Leigh Jackson
- Sep 16, 2018
- 3 min read

Two Wrecks In Two Days / Baden Baden

Updated: Feb 18, 2021

We picked up the bike in the late afternoon and decided to make our way South. We said goodbye to all of our new friends at the motorcycle shop and off we went. About 6km down the road I could feel the bike pulling to the left and realized we were going off the road and down an embankment. I was screaming NO! NO! NO! as I could not understand why we were going off the road and down this steep hill. We were very close to some trees and we both realized instantly that if the bike flipped, I would be trapped in the sidecar and my life would be over. Thanks to God and Adam's amazing driving, we did not flip, but we hit a large berm. Adam flew over the handlebars and I was unable to get out of the sidecar. It all happened so fast. The wheel of the sidecar had come off. Yes, once again, you read that right. The axle of the sidecar had split in two and the wheel ended up between the bike and the sidecar. Our 2nd accident in 2 days. We ended up at a German military hospital, where they did all kinds of tests to make sure were ok. I was pretty shaken up. I had never been in an ambulance or in the hospital, much less been in two accidents in 2 days. This was going to take a while to process. The bike would need work and I decided I could no longer sit in the sidecar. It was so upsetting, because I love sidecar riding and I am not sure I will ever feel the same about it again. We really are so very blessed, so very lucky.

After much discussion we decided to rent a car and drive the Autobahn! Next stop Baden Baden. Baden-Baden is a famous thermal spa town in southwestern Germany, at the northwestern border of the Black Forest.People from all over Europe flock to Baden Baden to enjoy their luxurious bath houses. There are 2 lovely bathhouses to choose from. One is an 140 year old Roman/Irish bathing house and one that is more more modern. There are 2 other big differences, one is an all nude bath house and one is not.

I am a pretty modest person by nature, and being completely naked in front of strangers was something I had to really think about. We read all kinds of reviews and heard stories but in the end we decided to do as the Romans did and throw caution (and our bathing suits) to the wind.

At Friedrichsbad thermal baths there are no cameras allowed, thank heaven, so I don’t really have any photos, but it was incredible. “When it was opened in 1877, this temple to well-being was among the most modern baths in Europe, and it is still as captivating as ever. Experience sheer bathing bliss in an invigorating 17 step ritual. The changing temperatures and varying baths, with their precious thermal waters, guarantee a feeling of total relaxation. Even the famous American novelist, Mark Twain, described his experience here in a letter to a friend: “Here at the Friedrichsbad you lose track of time within 10 minutes and track of the world within 20….”

Mark Twain was right. It was incredible.