Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Provinces: Jämtland, Härjedalen, Dalarna
Municipalities: Östersund, Berg, Härjedalen, Älvdalen, Malung-Sälen, Mora, Orsa
Tuesday 7th of July
08.14 The morning is here again. We have slept two nights at Roberth's house in Överbyn and of course the weather starts to get better when it's time to travel on. It's soon time to start the car and start eating kilometres again. First, however, we will have breakfast.
09.51 We listened to the radio during the hearty breakfast. There was a report that the musician Charlie Daniels has passed away. He has, among other things, been studio musician for Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. He has also been on a recording of The Devil went down to Georgia. The title aroused our interests and we listened to some versions of it. Now that all that remains is packing, we will soon continue our journey south through Sweden.
10.41 We're back on the road. A lot has been seen and a lot more will be seen before we return home. We travel along the western shores of lake Storsjön.
11.09 Today's first stop this beautiful summer day has been at Sunne church ruin near Andersön nature reserve. There is a light, cool wind and the sun is here.
11.22 Sunne church ruin dating from the Middle Ages is an interesting place. According to tradition, Sunne church and defence tower were built in 1178 at the command of the Norwegian King, Sverre Sigurdsson, who at the Battle of Andersön in the spring-winter defeated the Jämtland peasant army on the ice of Storsjön. A defence tower is a building made out of stone. In addition to the destroyed tower here, there is another one in Brunflo, not far from here. Here at the ruin is also a memorial stone for the astronomer and statistician Pehr Wargentin who was born in 1717 at Sunne clergy house.
11.37 After the ruin visit and a short search for Storsjöodjuret (The Storsjö Monster), the first more successful, we will now see if we can access Google Maps on Christer's tablet.
11.52 We ignore the tablet and carry on as usual with our Google Maps voice Ruth via my mobile.
14.57 A stop to find out and investigate has been made at Sven Ers-tjärn near Flåsjön. Everything looks promising. This will be our break place and lunch place. I am wondering who Sven Ers was/is?
17.34 Once again we have stopped. 975 meters above sea level is the highest point of the road. There we are. It is a strong wind here. In addition to a stone which was erected at the opening of the road at the 31st of July 1938, there are some reindeer that roam around.
20.33 After having moved in and again made up your own bed linen and also familiarized us with the home we decided to have coffee. Let's just take it easy. It has been an intense day and here in the middle of nothing there is not so much else to do than to relax and then sleep.
Wednesday 8th of July
Överbyn village.
Sunne church ruin.
Christer instead of a door
Per Jönsson is telling about the Storsjö monster.
An old tree in Kårgärde.
At Sannsundet you can see both the Oviksfjällen mountains and Oviken church.
At the top of Hoverberget.
A view of the southern tip of lake Storsjön.
Coffee on a beautiful spot.
Christer on Hoverberget.
Nice views to the west of Hoverberget.
It is time for a lunch near Flåsjön.
Peter during a stop at Västra Rotsjön.
Heading to Ljungdalen.
A view from the Flatruet road.
Peter is drinking coffee on the Flatruet plateau.
Flatruet between Ljungdalen and Funäsdalen.
Tourists walking by the Flatruet road.
Reindeers on Flatruet.
We are traveling straight to the south.
Black cows entering the road.
Funäsdalen.
Grönländaren is offering us a room for one night.
08.27 I had no problem sleeping in a bed here in Härjedalen. I went from the bed to the shower. It was a refreshing one to say the least. In short, a cold one. There's not much heat out there either. How's the next place we're going? This trip started with a heat wave but after Kiruna it has been cool to say the least.
