Was it really only 2 months ago?

They say you can't keep a good man down. Me neither, so I'm back again (Carol will be pleased) with one more post.

Hard to believe that it isn't even 2 months since Grizzly and I rode off into the rain. It seems a lot longer, for me certainly, can't vouch for him. I think having to go to work every day might have some bearing. Without it though, I wouldn't be able to indulge in these escapades, so every cloud, eh?

Thought I'd finish up the blog with my usual facts and figures. I know I threw out a few in the last post but here's a few more, for the stattos amongst you.

• 2 members of the tour.
• We set out on the 6th day of the 7th month.
• The tour lasted 19 days.
• On 50% of the days we experienced some precipitation, though we weren't always riding through it.
• The tour went through 6 countries.
• I took 645 photos.
• Distance covered by myself, 2851.3 miles.
• The Sprint supped 231.54 litres or 50.93 gallons of fuel.
• The total cost of fuel was, £299.36.
• The best MPG returned was, 67.96, on Day 18.
• Grizzly and I supped 71 beers each, including 3 at our end of tour farewell dinner back in blighty.
• Don't ask me how much we spent! €€€
• The smallest beers we drank were 250ml.
• The largest beers we drank were 1 litre.
• I carried 2 beers glasses in my luggage from day 1.
• We ate 4 pizzas during the tour.
• We negotiated untold hairpin bends. (some are on video)
• We/I made numerous wrong turns.
• We made numerous coffee stops and an equal, if not greater number, of toilet stops.
• We stopped at hundreds (maybe) zebra crossings in Italy.
• I rode through 1 stop sign.
• We walked at least 20km on the tour.
• We took 1 taxi ride.
• We stopped at 20 petrol stations for fuel.
• We stopped in at least 3 McDonalds.
• Our hotel costs (some including meals) came to £1374.96.
• Other meal costs (not snacks/coffees) came to somewhere in the region of £300.
• We had 1 thoroughly brilliant time.
• We visited the last resting place of 2 of my distant relatives and of many thousands of other brave souls, lost to the 2 World Wars.

And finally, I came back, to my 1 and only, Catherine..... and a number 48 off the Chinese takeaway menu!

You may remember, way back on Day 1, that I acquired a couple of glasses (1 glass, 1 goblet actually) from the 1815 bar in Waterloo. Well, here is a picture of them. As you can see, they both made it through the tour unscathed, thanks in no short measure, to my pants!



For the price of a pair of Grizzly's braces! (US, suspenders)

And that now, really IS the end of this blog. I'd just like to finish up by thanking you all for taking the trouble to follow our exploits, confirm that there will be no Wild Hogs Scandinavian tour in 2015, maybe in 2016 but to say instead, Cath and I will be driving Route 66, next September, so watch out for that blog.

And finally, this has been the William Walker Memorial Tour. May he rest in peace.

Thanks again for the memories Dudley, gone but not forgotten.

William 'Dudley' Walker