I was like other children in Knaben Gruvor curious about reality and explored the nature and mechanics according to my capacity. I got my first bicycle when I was 7 years old. It was a DBS of the simple kind with 3 gears and had to cycle under the rod the first two years. The training started at the sports ground at Knaben Gruvor. Since then one or more bicycles have joined me as friends in life. Twelve years old I got my first job as a bike messenger at Søstrene Austad in Flekkefjord and made 2 kr. an hour plus an occasional orange as bonus. Tax free as far as I remember. No pension tax or points.
The DBS bike was cleaned and fixed and even put on winter chains when necessary to do my job as a newspaper messenger. Mountains bikes with studded tires were not invented. In those days we struggled through reality with what we got like now.
When I finished science high school in May 1971 18 years old the bike was parked in the basement. I was called for compulsory service in the Norwegian navy where cycling was not on the agenda, and started my technical career as a radio operator. Later on I completed an additional education as a Radio Officer at Oslo seamen’s school. It was interesting in the navy to travel along the Nowegian coast between Stavanger and Kirkenes with a trip to Bear Island and The Barents Sea, including Kap Kanin. Bed and board on a frigate plus 9 kr. a day was the reward for 10 months.
Interest in geography came early in public school, even learnt the altitude of Mt. Everest (8848 m) when I was seven years old and what is more natural than travelling, sailing and biking around on the planet to look if the map is correct? Navigation eventually became a part of my active life as a Radio Officer, scientist, system developer, chief navigator, supervisor, cyclist and tourist..
