Welcome home! Yeah... right!

THIS was an epic journey brought on by 10 years of a part time home living in AZ. Even though I didn't live there full time, I had a full time home.

So much has changed in the 10 years I owned the southern condo.  First of all... things were especially depressed  in the USA.  The international mortgage scam had frozen growth, many went bust, people lost their homes the rich got richer.

Bike carrier turned out not be of use.

But, like always, someones misfortune created a vacuum that others could fill.  I wanted to live down there since my first visit in the winter of 1998, just could not afford it.

True... my opportunity was minor and I certainly didn't make anyone rich on me, but I, when asked entering the USA at Sweet Grass MT, answered the question "Purpose of your visit?"

I'd answer, "I'm here to support the US economy.  That wasn't a joke, although occasionally someone manning the booth took offence at my answer.

I did manage to drive some back roads like this one in New York State

For anyone that's ever moved from one place to the next, it can be a real headache , I had a life in AZ. As the saying says... "This too shall pass..." such was happening for me.

As I live in a small Island in Canada now, it's a million miles from Arizona.  Okay, I exaggerate a wee bit but the odometer did turn 11,000 plus kilometers  in my 3 weeks closing the place in preparation to listing.

Just one of hundreds of rest stations.

It's a huge country!

When I arrived at the border crossing in Calais Maine and St Stephen N.B. I wouldn't have guessed I would be treated like a criminal.  And that's how it felt. The guy at the gate/booth confused me with his questioning and had me step inside to hand the note to a young woman.  Her questioning was on the verge of an interrogation, about the only difference was I wasn't stripped searched in a brightly lit room!

Wouldn't do it again.

I had to be honest but how she questioned me annoyed me.  We were hung up on whether or not everything in my truck bed had been purchased in Canada and then transported to the US or had items been purchased in the US, which would have triggered some tax penalty I would presume.  She looked at me frowning, and after conferencing with a colleague, commanded me to "Unload the pick up sir."

Say what!!??

Well packed only to have it rummaged through entering Canada.

You want me to unload "here", so you can look for some kind of evidence of smuggling American bought goods. I mean... I even when asked at the booth, declared I had bought tires for the truck while down there, and told him I had 4 bottles of home made wine given to me as part payment for selling my scooter at a discount.

I looked forward to getting out of the Ford and stretch my tired body.

So... she and her cohort stood by while I began the ardus task of pulling off bungy cords, tie downs, straps and garbage bags from stuff at random. She told me to wait inside but thinking, they're going to plant something, I refused and stood back as they did they're thing. After about an hour of this, and after she had departed inside once again, the guy gave me a hand in tying things down as best I could.

That night while I slept over at Lisa's before my return to the Island, it rained, and it rained like an East India monsoon and of course much of my stuff got wet.  After all, things were packed for a 5000 trip! Only rain I had in 11,000 km.

Somewhere in New England

.   

The pressure is on!

Coal... a sometimes visitor in Glendale.

I understand the attraction to ocean beaches like those you'd find on the Med... but I like my travel and beaches uncluttered.  For 7$ a night... I'd sometimes stayed for 6 weeks or more!  

Of course, now I live on PEI Canada and my home is virtually all beach!

My last trip to Baja was with then g/f Barb in 2007, getting home into the snow bound North.

This is the Cortez, or the gulf of California depending which side of the border you're on.

IN the past, while living in Calgary Alberta, I would arrange my schedule to give me some extended time, get in the Blazer or F 150 with a kayak up top and towing which ever trailer I had at the time, south on I 15. Once I'd hit Montana and with a left at Vegas, I did many a road trip, sometimes  (sleep accounted for) through into once sleepy but now bustling Tecate, Baja Mexico.  My destination was 1000 km south to Conception Bay.




Look familiar?  Taken virtually in the same spot but 4 years apart.  And... touring is a state of mind.  I mean, if you can do this on a DT 50 right?

A Baja sunrise.

