Along with a clearout on Ebay (which left me amazed at what people would buy and what they'd pay!!), the sale of my beloved Le Mans allowed me to finance a (possibly?) once in a lifetime motorcycle tour of the West Coast of the USA.

The tour started in Bend in Oregon, where I collected the BMW R1150R I was to ride and took in 10 States and 7000 miles in slightly little over three weeks.

Highlights included visits to Crater Lake, the Giant Redwoods, a fabulous ride down the Pacific Coast Highway, San Francisco, USS Hornet tour,Yosmite, Death Valley, Las Vegas, The Hoover Dam, The Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, The Tetons, Yellowstone, Flaming Gorge, Craters Of The Moon, Hells Canyon and many many more places.

Staying in such places as Shady Cove, Arcata, Mendocino, San Francisco, San Simeon, Lone Pine, Las Vegas, Kingman, Navajo Trading Post, Moab, Pinedale, West Yellowstone, Ketchum, McCall, Wallowa and Bend in Oregon.

Very lucky with the weather as apart from a huge windstorm coming down from the Grand Canyon (that blew me four lanes across a fortunately empty highway!!) and one real drenching thanks to traffic delays caused by Senator John Kerry's convoy (this was just prior to the elections) the weather was superb. 130+ degrees at Death Valley and The Hoover Dam but also quite cold in Northern California and crossing Utah. Whilst all the time behind me the weather was closing in. In fact several people were killed in flash floods in Death Valley just days after I went through.

Just as everyone said before I went, everyone was friendly and just as I'd heard before I went everyone assumed I was Australian (but I forgave them!!!) - mind you met some Aussies on a Harley, in Mendocino,who were constantly mistaken for being British and they were far more miffed!!

Ratio of Harleys to any other bike? About 10 to 1!!!

Surprised by the number of ex- pats I met running businesses throughout my travel area - such as the young British Asian couple from Leicester running a motel in Lone Pine.

Don't believe any of the nonsense about dead straight roads. For the most parts you won't find twisitier, more fun roads andywhere. Typical road sign; 'Hills and Curves Next 50 miles'!!!

An absolutely fantastic trip which I hope one day I can repeat. In fact I would love to spend the best part of a year touring the USA and then Canada - Australia - New Zealand -South Africa... Have a lottery fueled fantasy ove buying a van and a bike and tour all over the States. Park up in one place for a week go exploring on the bike (or van if weather terrible!! I'm getting on you know!!) then put the bike in the van and move on another 300 miles or so and repeat the exploring. I can dream!!