Welcome back. I used to own a KLR and it's honestly my favorite bike out of everything I've owned. It can do just about anything, and it's a total tank.
I get ya about it not being the same. I've lost two close friends to motorcycle accidents and I definitely can't ride like I used to. I think too much about my family while riding now. But I can still have a pretty good time just cruising around about half as fast as I used to go.