08.53 The warm water had appeared/found its way when Christer showered. In the dining room downstairs there are plenty of people, at least four of them. 09.46 Our breakfast was eaten in a room separate from the kitchen. It is important to keep distance in these times. There in the room we also warmed coffee water for today's upcoming coffee breaks. Now we mostly sit and ponder over today's plans. 10.22 There is a crackling under the wheels from the road on the bumpy descent from the accommodation. Hey, we just heard an odd sound from under the car. We hope that nothing broke. Why cannot it be ensured that the road is smooth and navigable when receiving guests? It feels like you should choose between paved smooth driveway or a lumpy without asphalt. Christer drove slowly on the lowest gear but it was still basically impossible to avoid that the asphalt bumps scraped beneath the car. 10.29 We have quietly driven through Funäsdalen and checked that nothing seems broken on the car after the dramatic departure from Grönländaren. 10.44 The car with us inside left road 84 and switched to the smaller road with number 311. Let's head for Tännäs. 10.55 The first curiosity break of the day has been completed. We are at the church in Tännäs. With its 648 meters above sea level, it is Sweden's highest altitude church. Let's move on. 11.19 We made a stop for coffee. Just as we sat comfortably in our chairs the rain came. We fled into the car and soon the rain stopped.
We have arrived at Tännäs church.
The church on the highest altitude in Sweden can be found in Tännäs, Härjedalen.
Högvålen is the village in Sweden on highest altitude.
Högvålen, Härjedalen.
Close to the border between Dalarna and Härjedalen we found this wonderful spot.
Time to relax for a while.
11.53 Now we sit near the mountain chapel in the village Högvålen. This village is actually Sweden's highest village, 830 meters above sea level. There is not much to see here besides the chapel but it is always nice to visit places that involve records of various kinds.
12.26 A new border has just been passed. We are now in Dalarna province and in Älvdalens municipality. In addition, we are looking for a rest area. We have plenty of time and need somewhere to have lunch and also to enjoy the wilderness here. 12.37 Pretty soon we found a parking place for the car. A bit into the forest there is a small water gathering, a tarn. We are sitting in our chairs. It's time for book reading. I have no knowledge of the name of the tarn. I know more about what I'm reading. 13.19 We got up, took our chairs and went across the road and to a new small tarn. All of a sudden it started to rain. Both of us had to seek shelter in the car again. It's really erratic weather. Rain showers and beautiful sun take turns. 13.45 The rain stays away and it's time to cook our lunch. It will be sausage in Njalla flatbread. Eating boiled sausage for lunch is starting to become monotonous but it will be less of that when we come further south in Sweden. 14.20 It turned out really tasty. Great sausages! Now we will proceed further south. New surprises and other things are surely waiting further along our itinerary. 14.40 We listened to the Swedish duo Samir and Viktor's latest summer hit when the rescue came and the radio could be turned off. We found a suitable parking spot for afternoon coffee. This will be a quick stop. Now we sit under a pine tree and drink our coffee. We're some kilometres northeast of Idre. 15.18 Ruth in Google Maps is awakened and activated. We don't need help from her out in the wilderness but it's practical in urban areas. At calm speed we are now heading towards ICA in Idre. There we will buy supplies needed in the next locality and accommodation. 15.35 So we have again changed road. This time we have shifted from 311 to national road 70. The journey goes west towards Idre. Soon we'll be there.
Coffee break among the pine trees.
At the Österdalälven river east of Idre.
Tonight we are visiting Fulufjället National park.
We have started our walk to Njupeskär.
Beautiful nature at Fulufjället.
A wonderful summer evening in the wild.
16.19 There was a visit to COOP supermarket instead of ICA here in Idre. Now we have bought and purchased tonight's dinner and also lunch for tomorrow's car trip. We hope to get breakfast where we will stay. It is promised at a minor cost.
