Finally, we are just about ready to hit the road, we will be leaving in just under 3 weeks. I will be riding up to Vancouver, BC from San Francisco on April 4, with the bike scheduled to ship by air from Vancouver on KLM Cargo on April 10. Erika will be headed to Los Angeles to see her family and will meet up with me in Paris.

The folks at Animal Travel (www.amimaltravel.com) will be shipping my beast from Vancouver to Paris, they quoted me a rate of $1350 Canadian. Hopefully the shipping experience will be a smooth one. I will be sure to let you all know what happens.

The Carnet de Passages en Douane is proving a bit more difficult than I expected. The Canadian Automobile Association (where we are getting the carnet) has been very helpful, but trying to get a Letter of Credit from a bank to secure the Carnet has been very difficult. Fortunately, we don't need the Carnet until we get to Asia, so we have a little time.

Our plan is to stay with our friends in Paris for a few days, then we are headed to stay with Erika's relatives in Switzerland for a little while. Then east to Austria, Eastern Europe and beyond. We are still undecided about whether to ride through Iran or the Central Asia 'Stans. Guess that will be decided later...

After nearly a month of the Transalp sitting at my mechanic waiting for a clutch cover gasket, I will finally be picking it up tomorrow. The new Wilbers custom rear shock and progressive springs are installed and the bike should handle our heavy load with ease. Just a bit more work to wire up some heated accessories and the bike will be ready!

Almost two years of planning and we are just about ready to hit the road, I still can't believe it. Many thanks to everyone at Horizons Unlimited and our friends and family who have provided much encouragement and support.

See you on the road!