I get to sleep in my own bed tonight after 32,770 Kms or 20,362 miles.

I was supposed to arrive home yesterday, but I left Edmonton later in the afternoon and hit some wild weather that was brewing around Sangudo.  By the time I hit the Isogun hill by Fox Creek AB., it was full blown torrential rain, with really hard wind.  It took me 3 hours to ride what normally takes 1.5 hours.

I made it as far as Valleyview and decided it was time to call it a day.
I had had two semis, just past Little Smoky that had almost knocked me off the road they passed me so close.  I was doing about 60KPH with the four ways on, I simply couldn't see where I was going the rain was coming down so hard, and I am not 100% either driver knew I was there.  There was no safe place to pull over and so I had to keep going until I could get to Valleyview.

Once there I got something warm to eat and a room at the Raven Inn, everyone else was full. I can see why this place is a last resort motel. It's unkempt and dingy, but the bedding was clean, it was dry and there was coffee. $65 plus tax for this place was $35 too much, but like I said, it was shelter.

I hung all my clothes up, cranked the heat to get my boots to dry and hit the hay after a few hours of writing.

I got up and headed out at about 9:45 am, the sky was ugly, it was windy, but it was not raining.
As I got closer to Grande Prairie, the skies turned blue and while it was still cold and windy, it felt good to be doing so in the sunshine.

I pulled in the driveway and began unpacking my bike. The poor girl needs a bath!
Man hubby's lawn is sure looking good and so are my flower beds.

I hauled my gear into the house and began putting things away and getting all my gear ready to be washed. I hugged my kitty's who both seemed pretty surprised but happy to see me.

I walked into the bedroom to put some stuff away and got a shock.
Hubby had renovated the bedroom, and it it GORGEOUS! I knew he was doing that, but never expected what I saw. The man should have been an interior decorator instead of a mechanic - he has impeccable taste.

A new bed frame, dressers and night table and all of the bedding and curtains to match along with new art...I am blown away!

I went into the kitchen and was surprised to see a new stove and then when I went to haul my laundry downstairs I got another shock...a new washer and dryer.

He must have won the lottery or else his line of credit took a shit kicking...
Wow, what a great thing to come home to.  I felt like I had been missed and I still haven't seen him yet!

Now comes the job of getting caught up on all of my writing for tourism and video editing for Eastlink TV.  Bookkeeping, follow up calls....ugh, back to a different kind of work where I am stuck infront of a computer instead of the handlebars - but all of that is going to have to wait until TOMORROW!
For the balance of today I am taking a hot bath, having a nap and getting ready for when hubby comes home from work. I can't wait to see the old boy, I have missed him something fierce.
Tonight we take our daughter out for her birthday - which was yesterday.

Tomorrow my day starts with meetings and editing...so until then,
If you are lucky enough to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor and Rider

Congratulations to the Canadian Legion of Riders in North Battleford

It is with great pleasure that I announce that the winner of the 2013 Johnny Pag Ventura Motorcycle is The Canadian Legion of Riders.

Because they understood the challenge best out of all the groups I worked with, they hosted an event and invited their community out to help them win the bike and gave me the opportunity to speak to over 200 people about the issues our veterans are facing.

Medric Cousineau's walk will conclude on the 19th of this month - he has been walking with his service dog Thai to raise funds to buy other vets a service dog....

I am so proud to be supporting his efforts and those of VETS and the Military Police Relay Ride for Blind Children.

My trip will end today when I arrive home to Grande Prairie later today, it's been an honour and a pleasure to ride with so many, to speak to thousands, to promote my sponsors and our community.

I am tired and beat up but feel blessed to have been able to affect some change, to impact lives in real time.

I have so many people to thank, many product reviews and articles chronicling my journey to complete.
I will over the course of the next few weeks finish the work that this Conga generated but I want to take this time to thank everyone who helped make this Conga such a huge a success.

There were disappointments, the weather caused a few events to be a wash, there were a few events that were not promoted well - it is the first time I have ever attempted something like this and I have learned much.  The next time I undertake something like this I know what I need to do better, and trust me there will be a next time and it will be MUCH MUCH better because of the things I have learned.

While I have faced a few disappointments there were so very many uplifting and incredible moments - so many amazing people who made this trip a success and I can't wait to share those stories with you.

I arrive home late this afternoon and will begin the work of catching up in earnest tomorrow.

Please ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you and remember, if you enjoy your freedoms, please take 5 minutes out of your busy life to thank a veteran and write your MP and MLA to ensure the plight of our veterans and RCMP and the loss of their pensions and the reduction in their benefits becomes an election issue.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor and Rider

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