Because I'm going on vacation to Newcastle, I've put all the other pages in the "History"-page. On January 4 Mischa and I fly back home again. In the Metro-centre we ran into 2 bikes of OCC .
On January 12 Rudyhadee drops by for a cup of coffee. He had purchased a gearbox with 5 gears for Wolfje. In the evening we have the New Year reception with a buffet from the FMC. That evening there are pictures and a report for an update for Wolfje on Rudy's site. On January 13 I drive to Annie, for a coffee and to catch up. That were 250 kilometers of pure luck. In the evening there is another update for Wolfje.

On the 13th I drive to Annie in Coevorden. On January 19 Roel and I visit a lecture given by two doctors. Jur Lamers and Richard Danel drove all the way in Siberia. More details about it on their website . My report is amongst the stories on the weblogpage.(story 30: Only hear say). On January 21 we visit the Noordelijke Motorbeurs (bikeshow) in Groningen. I was recognised by a forummember by the screen-name of Dokker. I had not met him before, so we took the time to have a chat. On February 3 I visit my parents in the morning, but in the afternoon I drive to Harlingen, just for fun. The weather is beautiful and it is 7 degrees. On february 17 I drive to the pier. Report is bikerstory 8. On february 23 I drive to Utrecht for the bikshow. Report is in the weblog-page (story #34).

John Swank

On February 20, my website has its 3rd birthday. A week later, on February 27 I have my 30,000th visitor. The counter is not counting for 3 years yet, that was installed by the end of April 2004. On the 1st of March, I visit the Friese Motorsloperij (bike-scrap-yard) in Leeuwarden, together with my brother. It's wonderful walking around in this treasureroom and making pictures. On March 6 I have my bike for 3 years. The counter: 47.296 kms. On March 11 we drive to IJmuiden with the entire family to go on a mini-cruise on the Queen of Scandinavia. On the monday we visit the Discovery Museum in Newcastle and the same night we sail back again. Both nights on board I have a good time in the Navigators bar, listening to the guitar sound and singing of John Swank. On March 13 we're home again. So it is a short week. On March 16 I finally get an opportunity to ride my bike. On top of that I need to write a story again, which I can combine perfectly. The weather is nice.

On March 22 I am Moderator of the Dutch bikerforum for 2 years. On friday the 23rd there is the acquaintance-evening with FMC. Many familiar faces and many new faces appear. Then on saturday the 24th we have a barbeque-party with MCV. On sunday 25th of March ther first afternoontour is driven (Weblogstory #37). On March 31 I visit the Motorcyclemarket in Hardenberg. On the way back, I drop by at Annie her shop in Coevorden.

On April 1st we drive the Friesland Toertocht with six members of the group with whom we went to Scotland in 2004. (weblog-story #38) With Easter I drive down South on the saturday. Together with Peter I ride a tour in the traingle of Vianen, Rotterdam and Roosendaal. On sunday I am supposed to meet the webmaster of Truckspottersonline.com. But in the morning it is far too foggy to go riding. In the afternoon I drive home again. Those were over 600 km together. Then on Easter-monday I drive the Spring-tour with MTC Roden. That means over 900 km (560 miles) in 3 days.

On April 15 Roel is leading the MIOS-tour. I've put the itinerary on my bike as well. That gives me the chance to stop and make pictures and be able to find the group again. This is the third weekend in a row that we have lovely weather. Today will be the hottest day so far. When I arrive home, I see, that I lack 305 km for the 50.000 mark on my counter. On April 21 I visit with a few forum-members the Indian Motorcyclemuseum of Tony Leenes. Rudy and I made some pictures.

On April 22 Roel and I go out for a tour. This afternoon my counter passes the 50.000 km. On the Autobahn, with the wind in our backs I menage for a moment to get my needle on the 195 km/h mark. We have a drink on the terrace of the Alte Zollstation in Stickhausen. When we move on and pass the Bikermotel in Holtgast, we see that there is no place left for a single bike anymore. We take the highway home.

On April 29 Roel and I drive to Harlingen early in the morning. On this sunday we have planned to take a refreshment course of the special performances, with some of the members that we did the improved bikertraining with. WE menaged to get the same instructor as two years ago. In the morning we do the slalom, the left and right turn on the road and we test our brakes in the emergency stop. In the afternoon we ride a tour and stop from time to time to talk things over. On saturday, the 5th of May I went to see Leo Schuil again. I have given him a copy of the story that I wrote for the weblog.

After that I've visited the pier. On sunday I've been out on the bike on my own. On monday I take Hendrik as my pillion to go to Grou, in order to pick up our car. And then finally it is May 12, the day of the bikerforum-tour. This morning we come together with 17 forum-members. Quite an unexpected acrowd when you look at the rainy weather. But we do have a fabulous day. On Whit Monday, May 28, we man the stamp-post in Workum, during the Elfstedentocht for cars and motorcycles. I don't leave on the bike very often these days, as I have the care of my brothers kids. His wife is in hospital.