Depending on time, I'd camp out on an amazing beach, pedal, visit, eat... drink some ice cold 60c cerveza's at Berthe's right around the corner from Las Coco's.  If you like getaway holidays, you can't get any better than Baja.  On occasions I rode my DT 50, Serow 225, XT 600 and even my C 70 Passport I'd bought via E Bay in PHX (long before I lived there).
In 2009 I bought a home in Glendale AZ, went to ride Europe for 5 months and came back, bought furniture and grub and moved right in.

In the decade since, I always wanted to do Baja on last time. but some how never could seem to find the time.  I did of course ride the US desert and mountain country extensively.  My XT 350 Yamaha once sorted out, was a very good choice, only let me down once in the back country as a result of a rear tire flat.  Luckily a passing Motorcyclist had a can of Slime and an air pump to boot. That got to the eastern suburbs of the giant city known collectively as Phoenix.

10 years riding the Superstitions, and the White and Bradshaw mountains and it was time to lock the doors one last time.

Fast forward... 

I was heading down with my FORD for the last time... I would try selling my three Phx bikes but if not, I could import the Ascot 500 or XT 350.  Not my best option, importing bikes has gotten complicated and costly.  That's why you see my bumper hitch rack in some photos.

With all the problems I had with the truck, some of it caused by the poor repairs in Gallup by Firestone, as I've indicated it was turning into a huge chore.



Having only about 10 days on the ground at my Phx home, I had to hustle and compromise more than I wanted to. Such is life right!




When it was all said and done, and having paid my last mechanical fix at Wilhelm Automotive in Peoria next door to me in Glendale, I took to the road with new found confidence  and fingers crossed with some trepidation.







On the southern trip, I was able to sleep in the sleeper in the extra cab, needing motels only on occasion.  With the Ford getting 19-20 miles per gallon, at a steady 100 kph, and with some trepidation giving the lateness of the year and the potential of snow or worse as I traversed the mid west... I landed late October, dead tired and sick to boot!

I'm traveling around 60 mph... passed by extra wide wind turbine blade in Texas

My odometer of the 1996 truck, passed through 150,000 km out bound and 161,000 km by the time I reached home without any major mishap.  Of course that didn't mention the tire imbalance on the entire 5,500 km caused by again shoddy work mounting the tires on the Ford at Wal Mart Glendale. I bought raised white letter Wrangler's and the bone heads even though we'd discussed several time, mounted them with the white lettering, on the inside!! 






Shorty... after 5 hours at WM, my serpentine belt went south again... resulting in the Wilhelm repair.  Seems the tensioner bolt was over tightened stripping the bolt but as Wilhelm's found... the bolt wasn't over tightened but not tightened at all!

Only 2-3 threads were holding the entire thing together.

Other than an annoying vibration coming from the improperly balanced tires, I had an uneventful trip driving through 14 (15?) states and including New Brunswick .




Maine

New Hampshire

Vermont

New York















Pennsylvania

Ohio

Indiana

Missouri





New Mexico
and
finally... Arizona!

There was some incredible scenic driving even if it was mostly Interstate. Like freezing temperature passing through Flagstaff, fall foliage colors in the N.E. and fog lasting till noon outside CUBA!

No not that Cuba!

Leaving Cuba

Arkansas

Kansas

Oklahoma

Texas

In the coming months I'll refer back to some highlights of this grueling but invigorating drive.





My favorite... ?


Gotta be New England.  Forest, the Appalachians mountains, oldest range on the planet, forests, lakes and rivers and trout... cheap motels and extraordinary motorcycling roads.

Doesn't hurt that they are a short days ride from Lisa's home in St John N.B.




  

I'd sleep mostly in McDonalds parking lots having both dinner and breakfast.

Good old reliable McD's

Even if I no longer have a dedicated Touring bike... considering I am so close to some amazing riding places in my back yard... I can put my XT 600, Citicom 300 I, a swift CBR 300 R and even a longer distance mule... Piaggio MP3... to use!

               

Gas prices ranged from a low of 2.09usd/gal... to the highest 2.99usd/gal Most in between. 

PS... Did I happen to mention by return to Canada...?  That was a misadventure in itself...

For now, I'll load some pics and say good bye for now.... more soon.