It was here - the final day. It was kind of hard to believe. The morning was the usual routine, food, pack, fuel, go. For the first time on the trip, the route today would all be familiar roads that I had ridden before. Most of the day would be on US 64 with a short stint on I-40 to cut some of the wandering that 64 does throughout NC. There were no planned stops today, the objective was to just get home.
Around Chimney Rock and Lake Lure is always a favorite ride - a really beautiful area of NC
Other than a fuel stop near Hickory, the short stop to take the above photo was the only stop of the day... at this point, I was just in a hurry to get home.
At 1:30, I arrived at the final destination of the trip. HOME!!
What an absolutely incredible 34 days! I got to see some beautiful places, spend time with good friends, and meet some interesting people. There were some problems along the way, but nothing that didn't get sorted out in the end. I am disappointed that I did not get to see the Washington and Oregon coastlines - I'll need to figure out a way to do ride that section some other time.
I think it is going to take a while for me to process the entire trip. I'll need to go through all the pictures, and re-read all of the daily posts to put the whole thing in perspective. Either way, it was by far one of the best things I have ever done, and would turn around and do it again tomorrow if I could.
I hope everyone has enjoyed following along - I have really enjoyed putting the daily posts together.
Today's miles - 251 (404 km)
Total Miles - 7731 (12,442)
The final totals:
34 days
22 States
8,001 miles (the daily totals above were just point to point between destinations, it did not include any extra riding - errands, side trips, etc)
13 National Parks/Monuments
4 KTM Dealerships visited
There will probably be a few more moto-related posts about what worked and what didn't, what I learned, and what I would do differently.
Wow. I made it.
Thank you for the ride! it was like we were riding along with you, and it was great to read about your travels. I am sure it was an experience of a lifetime.
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