Seeing as everyone is awaiting our imminent arrival back home after five years on the road , here’s our plan .

Nous nous dirigeons vers l'Est de la belle ville de Québec .Mais avant que nous arrivions , nous devons payer une visite à un vieil ami Richard .Il était une invitation ouverte il ya cinq ans lorsque nous où les voyageurs naïfs , innocents dans Atar sur le point d' entreprendre l' " minerai de fer " de la route avec trois terres cruisers.Little personne ne se doutait que nous rendre aussi loin .

Occasion alors pour avoir une chance de visiter une ville qui est ainsi associée avec le français étant , bien des gens , tout est français , pas l'anglais et moi avec mon français non classés O Level ( lorsque les niveaux O où, les niveaux S ) .Mais dans ces jours, nous didn 'avez pas Google translate .So , pour tous ceux qui québécois et francophiles c'est mieux que je n'aurais jamais pu le faire il ya toutes ces années .Le reste du Canada deux signes , même l'agent d'immigration nous a accueillis en français ( car il a dû ) , mais pas ici .French ou rien .Mais nous devons admettre , c'est une belle partie du monde et de la promenade le long

Yes , its been five years since we set off on this journey , 16^th August 2009 .Africa is a distant memory now .But anyway , we are heading home ( eventually ).The East Coast beckons .We follow part of the Blue Ridge Parkway as it cuts a stunning path through Virginia .Usually , we would normally traverse the whole 400 miles of it but an invite to Philadelphia to visit Steven Hoare , editor of LRI (USA) that coincides with his daughters leaving party and our 5^th Anniversary means that this delightful 4 day highway will have to be left for our return .As we are heading North , Washington is on the itinerary .Unfortunately we where let down last minute on some accommodation so ended up in expensive motels .White House , Capitol Hill , Lincoln Memorial ,Veterans Memorial are visited along with the Smithsonian .Again , time constraints and money mean we spend less time when we could have stayed for a week .Superb hospitality in Philadelphia ( including my first “Philycheesestaek”) and then off to new York .Again , no where to stay so flying visit and a chance to visit the Statue of Liberty .It is so strange having visited thirty years ago to see the skyline after 9/11.Picking camping spots in national forests , Massachusetts , Cape Cod and Boston .Its a beautiful part of the world around here , perhaps more steeped in history than anywhere else .The leak on the Lizzybus is getting worse ( but still manageable ) , however , a leak can only get worse .Its the “P” gasket , it will cost us $9 to buy from Rovers North and about a day to fit it .I’m hoping we can make it back to Blighty without doing this Bal*s Ache of a job .So that’s why we are sitting in a relatively cheap motel in Vermont , hoping that our visa extension gets granted ( we only applied 3 month’s ago ) before picking up a gasket and heading to Canada and eventually home .Shipping is looking like good value at about $1300 from Halifax and a single flight at about $360 .Bargain ( well compared to South/Central America )

Time to go home

Having returned back to Halifax we met up with “Chucks” ( he of death Valley adventure )father and invites all over Alaska .Unfortunately we are time constrained as our visas are running out and we want to be on mainland USA with some time to spare .Running maintenance reveals that the rear brakes ( changed in Florida ) have worn out in 14000 miles .No chance of replacements we have them shipped by Rovah Farm to our friends in Seattle where we will effect repairs . We also notice that the Lizzybus has sprung a leak from the top of the engine and when we turn the lights “on” ( compulsory in Canada) the engine temp gauge goes into the red?

This is tied in with me buggering my back up and intense pain in the sciatic nerve.

Vancouver in six days and a meeting with the Vancouver Land Rover Club and a chance to reg-ail them of our adventures . Border crossing back into the US , no problems as they announce that we only have 6 days left on the visa and they will not give us an extension .BUT , as we have applied for an extension we will have no issues staying past our out date we are allowed back in .

Back at the Lally family abode we are invited to stay the week as a big BBQ has been organized .The local papers express an interest in our and our hosts intended travel plans and organize interviews for both parties .

After five years on the road , we succumb to the inevitable ! The end of the road , the Dalton Highway.The final leg of our adventure has come to an end when the lizzybus rocks up to Deadhorse/Prudoe Bay .Its the end of the line after 42000 miles in the Americas we have become part of a small , select band of brothers who have driven from the very tip of South America ( Ushuaia) to the furthest North ( Deadhorse)We crossed the Arctic Circle one day after the solstice to be rewarded with 24 hour daylight .Road becomes more difficult and culminated in yet another puncture .Our thanks go out to the truckers who helped us change the wheel .

Its a strange day when we arrive .weather is closing in , so quick trip to the general store and hotel before we head south to deteriorating roads .In a way , its a sad day , the journey is over and its down hill all the way home .On the other hand , we bloody well did it .120000 miles , 6 continents , 54 countries and all in a land rover named Lizzybus