The trip to Inuvik and back was 7,720 km (4797 miles) roundtrip. It took 90.5 hours of time on the motorcycle and burned 110 gallons of fuel. I travelled through four Canadian provinces and Alaska, through three time zones to the edges of two oceans and I’m right back where I started in Canmore, Alberta. It feels like a lot of miles to cover to get back to square one, but here I am. There is a little work to do before heading south. And then I’ll be on the road again.

The plan is to spend a week and a half here to get some much needed and well-deserved maintenance done on the motorcycle, get some rest and take care of some last minute items. I’ll need to finalize the insurance for the Triumph and myself, get some prescriptions filled for malaria meds and take care of some general housekeeping before locking up here. I’ve reevaluated my gear inventory and packing strategy and will be doing a bit of streamlining. And even though I’m already itching to set off, these necessities need tending to, so I plan on making the best of it and enjoying the relaxing view from my porch for a few days before hitting the road.

I’m shooting for an August 1^st departure when I’ll be heading across the border to Montana. I have an interesting engagement to attend there in Kalispell, an idyllic mountain town famous for its pristine location, clear mountain air and propensity to attract survivalists, Neo-Nazis, and doomsday prepper types. I will certainly keep everyone posted on that.