Here we go again!

Just a quick update.

Since coming home things have been VERY hectic. I've been out and back to Winnipeg twice to facilitate courses and I facilitated a webinar series over five days at home. And I'm now in Vancouver teaching another two-day course.

To add to that, Rosi and I have been debating for over a year about our house. On the one hand we've thought about selling and getting someplace a little bigger so I can have a better office and I'd like an actual garage instead of a car port, but on the other hand, I'm getting closer to retirement and taking on another mortgage at this stage just doesn't make sense - especially since there are a lot of aspects we really like about where we're at now. So,long story short, after much debate and consternation, we've decided to stay put. But staying doesn't mean accepting the status quo. No, we're going to put all the money we would have spent on legal fees and real estate commissions into renovating and re-decorating our place to make it more livable and more to our liking. We're pushing back a wall, completely gutting one bathroom and remodelling the other, replacing three windows and replacing every door, closet door and piece of trim and moulding in the place. We're also installing suntubes in the kitchen and hall, a new gas fireplace and replacing the kitchen counters. When we're done it'll feel like a new place and we should be happy for the foreseeable future.

(And DnT - we're buying a new bedroom suite and moving our existing Queen with the memory top mattress into the spare bedroom so the spare room will be MUCH more comfortable!!)

So all this, combined with the confirmed contracts I now have for April, has made things more than a little hectic.

But it's all worth it because - I get to ride again - WooHoo!!

I'm leaving tomorrow night to fly to Phoenix. I'm meeting Brad down there and we'll pull the bikes out of storage first thing Friday morning. If all goes well it should be a fairly easy four days back. I'll post pictures along the way and use my SPOT to send map references to friends and family.

Take care and wish us luck - it's close to 5,600 over the Sweetzer Summit and according to the highway webcams there's still a lot of snow in the surrounding hills. Yikes!

Cheers

All over but the cry'n

Well, here we are, back in AJ with nothing but memories and loads of pictures to remind us of a whirlwind trip through much of north/central Mexico. As usual it was too short and this time seemed even shorter because I had to work through much of it. Oh well, just like so many things, it's better to have a short ride than no ride at all.

In this case we saw saw some great scenery, met some fantastic people and visited even more of Mexico that we hadn't been to before. It was a little disappointing that we didn't make it to Veracruz as planned but sometimes life just gets in the way.

A few statistics for those so inclined
Total mileage - 4,745 klm
Days riding - 10
Ave klm per riding day - 475
Ave hotel cost (not including the time share week) - $57
Number of problems/issues - 0
Level of hassle crossing into and out of Mexico - Nil
Level of hassle crossing back into the US - Nil (I don't count the 90 minute wait in line as we inched along because what the heck, you can get that in Oroville or the peace arch on a busy day)
Number of Military checkpoints - one (down from at least six the year before)
Cost of Mexican toll highways - approx $350 - absolutely worth it!
Cost of fuel - approx $350 (mileage is drastically reduced at speeds over 100kph and is roughly cut in half by the time you hit 140)

So there you have it. Another Mexican adventure draws to a close although, as time goes on they seem less and less like "adventures" and more and more like returning "home"

Cheers