Or…when we left Eskilstuna on Wednesday evening, it was still the old, sour pandemic year 2021 (although I have to write that I have not been particularly badly affected by the pandemic…*pepper pepper*…2021 has been a good year for me). Without a goal for the evening, we headed north. We should make it to the valleys before we turn. Yes, we did. After a quick stop in Avesta, where for a second we considered spending the night next to the enormous Dala horse, the final destination for this day was Borlänge – the parking lot outside Biltema in Borlänge. Okay, not very sexy, but allowed, calm and close to the “main road”.
On Thursday we started with a shopping trip at Biltema. We thanked for the free night by buying a pack of batteries. That’s a good price for a pitch. 🤣 Then we drove the few kilometers into the city center for a visit to the library and the photo exhibition they currently had mounted there. After the cultural immersion, we continued north…but not that far. On the other side of the resort Insjön, right next to the shore of lake Insjön, we found a rest area in Östra Rönnäs. Since we had only driven a few miles, we had the whole afternoon to sit outside and have a fire, drink hot drinks and talk about life. The evening was then rounded off with a movie inside the car. Super cozy with the big screen in the small, small car.
On Friday (New Year’s Eve) we were up early. A message from Mattias and Bibbi made us eat breakfast and then push the gas at the bottom towards Leksand. Yesterday they had caught up, and again, to celebrate the New Year with us. After a bit of shopping in Leksand (fresh berries, bubbles and top-up of water at OK), we drove together to the resting place in Siljansnäs (it may seem strange to want to spend the night at resting places, but the fact is that it is quite difficult to go out into nature and freecamp when plowing is non-existent – one of the dilemmas with freecamping in winter). The resting place in Siljansnäs was, however, a super nice place to spend the last hours of the year together with good friends. Right next to Siljan, own long jetty, hardly any traffic and a magical view of the lake and the villages opposite. As we started early this day, we had time to grill sausages, cozy up around the fire, game marathon and shared three-course dinner before toasting 2022.
New Year’s Eve was late. Crazy late. Therefore, it was well into the afternoon before we packed up, waved goodbye to Mattias and Bibbi and continued north. Shortly after Älvdalen, we tried to drive down to one of the campsites next to Dalälven, but the depth of the snow meant that we did not dare to stop the car. Especially as there was a warning of snow storms during the night. Instead, we continued up to Särna. Inside Särna there was nowhere to sleep, but just a few kilometers north of, at the Lomkällan rest area, it was excellent to spend the night. The fact that the rest area has both a dustbin, a toilet (not a waste chute) and an external water tap makes the rest area one of Sweden’s best… in our eyes. Together with two other crews we spent the night.
When Majk this Sunday had emptied and filled all the tanks and I had sworn that there was no hot water when I stood naked behind the car to take a shower (it turned out that the two D batteries had tired of life) we drove further north. Fulufjället National Park, Njupeskärsfallet and Mörkret were on the agenda. When we sledded our way to the top of the parking lot for the national park, we had to make do with the place the car chose for the night. It simply could not be driven anymore. Neither forwards nor backwards. 😱 At the moment it did nothing. We wanted to visit the waterfall and we wanted to stay overnight.
We have been at Njupeskär one winter a few years ago. That time a snow storm meant that we never walked the 2 kilometers to the falls. This day nothing could stop us. Sunshine, blue skies, trampled wood chips and a happy mood. The walk became part of the experience. The fact that the slopes up to the lookout point were killing me (both crappy and slippery) didn’t stop Majk from making it all the way down to the fall while I was content to warm myself by a fire and enjoy the blue-yellow ice cap of the fall from time to time. When we got back to the car an hour or so later, I was red-faced like a child. Once our pulses had subsided and we had food in our bellies, we played dice and awaited the total darkness we had experienced on our previous visit. This time, however, it did not appear. The darkness did not live up to its name this night.
Monday morning we were up early. There was still a bit of Dalarna left to drive. Towards Idre! We have never been to Idre and were pleasantly surprised by how large the area was. A lot of people in motion and all gathered around a small square. Just the way you want it in a ski resort. The plan was to just check out Idre and then move on, but we were a bit pumped for a long shower, dinner at the inn and a round of après ski with troubadour and all. Idre did not have that plan. The campsite was full and sneaking in the middle of ICA’s car park was not attractive at all. A little grumpy about not getting what we wanted, we turned our backs on Idre and instead drove up to Nipfjället. In the sunny weather, we pulsated our way through the snow up to Nipgubben. Just before we had taken a few selfies with Nipgubben, the surroundings changed. Both Nipfjället and Städjan disappeared into fog and when we hurried back to the car we were spotted white by the crystals from the fog that now enveloped us. The winter parking lot up here was beautiful and we debated for a while whether we should defy the prohibition signs and still spend the night, but no…the signs were big and clear. We took the hint and drove down the mountain again. There was no point in returning to Idre. When the route choice Fjätervålen came, that ski resort immediately felt interesting. However, we only managed to drive a few hundred meters before a small parking lot for a pond appeared. From the parking lot, you could then get down to the pond via a bridge. Yes, it took a couple of hours to discover that there was a pond there because the fog was still thick. Even later, we also discovered that slopes could be seen from the sports facility. So we were at the back of the ski area. Down by the pond stood a large wind shelter. There we made a fire and were then joined by a family on an excursion. A fire, good food and drink and nice people to talk to didn’t keep the cold away, however. When I froze, we crawled back into the car and watched a movie. When darkness fell, only the light from the hill could be seen and the sound of the snow cannons could be heard. Another peaceful night lay ahead.
