After Frodo destroyed the ring and had gone off with Gandalf and Elrond out to the sea, Legolas and Gimli were at loss what to do with their lives after the war for Middle Earth. Gimli wanted to go back to the Mines of Moria, to what was left of his kin, and entomb them as they should have been. Legolas, on the other hand, wanted to go back into Mirkwood to see what was left of his own people that had lived there long ago.
Since the dwarf and the elf had gotten along so well at near the end of the war, they decided that they would travel together to these places and many more.
"First, we will go to the Mines," Gimli stated, leaving Legolas no room for argument. "My cousin deserves better than the cobwebs that he received."
"Yes, dear friend," Legolas agreed readily, "but there are no ponies for you here; you will have to ride along with me."
Gimli grumbled at this even though he knew the elf was right. Besides, he had ridden into war sitting behind Legolas on his horse.
From Minas Tirith, the two said their good-byes to Aragorn and his lovely wife, Arwen. Before they began their journey to the mines, they decided to take a longer route through the Shire to surprise Samwise Gamgee and his family, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Peregrin Took. They explained to the hobbits about the adventures they were going on, and asked if any wanted to join them. The hobbits, of course, as sharp as they are, saw that neither Legolas nor Gimli had an extra horse or pony for any of them to ride, and it seemed that they were asking for company only out of courtesy of the Fellowship that had once been. Sam had Rosie and their two children to look after; Merry and Pippin were too busy causing trouble in Farmer Maggot's garden and drinking their fill at the Green Dragon.
Waving good-bye to their hobbit friends, Legolas and Gimli set out on their own adventure.