On june 14 we practice on the airstrip in Drachten for a motorbike-concert with ballet. On june 15 we go by 3 villages to give a motorbike concert. Then on saturday june 16 we have the grand finale in drachten. For the first time in Western Europe such a concert is given.

After taking care of my brothers children for over 5 weeks, my sister in law passes away. He wants to have the children at home with him and so there is no reason at all not to go on a well-deserved vacation to France. We are staying on camping Jurabik. Every year Jeannot is inviting me to come to his camping and ever year I have responded with "one day", but this year I said to him "this summer". What a surprise when I suddenly stood in front of him. We really enjoyed the narrow mountainroads. The trip home we made in one day, 1032 kms (641 miles) in 13 hours, with enough breaks. After these 8 days I need to write my report of course and I put it online in the 5 languages, with lots of pictures. On sunday August 5, Roel and I visit the Truckstar truckshow on the TT-racing track in Assen. The pictures I took are on the page "Truckfest 2007". On August 11 JanBMW celebrates his 50th anniversary. We attend the party with a few forum-members. Pictures are on the page with forum-meetings.

The last weekend of August we go on the biker-weekend of MCV. On September 8 RakkiRauw has organised the ZeeBra-rit. Lunch in Belgium, a total of 633 kms (393 miles). Pictures are under "forum-meetings". On saturday, September 15, I drive to the pier of Holwerd and on sunday, September 16, I go for a ride alone through the province. It is quite windy. On Friday September 21, I am invited as an origami-expert, to be a witness at the attempt to break the record of folding 100 cranebirds. The attepmt is succesful and the record broken by just over 5 minutes. It is even to be seen on City-, local- and Dutch-TV. On saturday September 22, it is lovely weather and so I drive to the pier. On sunday September 23, Roel and I join in on the afternoontour of MCV. On saturday October 6, there is a reunion of the general secundary education. Our class is very well presented. I seem to be the only one on a bike amongst the 400 people attending.

On sunday October 7, Roel and I drive together with members of the FMC the Crossroadstour (story #52 on the "weblog"-page) starting in Nieuwleusen. On sunday October 14, I drive by Hiaure and Ternaard to the pier of Holwerd. There I spend a pleasant hour talking to other bikers, but then the itch comes to move on again. I drive by Ferwerd to Burdaard and from there I go to Wyns and then to Leeuwarden. From there I take the A-road home. On tuesday October 16, my parents celbrate their 60th wedding-anniversary. I go there to make pictures of the visit of the burgomaster.

On saturday we have a party with the entire family. On October 30 I get the results of my blood-analysis. It's gone down again with 30%. That means almost back to square one. Am really disappointed, because I am laready working on it for 2 eyars now to get myself back on track again. This means adjustment of my medication. On November 4, Roel and I ride with 4 other bikers the Moosrit, or Curly kale tour, starting in Boekelo. (story #53 on the page "weblog") It is a cloudy day, so no problems with the low sun at this time of year. Because of the small group we can go to a nice speed and we all enjoy it so much. Right in the beginning, my counter passes the 60.000 km-mark. I ahve really enjoyed this day with only 570 km.

By the end of august I meet a man on the internet that runs a small travel agency in Alanya, Turkey. When after serveral messages we end up on msn, he finds the name of my website, which I usually have behind my name. He finds out I speak Dutch and English and I seem to be the person he has been looking for as a tourist guide. When I tell Roel, he says: no longer then 3 months and so the boss decides that I will be working in Turkey in june, july and august. Then he tells to which locations I have to go and asks me to find information about it on the internet. Three of those locations are on the world-heritage-list of Unesco. You could say that these areas are very unique. A few weeks later he also asks me to take care of the German part. Then by the end of november our daughter drops by and she wants to talk to us. Behind Roel his back she had contact with his boss and he will be a week off for a vacation with destination unknown in the first place. A few days later she tells that we will land on Antalya airport but there we will find out in which hotel.
On december 8 my 104-year old grandmother passes away.
Then on december 15 both our youngest sons take us to Amsterdam airport, they have the car and the keys. We have a nice vacation and come back the next saturday in a white world with trees covered in white too. We have celebrated out 25th wedding anniversary in Alanya, at the same day of the slaughterfest: Bayram. The boss takes us to a Mosk and after that to the castle. The next saturday we are home again. I really enjoy the ride home in this white world. A week after out 25th wedding anniversary Roel tells me he wants a divorce. For a moment my world is upside-down, but soon my grey cells start working. You know what? All my kids are adults now and in 6 weeks I have to leave the house. I choose to work the whole season in Turkey. The boss is happy and I have a job. And so my Turkish adventure begins.

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