Home at last!

Hitting the road is always a thrill for me and I rarely sleep well the night before a trip. Images of the adventure ahead and the people and places I will meet and see keep me awake. As much as I enjoy the open road, it is always nice to come home. This trip was no different. I arrived home at 6:30 last night (July 22) and had left on Monday July 5. That is 17 days on the road and 6,698 miles traveled according to my odometer. Average miles per day works out to 394. The low day and there were several were with 0 miles. High day... close to 1,500. People always seem to ask, "What was the highlight of the trip?". To that I have to answer: "too many to mention". I saw some of the most beautiful scenery this country has to offer, met some of the nicest people and renewed old friendships. I traveled safely with only few instances of concern... namely that mule deer in the rain at night in Estes Park, milking every mile out of a failing clutch in western Colorado and Utah and a few tense moments where I thought I might not have enough fuel to make the next available gas station. All in all, it was a great trip. I had a lot of time to think and was able to make decisions based on strictly how they would impact me, which is much more simple than traveling with a group. That said, I can't wait to head back out west in September with the Phat Pac. We all get along so well and every moment is filled with laughs. With all that said.. I hope you all enjoyed the blog. Let me know if you did and if you have any suggestions on how to make it better, I would love to hear them! There is nothing like seeing home appear at that final turn in the road.