Pictures and Stories About Bicycle Tour Adventures

Above Left: Continental Breakfast Service: Yogurts and Grains. On the road We tend to eat Muslix (ready made or self made) and Yogurt. Sometimes we add flavored yogert to the cereal, sometimes we add milk.

Above Right: Breakfast Service: Meats and Cheeses. I usually have a couple slices of cheese and meat, this morning I tried some smoked salmon and smoked cheese, yum.

Above Left: Tea Service.

Above Right: Beverage Service. I had coffee, not shown, they had a little do it yourself cappuccino, espresso, laté machine. There is no such thing as Sweet'N Low, Nutra Sweet, or Splenda. In Europe it is white sugar or no sugar. Terry does not drink caffeine, I live for it.

We've had a Very Good Briefing on the Route and things to lookout for and told where most people get lost. We have a phone and we can always call for help (we will in 2 days, more later). As it turns out we will get off track many times and only once did we have a confusing three-way choice; we got it right on the third attempt <Grimace Here>. We were the last cyclists of the season and we were given Royal Treatment; we were given two panniers each instead of one, but we could have lived from one. They are providing luggage shuttle support (nice). We were given their best bikes (7 speed rear hub recreational bikes with a coaster brake and a front hand brake). Next year they are buying a fleet of 28 speed Mountain/Road Hybrids.

Above Left: We are on a test ride. We will make some seat and setup adjustments. Here, Terry is adjusting her personal waterproof gel seat cover.

Above Right: Highway and Sign for where we stayed. We are to cross the road go down a narrow path and then we are on an alley that will lead to the National Bicycle Route (maybe 300 meters more travel). This is so cool!

Above Left: Back shot on the alley.

Above Right: Major Swedish Bicycle Highway Sign, today we follow the Yellow signs.

Above Left: We're off to see the wizard ... just follow the Yellow sign road.

Above Right: "Todo, I don't think that we are in Kansas anymore."

Above Left: A little Museum composed of the two most popular house colors in Sweden:
Barn Red and Crème Brûlé.

We will learn that 70-75% of all dwellings in Sweden are Barn Red and 10-15% of houses are Crème Brûlé (Light Yellow).

Above Right: Old Steam Engine. I suspect that some of our Bicycle Paths are on old Railroad Beds.

Above Left: Pastoral Scene. This is our first hill ...

Above Right: ... we had to push the bikes. This becomes status quo for hills; the bike is incapable of being used to climb more than a 5% slope. Luckily, there aren't that many hills to push up for the rest of the tour.

Above Left: Right Turn Ahead.

Above Right: We will be paralleling a highway for a while. We have our own bicycle highway to ourselves.

Above Left: Interesting forestry effect, being able to see under the trees to the ridgeline.

Above Right: For now, we to are heading for Forssjö. The sky became clear but it is a long sleeve biking day for me and coat weather for Terry.

Above Left: Camera Magic, can Dennis take a moving picture that includes both of us? Good Shot Dude!

Above Right: Us too, it took us a while to find the Yellow sign for Näckrosleden (Sleden literally means Sled but it has come to mean Pathway when following another Noun; it may have derived similar to the American term 'Skid Road').

Above Left: Swim area.

Above Right: See the hidden Yellow-Näckrosleden sign? We're now 8k out of Kathrineholm.

Above Left: Old Barn on a Stone Wall and probably on a Stone/Mortar Foundation, at least 200 years old maybe close to 300.

Above Right: Decision Time, we're turning right. 'X' means Road Intersection ahead. Unless you see it on a map, then it means buried treasure. 'X' on the ground means do not step here or do not go in this direction (same same three stacked rocks).

Above Left: Close up of Fire Weed near the end of its flowering.

Above Right: We are on some back roads now.

Above Left: Mother-In-Law House.

Above Right: Snow Country protection from broken heavy duty electrical power lines over an only access back road.

Above Left: A couple things: New Calf and a covered community of mail boxes.

Above Right: Metro (Bus Stop) - Diaz Alejandro says that the station must be underground - (Humor!).

Above Left: First peek at Ericsberg Palace. The Svedes call this a Castle and they call all homes of nobility a Castle, regardless of size or even having an actual defensive wall).

Above Right: Fence Crossing Bridge. These are usually for Hunters but it can often be for kids or family to get to a road or transportation.

Above Left: We're turning right. Bruk means Farm, Bruks means Industry.

Above Right: We do not know it yet, but we are on the driveway entrance to Ericsberg Castle.

Above Left: The castle is at a river with a mill. During the 1600's and 1700's whoever controlled the mill, water, food, and agricultural valley was a wealthy person (how the Hapsburgs did it too).

Above Right: Guest House view of a Pond and Property.

Above Left: Troop Barracks (probably two Companies of Infantry). Dennis is a former Soldier.

Above Right: Guard House.

Above Left: Officer and Staff Quarters.

Above Right: The Palace of Ericsberg.

Above Left: Backside of Ericsberg.

Above Right: Tour/Museum Notice: Supposedly they have one of the best Porcelain Ware collections in Sweden.

Left: Backside of Ericsberg Palace.

Center: Back Yard Arena/Field/Lawn.

