Monday, February 19, Week 02

So here are two pictures of the parking space in Landskrona. Of the 55 spaces, only three were occupied by us.

At the front of the harbor office are also the nice showers which you can access with a code.

Well, the way there is quite long and it is still very windy and cold at 6.30 this morning.

No problem - we take our little one to the showers in our pajamas. They are heated, big, clean and the water is already wonderfully warm after 10 seconds! Simply perfect!

Then we drive back to our place wrapped only in our bath towels. ;-) I think we made a funny picture.

We are also one step closer to winter today. Lake Vänern is even a little frozen on the shore and we even see piles of snow in the city.

On the way today we also encountered whole areas under water. Southern Sweden is even more "flooded" than in the autumn on our return journey from the north.

Tuesday, February 20

Today we start again quite early for our day's stage with the destination Mora.

But we still want and need to get a few things done along the way.

First we fill up one of our gas bottles. That takes a while. The internet isn't working as it should at this gas station. In the end we have to pay in cash. Of course we don't have enough Swedish Krona for that, but the gas station attendant is happy with euros too.

Since we don't know exactly in the morning whether our planned overnight stay will work out, we prefer to dispose of our waste on the way if possible.

So the next stop is to empty the toilet. Then we fill up with diesel and also fill up with water.

Now all that’s missing is a quick shopping trip and then everything will finally be done.

As we head north, we get a little closer to winter with every kilometer.

Well, and then we're right in the middle of it. The E45 is well cleared as an important traffic artery, but it keeps becoming apparent that it's about time to get the spikes ready. The side roads are all covered in snow and ice.

It is almost 4.30 p.m. by the time we reach the campsite in Mora. We are actually not alone, even though there is not much going on.

After this long journey, a walk through the huge square is a must.

But then we make ourselves comfortable with everything that comes with it.

Wednesday, February 21

As always on this trip, we get up early and yet today we don't leave the campsite until 11 a.m.

Yesterday, parts of the roads were suddenly covered in snow. For us, that means it's time for the spikes. And here at the campsite, that works well. Hansruedi manages both front wheels in 1.5 hours. That means around 100 spikes per wheel. That's enough for today, especially since the rear wheels are harder to spike because you can't turn them off.

First, we pay a visit to the Maxi ICA and are happy to finally find raclette cheese here.

The weather in Mora is almost thawing today. So we chug north again shortly before 12:00 and are actually expecting the road to be free of snow.

Hmm, wrong again. The E45 towards Östersund is an icy bumpy track for many kilometers at the beginning. We are already glad we have the spikes.

The weather gets better with every kilometer and at our destination for the day the last rays of sunshine dance around!

We are a few kilometers off the E45 at an old schoolhouse, which is now a B&B with a campsite.

The location is unique and there are two of us here. The B&B is currently fully booked. The schools in Sweden are on holiday and a coach full of young people stopped here. There are three ski resorts nearby.

PS. I almost forgot - we also saw the first moose today. Since there were cars driving behind us, we couldn't stop and so there is no photo.

Thursday, February 22

Today it's one of the rear wheels' turn to be studded. I definitely did a better job. I can sit behind the wheel in the warmth and move forward a few centimeters every few minutes. The good news is that with all the work, even in Mora, it's not too cold!

Tagesstrecke: Nederhögens - Vilhelmina

Distance: 341 km

Average consumption: 8.5 liters

Average speed: 58 km/h

Travel time: 5 hours 47 minutes

​​​​​​​Pitch cost: 350 SEK, incl. water/electricity

The exit from the campsite in Vilhelmina has a short climb. The beautiful white landscape has gained a few centimetres in height overnight.

In the comments on park4night you can read that snow chains or a 4x4 are required to leave the site. Our spikes, which we have now screwed in, are certainly less useful on snow than on ice.

And now? Install chains? Definitely NO. With a feel for the right amount of gas, you can easily drive up this short and not very steep stretch in a completely normal motorhome (some like to call it "white goods"). It would have been possible without spikes too.

So we chug along, still without a clear destination. In Storuman we stop for a little shopping at the ICA.

But we're not heading to the campsite here; it's too early for us.

We continue to Sorsele. Here at the train station in the large parking lot we take a lunch break and think about what to do next.

It's too far for us to get to Jokkmokk. We spontaneously head to the campsite in town.

We enjoy having already arrived at 1 p.m.

Hansruedi screws in some more spikes. A bit of office work, cleaning, taking care of the homepage, exploring the place and simply enjoying the time and the view.

A chat with the site operators, who explain to us that it is not winter at all at the moment. It is much too warm and it has already rained. Well, it could be a bit cooler for us. 10 degrees less would not be bad, and a bit more sun and it would be perfect.