23,000 Miles and What We Carried

Sept. 12, 2010 - Home.  OMG, home!  From Visalia, we end our 5 1/2 month trip heading 220 miles south from the 5 to the 405 back to Sunset Beach.  Charlie and I complete 23,000 miles cross country in the lower United States, Canada and Alaska.  Yes, a trip of a lifetime, from our start in April to our September finish, it was more incredible than we could have ever expected.  Some days more challenging than other days (especially for me), but the reward of seeing America from our perspective will never be replaced.  Come rain, heat, snow, wind, hail, dust storms, crappy unpaved road, etc...our 2008, 1800 Goldwing, Pearl was a dream; and she took us safely to 39 states, plus British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, no break downs at all, super reliable.

Back in our garage, we unpacked our goods and displayed them on the ground.  Once laid out, our belongings looked quite a heap for being just a bike with 2 people.  Here's a picture and loosely itemized list of our things below.

What we carried on Pearl!  Tons of books, 2 ipods, 1 mac computer, a bag of power supplies, an electric tire pump, 1 tire gauge, mosquito coils, mosquito repellant, 2 down jackets, 3 rolled bags of clothes, 5 pairs of gloves, 2 rain suits, 2 digital cameras, road maps, 3 pairs, of glasses, 2 pairs of sunglasses, 3 toiletry bags, 1 stove, 1 pot, cutlery, 4 pairs of shoes, 1 medicine bag, 2 flashlights, 2 headlamps, loosely rolled socks, 1 travel backpack, 3 hats, 2 beanies, 1 tarp (at times 2 tarps), 1 tent, 2 sleeping pads, tent poles, 2 zero degree sleeping bags, spices, 2 watercolor sketch pads, watercolor paints, canned food, juice boxes, dried fruit, granola bars, tool bag, 1 hatchet, 1 towel, several rags, 1 umbrella, mini sized wine and beer.