Day 26: Fri 4 Aug: Karslkoga to Orebro
Cycle: 66 km - Total so far: 1,137
km
Start time: 8:40am
Stop time: 1:10pm
Weather: sunny to start the ride, rain after morning tea and rain the last few
km into the hotel
Awoke to the pitter patter of rain today and initially it didn't look good for riding. However, by the time we had finished breakfast the sun was out.
We experienced a real buzz at breakfast this morning - Ken and Maree became grandparents again; "it's a girl", their first GD. We also got some bad news – Mick felt that his heart was out of rhythm so they decided to go to A&E at the local hospital, stay another night then catch the bus to Stockholm to meet us there.
We elected to give the MapMyRide route, partly on the busy E18, a go today. We
hooked up to it a couple of km out of town and for the first 5km it was okay as
it was double lanes each way, allowing the trucks etc to move away from us and
pass a fair distance away. Neither of us still don't like roads such as this as
the noise of close fast and heavy traffic is disconcerting. The road suddenly
became narrower with hardly any verge so we decided to exit. Fortunately, at
the same time we were presented with a gravel forest road. Because of the
overnight rain the surface was packed firm and very smooth in the main. The
next 20km meandered through some really nice forests and undulating countryside.
The forests were at various stages of growth or harvest. They make their
extensive forest network pay it's way here.
Around 10:15am we were all hanging out for a coffee when magically as if through Devine intervention voila, a cafe appeared out of nowhere. A local art gallery and museum was in the same complex. A pot of plunger coffee (for two) and a pastry for under $10. You don't get too much for under $10 in Sweden.
A short time after morning tea we hit a heavy shower which we took cover from
under a small tree. There was no other rain to speak of until the last couple
of km so with our spray jackets on we made a dash for the hotel; Best
Western.
The final 20km odd was just a dream run, downhill with a tailwind. 10km
was on a 3m verge beside a quiet minor road while the last 12km was on cycling
infrastructure that we only dream about in Australia. The rooms weren't ready so we propped ourselves in the lobby of the hotel with
it's very comfortable chairs, free tea/coffee/chocolate, biscuits and fruit,
and ate our lunch. It was nice to be warm and dry. The rooms became available about 1:45pm. After settling in we met downstairs
and went for a ride to the city. Nice place, currently hosting an outdoor art
exhibition with the theme being recycle and reuse; we think. Couldn't drag
Wendy away from the glass case containing two cardboard boxes. Well someone
obviously thinks it's Art.
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