Beginnings. Sometimes it is hard to know when one has arrived. But finally, sitting in a cheap motel in Yuma Arizona, more than two months after we left our Gold Coast home, we were sure our newest journey was at last underway. We had already spent a happy, busy, seven weeks in London staying with our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren. Then another week in the beautiful Midwestern city of Chicago and still more days refitting our motorcycle, the Elephant, in the blistering heat of Phoenix Arizona, But it was only that day, after we had said goodbye to our wonderfully generous hosts, Clare and Bevan; only after we had taken a wrong turn finding our way out of Phoenix; only after we had stopped for fuel in the blistering  desert heat of Gila Bend; only then, charging across south-west Arizona, wondering where we would go next, did we finally accept the obvious,Team Elephant was on the move and a new journey had begun.

London is always our most important time each year. It is our one chance to spend time with our grandchildren and, for a short time at least, to play the indulgent grandparents. This year there was a special treat for us with a week long family holiday in Sicily taken on the basis that our London family needed at least a few days of sun and sand before the long English winter descended. It was a good decision. By the time we were struggling to make our connections to Chicago, the London summer was already a memory.

Of course, we went to Chicago for the architecture, the museums, the jazz festival and the fantastic parks. Oh, and there was the small matter of a rugby match between the Australian Wallabies and the American Eagles! The chance to see the Wallabies play in the USA was too good to miss, but Chicago was a surprise and a delight. The rugby was better than we expected. Australia is the number two team in the world, the USA is number 16 so it was never going to be a fantastic match but the Eagles had a good first half and kept the Wallabies honest.

For most of the history of the US, Chicago was America's second city and it is, in many ways, the essential American city. Built at the crossroads of the Midwest, it was the hub that enabled much of America's economic wealth to emerge. By 1870, the US was already the world's biggest economy so when the rebuilding of Chicago started after the Great Fire of 1871, it was with the swagger and innovation of wealth and power. Born of a time of great optimism and opportunity, Chicago has a city scape like no other. It is fantastical and beautiful in turns and a delight from the start.

A busy time being idle in Chicago was, however, still just a prelude.In a few days we were in Phoenix, staying with our friends Clare and Bevan and living in the Ken and Carol Suite (sorry, insiders' joke). We were also busy with work on Elephant. Back home I wouldn't hesitate to launch into any repair task on this bike. But, even with the use of Bevan's well equipped workshop, this didn't seem sensible. We decided to entrust the work to a Phoenix business which specialises in BMW motorcycles and has an enviable reputation everywhere BMW riders congregate. MotoGhost is the go-to place for Beemers in the South-West and has earned its reputation for good reason.

The photos show the extent of Elephant's humiliation but at the end of it all, we had new suspension, a new clutch with all the trimmings and some work done on our final drive. All essential maintenance before the long road ahead. All it took then was a little last minute adjustment to the packing and and early alarm for Team Elephant to hit the start button. Finally, we were rolling and I could start to hum the TE theme song (Boom Crash Opera's “Dancing in the Storm”), and to start to feel the anticipation build. If you would like, you can follow this link and hum along as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-mmg4egLtM

Tomorrow we go to Mexico and get down to the business.

You can also find “The Ghost” here if you need some expert advice or work done on your Beemer: http://motoghost.com/.