definitely needs a rest too...
Its really worn-out at the moment, and I spent over $700 in a single "buy" yesterday with new tires, new bearings for the swing-arm, head-set, and rear suspension, as well as a new battery (which decided to die just after I got back!).
Actually, the old tires were so bad that the guys at the bike shop where I had them changed used the description of "suicidally worn" :) ... I personally think they still had a few more Km in them though I admit they were realllly bad :)))...
I bought the rear tire "used" in Argentina and put it on the bike in Costa Rica. I figured it would make it back to Canada OK from there, but it seems it was a very old tire as well as being used and the rubber was very dry... So, when inflated, the rubber developed big "splits" in the tread due to the stretching... And then, the really hot desert conditions for a few days meant they "melted away" quickly on the asphalt too! But, they got me back home safely, so Im happy :))
Split in the rear tire tread... Through to the belts!
Front tire went on in Colombia, but is now also virtually without tread :)
Apart from the splits, the rear tire had absolutely no tread left either.
So, Im back where I started and the trip is now over!
Actually, after just a day here in Vancouver, I already have that strange sort of sensation that the trip "never happened" if you know what I mean :)
I was expecting it, but its still a bit sad to have it all "in the past" rather than in the present and the future :)
There will be a couple more blog posts on fuel consumption etc, but thats about it for this trip, and future posts will be on my more mundane and domestic life here in the city...
So, my blogging will likely get much less interesting now... Though people are of course welcome to keep reading if it amuses you :)
Not sure what or when the next "long ride" will be, but if I manage to get the money together, and my butt forgets the discomfort then I guess the "dream" would be to ride North from South Africa, through western Europe, then East across northern Russia/Mongolia, and then South down through Asia...
But thats for the future!
... For the time being, Im spending my time trying to "re-assimilate" myself into the West Coast culture of Vancouver... Really Weird!" :)))
So, I guess Id like to say thanks for peoples supportive comments during my trip, and Im glad to have shared "me" with you...
If anyone wants to write me an email, then I have a hotmail account in my name "grant_else.
Other than that, I wish you all well and good luck in your own "voyages"... Whatever they may be and where ever they may lead you :)))
