Well I'm sitting in my living room typing this last part of the travel log. It is a nice feeling to be in familiar surroundings. I think it will take a little time to comprehend this little excursion. I certainly had a great trip! I wonder what's next... I didn't get to South America... I have an open invitation to Greece... I met many other people traveling by moto and each had a different solution to the same challenge. What will be next?
Monday Cinco de Mayo: With the moto already in Los Angeles, CA, I flew out of Costa Rica on Copa airlines. the flight took me to Panama City (not how I thought I would visit Panama, and I never left the airport so it doesn't count) and then to LAX arriving around 11:30p. no issues, it all went fine. My brother in-law Mark lives in Long Beach and he picked me up at the Airport. It was nice to stay with family and have his help.
Tuesday May 6th: It was time to get the moto through customs, un-crated and reassembled. I had some help from Mark, he drove me around and got me from Long Beach to the AeroMexico Cargo warehouse and to the customs office. Then I spent the afternoon unpacking the KLR. it was fine. the crate had been opened by customs and closed up again but everything was as I had left it when the moto was crated. It took me a couple hours to disassemble the crate and put the moto back together. The only drama was that I had run the battery down with my little air pump while inflating the tires and it almost didn't have enough juice to start the moto, but the KLR fired up and I was on my way. What a change in landscape, I rode the KLR down the I-405 to Long Beach and even though it was rush hour had an easy drive back to Marks house. Todd flew in from Ohio last night so we went out for a late dinner after we picked him up at the airport. the moto shipping had been a source of anxiety for me for the entirety of the trip. I left home with no real understanding of how to get it done. In the end it wasn't that difficult, just a matter of finding the right folks to help.
Unpacking the crate. The tape around the top of the crate was to inform you that US Customs had inspected the contents. I thought it was appropriate that the tape was Kawasaki Green.
The guys in the AeroMexico warehouse were very helpful; they even picked up the bike with a forklift so I could more easily install the front wheel.
safely in Mark's driveway in Long Beach
Wednesday May 7th: today was a really easy day. Woke up lake, had a late brunch and then returned to have a long Siesta in the afternoon. Mark got tickets to see the musical Cats so we all went to dinner and then to the theater. I had a lot of fun hanging out with Mark, Todd and Nate. They have such a great sense of humor and are constantly making jokes and poking fun at each other. It was just a lot of laughs with a side of dinner and theater. Thanks Guys!
Nate demonstrates "Cats Hands" similar to Jazz Hands with claws.
Thursday May 8th: Super Slab! It's more than 400 miles of interstate from Marks home in Long Beach to my home in Phoenix. I left late in the morning to miss morning rush hour and had no issues getting out of LA. It is such a change in scenery on these enormous roads (7 lanes in each direction, in places) and at maximum KLR cruising speeds, about 75MPH. I stopped twice along the way to give myself a little break and got home around 6:30pm. There isn't much to tell. the KLR was flawless again and I had no issues with traffic and the temperature was perfect, so it could not have gone any better. It was a strange feeling driving down the street to my home; it felt as though I hadn't left, like I had been gone for only half a day. It was so nice to see Lisa and the kitties and to change into some normal clothes.
Thanks Mark and Todd, for the great meals, for driving me all around LA, for an evening of theater and for a comfortable place to stay. You guys are awesome!
Mobile... taking a break and getting some fuel near Quartzite, AZ
Home again, home again...
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