San Francisco is the next destination. No need to bore you with the details, the delayed flight, the changes. Even leaving Marisa's house required some creativity and we wound up taking two cars since the taxi couldn't fit the bike boxes, the luggage and us.
At the last minute the US security (it passed the Argentine check) made us dig out our empty and clean Svea camping cooking stoves. The shape wasn't right- the fuel holding tank for the stoves is build to hold pressure and though it was empty and clean they still wouldn't let it pass. We lost the arguing battle and had to let both stoves go...heartbreaking! Not fair! The plain was waiting..we've gotta go! Left with a bit of a bad taste. We were attached to those items...mine wasn't even mine. I borrowed it from my friend, who had sent it to me to Cusco after my original one pooped out on me, probably because I used some bad fuel from a gas station in Peru.
At the Miami immigration I got a good dose of reality how fragile my Green-card status is. Having left the U.S. for more than 10 consecutive month, I was kindly, but directly and unquestionably reminded, that my residential status in the United States is in question after already 6 month absence. They clearly want me to stay and pay taxes and not lolly gag around the world. After 25 years of residence and paying my dues - I guess it's time to apply for citizenship to be free.
We arrived in San Francisco in the evening, spent the night in one of those hotels near the airport and slept lonely. The next morning we assembled our bikes to ride home across the Golden Gate into the arms of our friends and a new journey begins.
