Looking back its been a few months and I now find myself sat at home, freezing my butt off and dreaming of my next adventure :-)
So I left you in Jacksonville were I had a lovely few days with my Uncle and Aunt catching up on laundry and generally just chilling, soon my trip would be over,
So to recap where I had been for the last 7 months, I left the UK in May 2012, rode through Holland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Mongolia, Russia, South Korea (Whilst shipping the bike I flew to Thailand and Cambodia) Canada and finally the USA.
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| Learning how to fire an arrow ! |
So having chilled for a few days I headed over to the East coast to Daytona, Here I decided that the official trip would end here. Coast to Coast ! 7 and 1/2 months and 20,000 miles, this would be the end ( to be honest the vibrations in the bike handlebars had become that bad, I awoke everyday with the idea of "Just finish the mission", which was such a shame because I had a great time in completing it.
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| Daytona Beach, the official end of the trip |
So I spent a few days chilling in Daytona before heading South West to my good friend Doug and Polly ( I had met Polly at their campsite in Bulgaria ... heres the link http://motosapiens.org )
I had also met up with Doug a couple of times during the trip, first being in Sturgis when he was taking part in the Cannonball run and then when he came to my rescue in Lake City with a spare rear tyre.
By now it was nearly the end of November and I was spending most of my time researching to see if it was possible to leave my bike in the USA and sell it for parts. However due to the regulations this was not possible and I had to ship the bike back home from Miami.
When December arrived I knew it was time to get moving again, after nearly a fortnight at Doug and Pollys I was beginning to enjoy myself too much, they treated me so well and I felt really spoilt :-)
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| Polly and Doug.... Land ahoy !! |
So I was back on the road with one final stop, Miami. Here I would drop off my bike with the shippers and hire a car for a week before flying back to the UK. I was slightly worried because I did have a bit of play on my rear wheel, but luckily the bearing held out till I reached the shippers. Shipping was fairly simple, drop off the bike, check the paperwork and then pay the fee.
Swapping the bike for a hire car was quite a luxury after 8 months of riding. I decided that I would travel North to Orlando. Stopping off at the Kennedy Space Centre before having a few days on International drive as I wanted to see the new Harry Potter park in Universal.
Ive been to Orlando a few times but never on my own and to be honest dont think I would do it on my own again, the trouble was I found I was almost talking to myself most of the time..... first sign of madness I think !
Then it was a flight to Gatwick, which the check in desk gave me 3 seats to myself so I slept most of the flight. Then a train to Newcastle before finally arriving home.
The weather in the UK was freezing !!! and as a result of it I spent the first few weeks with a horrendous cold and spent most of it curled up on the sofa dying !
It was fantastic to be back with my family and friends, however once xmas passed I began staring at the maps on my wall or spinning my little globe in the kitchen.
I realised then I was missing something big in my life..... Travelling !
So I am now making plans. I will be at the HUBB meet in Donnington were I will be giving a talk on my round the world trip, also I have booked to go to Finland with the VSOC for the International rally (though I may look a bit odd, hundreds of cruiser bikes and me on my little Suzuki 250!)
In July 2013 I intend to set off over the water and hopefully make it down to South America :-)
I would just like to thank all that supported me during this fantastic life changing trip :-)
Ride Safe
Will
