Day 27/28: Los Angeles

My blog from yesterday seems to have disappeared so here we go again.
We are very much in the winding up phase now having spent the day cleaning bikes, hopefully to a standard that MAF accepts.
Yesterday was a much more enjoyable day than expected. No photos I'm afraid but we left Needles at sunrise to enjoy a great crossing of the Mojave desert. Spent most of the time alone with our thoughts, half spent appreciating the stark beauty of the desert and half contemplating the last ride day of our trip. There has been a lot of rain through here ( the entire western states seems to have had unusual rain with Colorado really copping it). The wet weather has left the desert quite green, pastel greens and greys seen against a morning haze. Very nice.
After a rest break in Barstowe we tackled the final 100 or so miles into LA. Once again the helmet radios were excellent allowing for a co- ordinated approach in the traffic.
Sadly then our adventure has come to an end, assuming we survive tomorrows day in LA.
If you will bear with me just a little longer I would like to talk about the 3 key ingredients that once again gave us such a fantastic trip.
People, country and of course the bikes.
It is tempting to try and name everybody we met along the way but I won't. I would like to say that each little interaction with friends and strangers is what makes this such a meaningful experience. From those who had us stay in their homes to the chance meetings on top of mountains. Thank you, you gave the depth to our experience.
Two deserve particular mention though. Jennie who I thought of every day. The images and moments I would have shared. You'll just have to take my word for it. Thanks Jen for encouraging me to go again even though you knew how hard another month of solo parenting would be.
Obviously the other person to mention is Dave.
Put simply this could not have happened without him. He has no fear of big ideas and he is very good at seeing them to fruition. We have had plenty of laughs and no shortage of good conversation. Once again Dave has pushed me outside my comfort zone. That has been a good thing. I wouldn't have done half of the crazy riding or seen half of the amazing things I have without Daves encouragement. We had our tense moments as well, but not many and when we did have issues we worked through them quickly. We are still great friends at the end of it. Thanks then Dave, for everything.
I have abused Dave much less in this years blog than last years. That was an error. He is still as much of a nutter as he always has been! The number of times he told me I am a poor sleeper. Who would sleep well with lights on all night, computers pinging away and regular Skype calls coming through. Give me strength! I could go on..
Thank you to all of you readers. Dave seems to have given the blog address to every person he has met along the way. I no longer know who I am writing for but thanks for justifying my daily diary and reminding me to document our trip in pictures and in words.
I'm tenuously hanging onto my train of thought here. The country, not America and Canada, but our amazing planet. If only I could truly capture the epic scenery, the size and remoteness the smell and the feel of all we have passed through. Heat, cold, the crunch of gravel, the roar of water. We are so privileged in what we have here on mother earth.
Lastly, this was always a bike trip. I've tried to explain at times what that means. You either get it or you don't. One thing I know is that we had the perfect bikes for our trip. They did everything we asked of them in great style. Near vertical rock faces, deep water, sand, single track through to long distance highway travel. The KTM 990 Adventure is a special bike. It will be sad to separate ours but both will have further adventures.
So on that note, thank you for following. In the words of Tom, over and out.