On Tuesday we drove up to Idre again. I had seen that they had a bathhouse and for SEK 50 a head I booked us into two of the 20 places they had available right when they opened. At 11:00 we were ready outside. The swimming pool was uninteresting. We were looking for the showers. Long, hot shower in the heat. 👍🏻An hour later we were back in the car, fragrant and warm to the core. Now heading south.
For many years we have been camping with dog(s). First a large Leonberger and then when I wanted a smaller dog we also bought Ludvig, a Welsh Corgie. When Majk has mentioned that he never wants to be without a dog, I have given him a cold hand as I have thought that Ludvig limits us a bit in the way we travel, and after him we will NOT have a new dog. But since Majk has stuck to his opinion, I have begun to think secretly and for a long time scanned the Block for a small puppy. A SMALL puppy, then. When we lie down on Monday evening and surf before turning off for the night, I take a quick look at Blocket. Bang! The ad has only been out for ten minutes when I send a message. We want her!
So, without having to persuade Majk but just with a firm voice “We have to go to Stockholm tomorrow. I have bought a dog” I have him on my side. Towards Stockholm!
The journey down to Stockholm from Idre will be incredibly rough. There are many miles to drive and the closer we get, the less snow in nature. When we park in Kista at almost exactly 7pm, it’s just dark, cold and sandy on the streets. A quick coffee, a little paper exercise and then we were on our way north again. We weren’t ready to go home yet and we weren’t ready for bare ground. We also reasoned that the best place to get to know a new little family member should be in our little, little car. A manageable new environment, get an impression and quick access when the need arises.
In Gävle we stayed for the night. In the Bolognese forest (now I had to google, the area is of course not named like a meat sauce but Boulognerskogen) we found a good place next to the small watercourse (now I googled again – Gavleån. Yup, Gavle not Gävle). Even though it was very late, we sat up for several hours cuddling with our new baby – Luna.
On Wednesday morning we talked about driving up to Idre again. We had now been on a roll for a week, but didn’t have to be home until Sunday evening at the latest. Much time remained. However, we agreed that it was not entirely fair to Luna to have to become a long-mile dog in the first day with us. We chose instead to stay above the snow line by driving a little east…but first we made three quick stops. One in a well-stocked pet shop to spruce up Luna, one in Mackmyra whiskey village to discover that it was closed for Christmas and one for a visit to Mackmyra mill to scout out the surroundings of the old distillery (Majk and Stefan have a cask lying around aging up there. Soon time for a return visit.).
In the middle between Hedesunda and Gysinge, we found a super nice freecamping spot out on the long, narrow island called Ön. On a summer day, this place is probably fantastic as you stand right next to the long sandy beach. On this cold January day, the place was just beautiful through the car window. Apart from standing outside while Majk ranged through the pines, I didn’t set foot outside the door during the visit to the Island. Freezing winds that caused the camper to rock and the boiler to turn on at a much higher rate than the other days. The fact that it also started snowing all over the place didn’t exactly encourage Majk to rest Luna at any time…but if you’ve bought a dog, you have to suffer. 😉😉😉
There was a lot of film that night. I’m glad Majk invested in a projector with a long USB cord because we had to charge it several times.
By Thursday, the snowstorm had continued. With a return visit spring or autumn in the back of my mind, it was not difficult to leave this nice place and roll on. This time a very short distance; to Gysinge. We have been to Gysinge on a couple of occasions before, but never in winter. The mill environment really dresses up in winter gear. Sadly, everything, just everything was closed (Thirteenth Day). After walking around the small, deserted community, we picked up Atagon. Down by the rapids we built a fire to warm ourselves by before returning to the car for dinner and an evening snuggle indoors.
The place we stayed in Gysinge was so perfect that we considered staying another night, but it really takes a lot for Majk and I to stay in one place two nights in a row. So it didn’t turn out that way this time either. We could probably get a little closer to home without feeling like our little vacation was over. Just north of Sala we found an abandoned bathing place where we set up camp. All day we sat outside and had a fire. Just as dinner was eaten it started to snow and we felt satisfied with the day. The tenth night was incredibly calm as the snow poured down outside and settled like cotton around the car. The tenth night was also the last for this little winter holiday. The last holiday of the year, but also the first holiday of the year.
Thanks Raring for all the good conversations. I love hanging out with you! ❤️
If you want to follow along on the journey via moving images, Majk has made three films. Welcome to Youtube!
29/12-8/1 2021-2022
