Sunday Beach Combing

Sundays are quite… so I have been beach combing and found treasure – well perhaps not monetary treasure but enough wonderfully gnarled driftwood to keep a sculptress happy and a wild assortment of floats plus the spine of a sperm whale and disregarded computer equipment – I wonder if Compaq have a CSR programe for sustainable recycling, in which case perhaps they would like to come and pick this up – 69.20094N 15.85626ECan you ever get away from the office

Gudbrandsdalen in the rain

So with midsummer over the days start to draw shorter but yesterdays Norwegian celebrations were extraordinary – beach bonfires and party’s despite the lack of electricity and driving rain – there was no way the party was going to be spoiled. Personally I think Gudbrandsdalen is an acquired taste but when sitting on the beach eating it with some haddock crisps and nuts its a taste which perhaps is growing on me.Mid Summers Evening

Elks on the road

I learnt two valuable lessons today, the first is native Swedish deer are as stubborn as welsh mountain sheep and can appear from nowhere at the road edge – another reason for keeping the speed down, the second is elk are huge and very shy, I was able to spot at around 300m a couple of adult elk by the side of a track just south of Sorsele, coming to a stop they watched me with interest before gently ambling in front of me and disappearing into the forest – a truly magical experience.Elk Road

Truckers know best

On any long distance ride when I need a place to rest or eat I just follow the truckers,  most of the best truck stops I have seen are hidden from view or behind trailer parking but the opportunity to take a rest break, shower and get some hot food is never to be passed up.

Truckers know best

Dals Långed Revisited

From Filipstad south west around 150km is Dals Långed within the Bengtsfors kommun – a district blessed with acres and acres of clean fresh water lakes and crossed by the Dalslands kanal. The riding here is exceptional as are the lakes – shame I left my fly rod behind as stopping for Fika at the lake edge the fish were clearly rising, might of actually stood a chance of catching something.Dals Långed Revisited