Friday, July 17, 2009

I and my dogs were ready to drive up north already at 6:30 am. The sky was clear blue and there were almost no wind. I was hoping for a cloudy trip so it wouldn´t become to hot in the car.




We started to drive north at six thirty am. I had checked the oil, filled up with petrol and was ready to go where no man gone before. I had perhaps driven one kilometer (about a mile) when I realised that I had forgotten to take my morning paper from my mailbox. It´s fairly big and filles up the mailbox totally. So I drove back and got it. Just when I was about to restart my journy a warninglight showed. I had no ABS-breakes? Well my breakes worken good anyway, so I drove anyway.



This picture should be further down, but I can´t move it fron its place. We took a short brake by the road and just a few meters beside the blueberries was ready to be eaten.



There was surprisingly little traffic on the road. I thought it would be a lot of tyrailers driving to the next spot they would stay at.


I had checked in my computor what way to take. I wanted to avoid highways, they are rather boring to drive if one is going to drive for almost 600km (373 miles). In my mind I could see small winding roads with picturesque villages with inbreds and perhaps small antique shops too. Perhaps stop at one of their cafés to have a quick break. I can tell You that in that perspective I was fairly dissapointed. The roads weren´t winding at all and villages with inbreds couldn´t be seen. To be honest, there weren´t even ordinary villages by the roads.




The further nort I came, the more clouds there were in the sky, but the windows had to be fully opened anyway.



The roads were straight and broad, going from one town to the other straight through the forest. I´ve always thought that the swedish roads were signed in a good way, but now I have learned different. If to roads comes together for a short while they should have both road numbers beside each other as long as they are the same road and clearly show when they separate. So I missed the best road on my way up, just because of sloppy signing. But I found it on my way home instead.




As always there were many rapair teams out on the roads during summer. Here they actullu was building a new road beside and on the old one.





When we reached Gävleborgs county (The goat is their sign) this sign could be seen almost everywhere. Here it rained and soon the thunder was just over my little car.

On one place where they was reparing the road I had to drive on a small grovel road. I´m glad I didn´t have to meet any one here, the road was just wide enough for my little car :-)



I stopped only once in the forest so my dogs could strech their legs and once at a fast food restaurant. I thought my dogs were worth a little treat being so calm and paitent all the time. So I bought them a cold hotdog each :-) For my self I got an icecream and a bottle of juice. Unfortunally I couldn´t take pictures when I took a shortcut through the forest when I almost had reached my friends home. Lightning struck all around me, the water flooded like big rivers and in the middle of that i drove my little car wondering if they ever would find me if the mud around would start comming down the hills :-)







Finally after six and a half hour I reached my destination.








The place I was going to is in Norrland. Norrland is a place filled with wolves, bears, wolverines and raindeers. I had been driving for over six hours and finally I was there. But Norrland is a rather big part of our country and I this place is not even half way up of Sweden :-) So to be honest, it doesn´t look any different from where I live exept for that the rivers becomes much bigger here. But more of my trip comes tomorrow. Today I´ve tried to mowe my lawn, but a trillion horse flies and other relatives stopped me rather quick. But I have bought three goldfishes, the ones with waggy tails so that my little pond wout produce any more of theose terrible flies. Now I´ll stay inside for a while and then try to mowe my lawn again, hopong that the flies has calmed down some.
Have a great day!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome Back! We missed your blogging. I was concerned that you were setting us up for a bad brake story when I first read your ABS light was on on the new to you car. I worry about brakes and tire tread like never before. And lately been topping off the tank instead of waiting for it to light up. Our gas prices are dropping here in Florida back down to $2.50 a gallon. I love taking the back roads when I travel for all the same reasons you mentioned here in your post today. Have a great weekend!

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Z&M!
The day started with that I didn´t find my car keys at all :-) I´m fairly sure that it´s just a rubber thingy that has broken on the ABS-cable and it takes about five minutes to replace it. Happens a lot here because of all salt they throw on the roads during winter. But it sort of gave a bad omen already at the start :-)

Petrol prices has sunken here too, now one gallon only costs 5,7 US dollars here, so Your price feels like the petrol is for free to me :-) :-) :-)

But these backroads were quite useless to be honest, we have better backroads here, with villages and inbreds :-)
Have a great day now!
Christer.

splendid said...

beautiful pictures and i love to hear your stories...thanks so much for sharing!

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Splendid!
I´m glad You like it! There will be more tomorrow.
Have a great day now!
Christer.

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i can't wait to hear more. what good puppies and they got treats too. teddy gets one non fat all beef hot dog with a scoop of cottage cheese every afternoon. it is her favorite part of the day. i love driving the back roads and always try to do so if i have the time. i will check my email! welcome back!

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Joyce!
These back roads were a dissapointment to be honest, but they were at least in a very good condition.

They have to have some kind of treat I think when they have been so good. I can understand that teddy loves that part of the day :-)
It´s nice to be back!
Have a great day now!
Christer.

Kat said...

Christer,
I am a fan of back roads and love stopping when something catches my eye: a shop, a monument, even a cemetery.

I love taking the trip with you, and I can't wait to see where we go tomorrow!.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Kat!
I have to say that we have better backroads here where I live. Perhaps I should take a trip around here and show pictures of that.
But it was fun to see places I´ve never been to before anyway.
Have a great day now!
Christer.

Mia said...

Ser ut som om turen var lite straptsiös :) Men du, bromsar, kommer dom från dammen? Ute på landet, utanför Väterås där jag växt upp är dom en plåga, men här har jag aldrig sett någon. Min man, norsk, visste inte änns vad det var som drabbade honom första gången han hadde närkontakt med bromsen. Jag hade långsamt börjat inbilla mig att det var ett mittsvensk fenomen. Men, så är det som med mygg alltså, vatten??

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Tjänare Mia!
Ja Bromsar, precis som mygg behöver fukt när de är larver, men de kan klara sig med riktigt fuktig jord likaväl som öppet vatten. Så när man som jag bor bredvid en mosse finns de i mängder. Fast denna våren har ju varit riktigt torr, så det finns inte ens i närheten så många som det brukar.

Det borde finas bromsar även rätt långt norröver, finns ju till och med en art som heter Renbroms. Men det är väl så att vi har större våtmarksområden här i Sverige än de har i Norge så att det är därför din man inte kännt till dem. Jag har till exempel aldrig blivit bromsbiten när jag bodde nere i Göteborg, men en mil inåt landet finns de däremot i mängder.
Ha det gott nu och undvik bromsarna :-)
Christer.