Right: Another Troop Barracks, probably Calvary.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE

Above Left: Huge Military Horse Barn. These people have the equivalent of a Cavalry Brigade.

Above Right: One of many Hay Barns on many acres of land.

Above Left: Ancient undisturbed forest floor. This is about where Dennis saw his first Deer (no picture).

Above Right: Blue Bells (the big version of Hair Bells).

Above Left: Classic looking, older, Swedish Country Home. See where the add-on occurred, 50 to 100 years ago.

Above Right: Small Äpple Orchard. We will never have seen as many apples as we did in Sweden, but northern Italy (Süd Tyrol comes close).

Above Left: We are now in the old country, where roadways go through people's farms - I can't remember ever being barked at by a farm dog, let alone chased.

Above Right: Cows and Calves eying these strange contraptions that we ride.

Above Left: The Horses saw Terry and started walking up to the fence (while she was still riding her bike), horses know a soft touch when they see one.

Above Right: Thistle and a Bee.

Above: Hers and His: We've decided to break for rest, relief, and lunch.

Above Left: We're going to eat lunch on or around that big warm rock back there. Dennis went through first to serve as cannon fodder for any snakes. BTW, I'm not kidding about the snakes, they have a variety of Asp in Sweden (I will show you a picture of one on Day 7, or click the link!).

Above Right: Lunch: The hotel packed a bag lunch and this will be the routine for seven more days. They packed smoked salmon (maybe herring), a nice salud, a big bread roll, and bottled water with gaz. I like carbonated water, Terry does not. The food was superior (and so was our hotel stay)!

Above Left: Fungi: it looks like evil reptilian alien eggs.

Above Right: Wild Poppies, surprised me too.

Above Left: I had to get off my bike and look, these are Birch Trees but from a little distance, they look like Aspen Trees.

Above Right: Heather, there is a lot of Heather in Sweden, that surprised me.

Above Left: We turned right somewhere around here. I kind of remember that we had to do about 300m/yd of back tracking. I definitely remember feeling a funny presence after we made the turn <play Twilight Zone Music here>.

Above Right: I was already feeling spooked, this did not help.

Above Left: I pedaled by this tree. My mind said Wait a Minute and I backtracked to the tree. After this, we would notice some other hidden gnomes. Terry hugged the tree, spirits always like it when they see tree hugging.

Above Right: Loppis means Thrift Store or Used Goods store. It is the only business for about 30 miles in any direction. They sell local crafts and recycled furnishings. We were told to consider dropping in, so we did.

It is not difficult figuring what Ågg means. Diaz says this is false advertizing, clearly that chicken (kyckling) did not hatch that Ågg

Above: Dennis and a Gnome. A Katt adopts Dennis (Cat behavior according to Lucy S/E). Here we learn about local lore, and this area is said to have little Gnomes and has funny things happen (like Black Forest Germany). I am not one to dismiss such notions quickly. I think that we made the spirits happy.

Above Left: Another Katt wants some 'lovens' - this is a big deal because I'm allergic to cats and dogs but I've already medicated for such. I had cats and dogs as pets as a kid, I miss them.

Above Right: Further down the road, we see this: Positive proof that a Norwegian and a Swede can get along. John S reminds us that they used to be one country at one time.

Above: Roads that we traveled. We're still heading for Stavsjö (only about 7.5 miles).

Above: A Combine (Combination Machine) that cuts grain, collects and pre-separates the grain tops or some grain seed, and then ejects the stalks and some chaff (a separate step in the right side picture). It was pretty neat to watch. We waved at one another.

Above Left: Major Route Change, we're going left. See the small Yellow Näckrosleden Sign.

Above Right: If your country's colors are Blue and Yellow, one may as well make use of volume cost reductions in Blue and Yellow paint.

Super Highway E4 is just out of sight, we are about to cross it on a bridge made just for our remote dirt country road (which happens to be why our Bicycle Hwy crosses at this coming bridge).

Above Left: Our bike and the Näckrosleden Sign.

Above Right: The dirt road that we follow to the highway bridge.

Above Left: The bridge over E4 with dirt roads on either side - the Näckrosleden Way, about 2k to go.

By the strangest coincidence, this is the same exact same bridge that will drive under, in 10 days, on our way to the Medieval Town of Sigtuna.

Above Right: A Sumac looking tree with Red Berry clusters.

Above Left: The entrance to the Wreta Gestgifveri (near Jönåker, Sweden).

Above Right: Terry and bikes parked in front of the Wreta Gestgifveri.

Above: Our cozy room.

Above Left: It is a Loft Room.

Above Right: Good News - Bad News: The entrance door is in fact 6 feet tall (1.8m)!

Above: The View (long evening shadows).

Above Left: The Parlor, the establishment first started in the late 1600s as a Road House and has served Kings and Queens enroute to various final destinations.

Above Right: The Reading Room.

Above Left: Dining Room and our Waiter (a nice young man that helped us and went out of his way to find some Lingonberries for us).

Above Right: Table and Setting.

Above Left: Dining Tables (just before other guests arrived). Notice the crooked candle holders, they are over 200 years old and that is a common occurrence over time - every single candle holder was crooked.

Above Right: Real Candles, Smoke, and Mirror Light Reflection.

Above: Dinner and Desert.