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2005-2008

When I returned to Thailand from my last big journey, Nee was at the airport waiting for me.  We returned Udon Thani and I took up my teaching job at Rajabhat University in Udon Thani.  My friend Clem had accepted a job at Thammasat University in Bangkok so I took over his apartment and we set up housekeeping.  Nee opened a beauty shop and her son Top lived with us. 

In November of 2005 we were married in a village ceremony in Ban Yang Um (Nee's village).  And I happily settled into domesticity.  After a while, we decided to buy property in Udon and build a house.  Click here for details

In March of 2007 we went to America.  Nee was very excited.  We arrived in LA and spent a few days with my friend Avram.  We went to Disneyland and the beach in Santa Monica.  We visited the La Brea Tar Pits and went to a game show taping.  We visited my Aunt and Uncle.

Then we hit the road in a rental car.  We headed for Las Vegas and there we were married for official purposes.  This avoided the hassle of registering our marriage in Thailand which can be bureaucratically difficult.   After Vegas we saw Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon and lots of nothing.  Nee was amazed at the open spaces with so few people.

In Dallas we visited my dad and Joy.  My cousins Ruth and Aynn and my Aunt Jean flew in to visit.  I showed Nee around Dallas and we visited my oldest friends David and Carol.  Then we stopped off for a night with my cousin John in Little Rock and spent another night with my niece Alli and her husband Dave.

After a few days of luxury accommodations with my sister and John we turned west.  Driving through a spring blizzard we stopped in Limon, Colorado for the night.  The next day we visited Buffalo Bill's grave and then stayed the night in Glenwood Springs.  We enjoyed our swim in the large thermal pool and had a great dinner.

West by way of Idaho we headed for Corvallis.  I visited friends and family.  I spent one day with my son Brentley and a day with my daughter Heather.  My ex-wife Diana had graciously agreed to store my stuff and since we were building a home in Udon, I decided to ship the goods to Udon.  We stayed at Diana's house while I sorted and packed my stuff.  This would prove to be a big mistake.  Nee became very upset during our visit.  Apparently, in Thailand, it is very unusual for divorced people to be on good terms. 

After leaving Oregon we travelled south along the Pacific Coast Highway.  We took the usual souvenir photos at the Golden Gate.  And, after a few days with Avram we returned to Udon.

About two months after we returned, Nee left me.  She said she was jealous of my first wife.  I kept hoping she would return but after several months I gave up and made plans to hit the road again.  At the end of the school term in March, I sold most of my stuff, put a dab in storage, dusted off my back pack and bought my airline tickets.

Who knows what adventures await me.

Frank the Kawasaki KLR650 Maniac

21JUN-7JUL2004 Frank and Jenny are very special people.  When I emailed them about my frustrated search for a motorcycle for my European tour they responded, "no worries, mate.  We'll work something out."

Frank picked me up at the train station in Kiel in his BMW with sidecar.  While I waited I drank a 1 liter (masse?) German beer and bought my helmet.  It's not easy to drink beer with a full face helmet.  Kiel week, a huge celebration ,with sailing ships from everywhere, was in full swing.  I sipped my beer and listened to a live band.  We went from band to band and saw the tall ships.  I really enjoyed a Jimi Hendrix cover band all the way from Seattle (I thought they were singing with an American accent).  

Frank had already searched for Deauvilles but he had an interesting alternative plan.  He had a KLR650 with a bad crankshaft and a spare engine.  He asked if I was interested in that bike and after test riding his other KLR650, I said sure.

So, with the help of Paul, a young neighbor, we gathered the parts and began building a bike which I christened the "Thunderbolt Grease-Slapper".  We put new parts in all the critical places and mounted Frank's heavy duty aluminum panniers and...presto...a great touring bike.  Building the bike was quicker than arranging the bureaucratic paperwork.  We got the roadworthiness certificate, the custom license plate RD DN (digitalnomad)99, and the insurance greencard all straightened out.  Frank wrote a permission and got it stamped with offical German customs stamps---he's a customs officer, and then I was almost ready to go.

I stayed with Frank and Jenny at their beautiful house in Klein Königsförde, a small village about 20 km south of Kiel.  They have a stunning view of the beautiful Schleswig-Holstein countryside.  There is a wheat field, then a green field, then a strip of forest and ,in the distance, seven windmills.  My bed was right next to the window wall and I had a fabulous view especially at dawn and dusk.

Jenny made chili and one night we cooked steaks on the grill.  There was a constant supply of really good German beer:  Dithmarscher pilsner and Oettinger swarzbier.  And the German bread was delicious.

We visited a Viking festival in Haithabu.  Only 30 km away, this town was one of the main trading post during Viking times.  Frank took his son, Johannes and we all rode on a replica of a Viking ship.  We visited the museum and had a great time in the Viking market.  People from all over this part of Europe came and dressed as Vikings and set up their tents and sold replicas.  There was music and mead and games.  It was a lot of fun.  An interesting way to spend the 4th of July.

I did a test run to Lubeck and then returned for final adjustments.  We replaced a leaking rear shock, I added a top box for storage, and we studied the maps and Frank circled special places to see. 

One of the best things about traveling is the wonderful people you meet.  Frank and Jenny opened their house and their hearts to me and made my European tour possible.  I can't ever thank them enough.  They said it was their way of repaying the kindness people showed them on their tour and I hope I can pass on the kindness to someone else.

I'm taking off today and heading for Estonia via Poland.

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