Overview of the trip

The happy travellers on Colin's birthday.

Like our long trips before around Australia and across Australia, Alan and I got on very well unless politics became the subject of conversation!  We managed the inevitable trials and tribulations with the usual equanimity and even my bike breaking down didn't spoil the trip.  The cards (Gin Rummy) went my way this time with me winning 23 hands and Alan 17.  Next time he might want a different game!  We have developed a mixture of looking after yourself and supporting each other, which must be the product of coming from a large family.

People we met were polite and welcoming.  Americans would often thank us for visiting their country.  On the road the cars and trucks would pull over on twisty roads to allow the bikes past. We never felt threatened or in danger.

The bikes supplied by Sacramento Motorcycles were frankly disappointing. Alan's had a noisy clutch which took all his experience riding GS's to keep under control and my bike was of an age and mileage when an alternator stator failure was just about guaranteed.  Not really in suitable condition for a hire of 8,600 kms and 5 weeks: and we both had to find new tyres en-route.  The bikes were worth less than the hire charge so would be well and truly written off after the trip.  On the plus side, Jon Daggett was genuinely apologetic about the failure of my Honda and did all he could to let us keep to our trip plan and he paid for all the extra expenses.

America was a land of contrasts and some parts were frankly third world and we saw so many towns in severe decline.  There were of course places that were vibrant and successful as well.  The big attraction was the magnificent natural scenery and landscape we encountered.  The Pacific Coast, Lava Beds, Crater Lake, Glacier, Yellowstone, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Death Valley, Grand Canyon and Bonneville Salt Flats were all well worth visiting and spending time in.  The hiking was enjoyable as well, even though Alan and I will never be true hikers.  The road system was so good with plenty of sweeps and curves to keep us entertained.  Missing out on the Beartooth Hwy was the only real disappointment of the trip.  Driving on the right didn't cause us any problems most of the time, but you had to keep your wits about you.

Canada was quite a contrast to the USA.  The smaller towns were in better condition than their equivalents over the border, but people were not as friendly as the Americans.  The scenery was different too - maybe because it didn't have the effect of all the catastrophic volcanic eruptions and activity that shapes so much of the western part of the US.  The weather was indifferent too, which made travelling on the bikes not as enjoyable.

Our accommodation was admittedly at the bottom of the scale, but generally was expensive for what it was and in poor condition. Traveling in peak season was one of the reasons. Internet was generally useless out of the main towns and the tendency to charge for it got on my wick.  The food was full of sugar and we both put on a few kilos.  No wonder so many Americans are fat.  It was expensive and variable quality and having to tip for something you didn't rate was a pain, but the staff had to have tips to survive.  Canada was better for accommodation and meals.  One thing we noticed is that beer is much cheaper than Australia and there are lots of local micro-breweries to chose from.

Our family and friends were very generous and looked after us handsomely.  Alan had not met many of the Canadians before so that was a bonus for him.  He enjoyed swapping stories with them all.  Time had moved on for everyone since 2007 for us and them and that was apparent, so probably this will be the last visit.  Not much chance of any of them coming to Australia, but you never know.