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We have done it !

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And here it is - Los Angeles and  Los Angeles lighthouse at Long Beach with the Pacific Ocean!



But let’s go back a bit first.

We leave Kansas state with its endless cattle ranches and feedlots (enough to put you off steak for a while) and we head into southern Colorado. It is a trifle flat!



We stay at the town of Trinidad. The Elk shooting season starts tomorrow so there are hunters and guns everywhere. Not a good time to be an Elk, I think! 

Then next day the fun starts. The weather forecast shows sunny and cloudless at our starting point of Trinidad. It also shows that it is sunny and cloudless at our destination of Durango. But in between is Wolf Creek pass. As we get closer to the pass the black clouds roll in, the temperature drops and the rain starts. 

The pass itself is 10,800 ft high. As we climb it starts to snow. And then it really snows as in riding thru a blizzard. Visibility becomes a problem as the helmet visor and glasses fog up. Snow accumulates in about an inch layer on the windscreen (fortunately I look over the top of it). The outside temperature gauge (ice warning) starts pinging at 2.5 degrees. Then it drops to 0.0 degrees!  We stop about 500 metres short of where we think the top of the pass is. Snow is billowing everywhere. 
  
Can we  get over safely?  Fortunately the road surface still has some warmth in it. It is above freezing and the road surface is a mixture  of slush and snow. 

The snow fall momentarily eases. We go for it, very very slowly and watching out for any sign of tyre slip. The tyres hold their grip (thank goodness for the Mitas EO7 tyres which are suitable for off road and have the ability to cut through the slush). We go gingerly over the top of the pass. We pass a snow plough heading up to the top of the pass. Three are no photos as the camera battery freezes and stops working. 

Then we are out of the snow, the temperature comes up to a positively balmy 3 degrees and we head to Durango.

Durango is a rest day - the first since leaving Montreal 10 days earlier. We take the old steam train to Silverton. 





Silverton is an old silver and gold mining town with wide dirt streets and lots of old buildings and saloons.




Anyway, after a fun rest day time to hit the road gain. We ride down to Flagstaff in Arizona. Then on to Barstow in California on part of the old Route 66 highway - a must do for bike riding in the US. 



Not only is the road full of nostalgic character but some of the locals are too 



And more locals crossing the street in the gold mining town of Oatman 



We do a late run on to Barstow 



And now the grand finale. The last day! It is a 210 km run down to Los Angeles and a run across Los Angeles to Long Beach. The motorways are 7 or 8 lane - after a while you lose count! 



I contrast this with the 7 lane motorways in Mongolia. Spot the difference ? 




 And there is the Pacific Ocean



And a cheerful waterfront sign to greet us. We are not in that bad a condition I hope! Should we take up the offer ? 



Only in America! 

So now to sum up the whole trip  from Tokyo to Las Angeles (by the long way!)  watch out for the “Last Post”! Coming soon ! 





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