I’m home! Chapter 3 is complete! I set a mileage record yesterday in my attempt to get Annie docked in her home port. This will be a realtime update that will talk a bit about my time at home and the decision facing me regarding my final chapter.
So…yesterday, I logged 935 miles. After aggressive work with a pry-bar today, I finally have my bottom removed from Annie’s seat. 🙂 Once I made it to the St. Louis area, Annie and I just couldn’t be stopped.
While I’m home I have some wonderful family events, such as a baby shower for my Sister and my Grandma’s 95th birthday party. I’ll also be trying to get caught up in my story as I’ve fallen way behind.
The Final Decision
I now need to decide when I am going to begin the final loop of my journey. It will look something like this:
Approximately 9-11k miles. 2-3 months.
The big question that I need to answer is when this loop will take place. Places like Grand Lake, Colorado and Crater Lake, Oregon are already pretty cold. It will be at least two weeks before I am back on the road. Meaning that winter will be even more of a harsh reality as I head west. I’m considering two options:
Option 1, Counter-clockwise:
In this scenario, I head west as soon as I have everything ready to go. It will be chilly, but I should be able to either avoid or wait out the snow in the mountains. This option would allow me to complete my goal sooner and take advantage of whatever momentum I’ve built up.
Option 2, Clockwise:
For this option, I would wait in Nebraska for 2-3 months until the weather begins to turn in my favor. I would probably leave Nebraska in December or January and go south first. This would hopefully mean that the weather through the mountains and northern locales would be more mild by the time I pass through.
I have purposely given very little thought to this decision, as I’ve been so focused on getting Annie and myself home safely. I’ll try to choose an option within a week or so.
One final note: I’m also way behind in getting in responding to lots of messages, across many different mediums. I’ll get caught up soon!
As always, thanks for all of the support. Chapter 3 was definitely the most difficult period of this journey, but it was a smashing success. Now, we just have a little victory lap to go!
BA
EverywhereMan.me 
It’s great to hear from you, I hope you’ll take a few days to rest and recover before starting to work hard and stress over future plans.
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Hey, whatever works for you, just so long as you bring us along for the ride.
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Jim was tracking you and said he thought you went straight home. Congratulations on completing an impossible day. Go Cornhuskers!
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Thanks for taking care of Brett again! He needed that day of R and R at your place before his long ride home. We do hope we can meet you someday! Appreciatively,
Betty and Randel Anderson
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I am glad you made it back safe.
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Glad to have you back home safely. I Know that your mom and dad are anxious to give you a big hug. What a magnificent adventure you have enjoyed. Thank you for taking us along with you through your blogs. Hope to see you in Norfolk . Bob
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Congrats, buddy 🙂
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So thankful you are at least back to Lincoln! Can’t wait to see you! This may be our favorite post of all times!!! Congratulations on making it through this difficult part of your trip! We are proud of you! God certainly protected you and provided many trail angels to care for you! Love you, son!!
Mom and Dad
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Glad to have you back in the states! Looking forward to the next chapter, keep us updated.
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YAY YAY YAYYY! -B&E
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We were glad to have you rest your head at the Book s in Sarasota and watch the NFL game together Bob
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