And now, for the conclusion...
I made it out of Montréal with cleaned carbs, new O-rings and new filters thanks to Stéphane and his team at LaShop Motosport, Annika roaring better than ever. Scarcely more than an hour later, I was faced off with a surly American immigration officer, who after a series of questions posed as though he would catch me in a lie, he deigned to let me back into my home country, while not seeming particularly pleased about it.
Thankfully, Vermont's welcome was more fitting, with a quick visit in its quaint and cozy capitol city of Montpelier. I crossed into New Hampshire on winding Route 302 through the White Mountains, and saw a marked increase in the number of bikes on the road.
Only later did I realize this was because of my arrival coinciding with the Laconia Motorcycle Week. (From what I saw, New Hampshire's twisty roads would be a lovely staging ground for a motorcycle fest. The moose towering on the shoulder of the highway, not so much.)
Continuing my path east, I crossed into Maine, and set up camp in an otherwise empty campground just over the border.
The next morning, I continued east, finally intoducing Annika to the Atlantic and both of us to the lovely harbor of Portland, Maine.
My destination for the evening was Nick and Noelle's warm and inviting home, with their three fabulous kids in Newton, Massachusetts.
Luckily, my arrival again was propitiously timed to let Nick and I catch Wendy, our friend and partner in our one-percenter researcher club, during a singing recital. She's got a great voice, and the bourbon afterwards wasn't too bad, either.
After lunch the next day with Nick, Noelle and Wendy, I set off for New York, arriving at Josh and Jessica's just before sundown.
Josh and Jessica are among my oldest friends in the world, and our time together always passes too quickly. That's only more true since they've added adorable Charlie and (just five weeks ago!) precious Lila to their family. Here's Charlie with his trains.
We spent most of our visit together taking walks, playing in playgrounds, visiting the fabulous Hall of Science in Flushing, and lingering in the kitchen and dining room. Too quickly, I had to set off for my date with Washington, DC.
After impossibly scenic vistas of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, en route to Staten Island, I continued south, finally arriving at my cousin Bill's place in Kensington, Maryland after a long and sticky afternoon of riding.
This visit was also my first chance to meet Bill and Michelle's youngest, Daniel, ever a reliable source of renewable energy. We celebrated Father's Day with a trip to a toddler-friendly diner and a screening of Toy Story 3. (Pixar, I ♥ you.)
Later that evening, I took Annika across the Virginia border for an engrossing visit with Jamey, his lovely new wife Kate and witty and fabulous kiddos Alessandra and Lucia. The time passed so quickly, I didn't even snap a photo!
Finally, the day arrived: the moment to deliver Annika to Jennifer, and say goodbye to my riding companion for this journey. After a handwash to remove (at least the first layer of) accumulated road gunk, Annika was home.
Lucky me, I was able to catch dinner with her very busy owner, on the eve before the release of the first-ever inter-agency federal plan to end homelessness, her labor of love (and product of blood, sweat and tears) since arriving in Washington. It's a great plan. Mostly because it's hard to imagine how as a nation we would apply the considerable amount we know already about how to end homelessness successfully and cost-effectively if we didn't have a plan.
Thus concludes my 2,500 mile, 16-state/province/District-of-Columbia-spanning soujourn east! And now, I am off to experience Costa Rica, thunderheads over Cuba accompanying my flight south.
More to come!
