Distance traveled = 2155 kilometers (2553 k - 398 k on bus)

Dates: May 7, 2007-June 15, 2007 (40 days, excluding time spent in origin and destination cities)

Riding days = 29/40 (73%)

Average distance per riding day = 74 k (shortest day was 11 k; longest was 151 k.)

Best riding day: Pounding across the desert to Aqaba. "Pounding" is a weird word, but "riding" or "biking" doesn't seem to capture the intensity of a great day's ride under harsh conditions.

Worst riding day: I could pick from a few. It would be one of the days with headwinds.

Wish I'd brought: A more accurate Syria/Jordan/Lebanon map (and perhaps an odometer, to aid in keeping track of where I was.)

Wish I hadn't brought: Most of the tools. If I really needed them, I could have had them DHL'd to the next mid-sized city...

Best ruins: I was fortunate to have seen Palmyra, Baalbek, Jerash and the Pyramids, all in the same trip. While all world-class, the experience that was unbeatable was sitting up on the hillside, watching the sun set over Palmyra. These ruins, and the town beside them, are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by barren desert. Amazing..

Next Ride: I guess, ten years or so from now, I'll visit India, Afganistan, or somewhere around there..