December 2nd – Spent all day at the Kennedy Space Center, with a tour to the enormous Vehicle Assembly Building, and as close to the launchpads as you can get. (There was supposed to be a Shuttle launch tomorrow, but it’s been postponed as they’d found some problems.) Saw an amazing Imax 3-D film about the Hubble Telescope. Another fantastic day.

Explorer – seemed apt somehow.

December 4th – Had to scrape frost off the bike this morning. Decided we have to make a run for New York, and hope that we don’t get caught by the snow. So we blasted through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

December 5th – Had to scrape ice off the bike this morning. Into Virginia eventually, and we went from 1.5 degrees up to a balmy 4 degrees. Haven’t been this cold since Mongolia!

December 6th – Another sight-seeing day, this time around Washington D.C. Walked down The Mall, seeing the Smithsonian Institute, the U.S. Capitol building, the White House, and loads of memorials including the Washington and Lincoln Memorials, Arlington Cemetery, the Kennedy Gravesites and the Iwo Jima Marine Forces Memorial. Tremendously impressive buildings and very powerful.

Washington Monument on the Mall.

White House.

Lincoln Memorial.

Marine Forces monument (Iwo Jima).

December 7th – Couldn’t even raise 1 degree today. Never been so cold on the bike – we have to stop every hour just to thaw out and try and get some blood back into our digits. The wind-chill factor is increasing the pain factor. But we got through Baltimore, Philadelphia and into New York finally.

=== So we’ve done it - we’ve circumnavigated the world. ===

And I’ve felt every mile!

Whereas he's as fresh as a daisy.

December 8th – Contacted shipping company, sorted out the panniers and kit, and took the bikes to them ready for being air-freighted next week.

December 9th – A day sight-seeing – to Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, Grand Central Station, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, Ground Zero (9/11 Memorial), and the Statue of Liberty. Freezing cold again. But what a lovely place Manhattan is – not as frantic as I expected. And I just love that NY accent.

Chrysler Building.

Broadway and Fifth Avenue.

Liberty Island.

December 10th – A day off. Writing emails and sorting out blog-updates.

December 11th – Planned flight home into Manchester. Bikes due next week. The plan then is to arrange another adventure to various countries in Africa (the ones without civil wars, unrest, drought, deserts etc, if at all possible).

Back in March this all just seemed like a distant dream. But we’ve done it – and here’s some statistics.

Time away - 10 months / 40 weeks / 286 days

Countries - 21

Miles (on bike) - 23,500 approx.

Miles (not on bike) - 5,780 approx.

Cost of shipping (bikes) - 15,300 pounds sterling approx.

Route through Australia and New Zealand.

Route through USA.

== Watch this space in about 3 months. ==