16.39 Another of the country's rivers is photographed. The sparkling Dalälven in the form of Österdalälven is now on picture. 17.44 Our new home is the hostel Fulufjällsgården (https://www.fulufjallsgarden.se) in the small village of Mörkret, which is Swedish for darkness. Our new room number is number 19. Let's get things in order before we have an evening outing. At check-in we took the opportunity to accept breakfast for payment. Sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself to be comfortable. Mörkret lies 24 kilometres west of Särna in northern Dalarna. 19.13 In a confused state, we started the excursion by driving in the wrong direction, turning and then driving right. Now the car is parked and left in the parking lot outside Fulufjället National Park. On foot we are heading for the highest of its kind in the country. We are in the second national park. Will there be anymore? 19.27 It feels like walking through a fairytale forest here by Njupån. Between the trees I expect to see fairies and trolls look back at me. In the water bodies there is room for the neck, a creature which lures people into water to drown them. We wander through a beautiful untouched primary forest. We also feel really satisfied that we come here in the evening when there are few people here. During the day, it should apparently be really crowded on the trails. 19.49 We are finally at the goal, Sweden's highest waterfall, the 93 meter high Njupeskär. I'm impressed by the falling water. 20.03 We are now on our way back on a different path than the one we came from. We are sometimes surrounded by trees dating from before long ago. Up on the mountain here in the National Park is also Tjikko which is considered the world's oldest tree. Unfortunately, we will not get there on this excursion. 20.20 Now we have again refreshed ourselves with clear and cold spring water flowing in a wooden gutter. It was really refreshing. More spring water to the people or at least to us. However, water does not quench hunger. To say the least, it was not smart to go on a hike for several kilometres without having eaten anything first. We begin to lose energy and yearn for the upcoming dinner.
Peter is writing down his thoughts by one of the lakes along the trail to Njupeskär.
Njupån is going through an untouched forest.
Sweden´s highest waterfall.
We have finally arrived at the fantastic Njupeskär.
Christer at the waterfall.
Fresh drinking water was found on the way back.
20.38 So we were back at the parking lot again and have just stepped into the car. Now it's time to go down the mountain to the long-awaited food. Do we remember to turn in where we live or will we run wrong again?
21.05 We are at home at Fulufjällsgården again without problems and ready to cook our dinner in the common kitchen. Tonight there will be noodles and Taco Chicken. 21.52 It was both good and really a lot of food. This was exactly what we needed after our excursion and hiking. Sometimes the simple is even the best. The dinner we had in the large common space that can be likened to both a dining room and a giant TV room. Although we are in the middle of the forest outside a well-functioning mobile network, there are plenty of visitors here. It feels like there are guests staying in most of the rooms. 22.44 Sometimes we do strange things on our travels. Lately we have read about different characters in the Moomin valley. To say the least, there are plenty of different figures and creatures there. None of us remember why we started doing this. Probably we started talking about something that got us into this odd topic.
Thursday 9th of July
08.16 Reports tells that it was only +3°C last night. What a luck that we chose to sleep indoors with a closed window. This part of Dalarna is known for its inland climate. In winter it is often as cold here as in northernmost Sweden. Today we will to some extent move in the footsteps of fathers. First it will be breakfast.
08.58 We are back after a hearty and delicious breakfast. It was well worth the price of 60 kronor, US$7 that we paid. 09.42 Both of us are strapped. Now we will continue our trip. We're not done with Dalarna yet. We're just getting started. First we will get out from Mörkret to Särna. Then we will travel further south. 10.26 A sign that said Öjvallsberget was just passed. Here it is mostly forest that surrounds us. OK, a new sign and a new municipality, Malung-Sälen. Well, that wasn't the name before, was it? 11.26 After making a stop at the start in Berga village south of Sälen we have now turned into Vasaloppsvägen. It is the annual ski race, Vasaloppet that starts here in Berga village. Vasaloppet has always taken place on a Sunday and since 1948 always the first Sunday in March every year. The exception was 2015 when Vasaloppet was arranged the second Sunday in March so it would not interfere with FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun. The ski race remembers the Swedish king Gustav Vasa who traveled here through skiing in the 1500´s. 12.05 Along the way were passed Mångsbodarna and Risberg, known stations along Vasaloppet. It has been completely impossible to find any rest place to have a coffee break. Finally, just before Evertsberg, another station along Vasaloppet, we found what we were looking for. It is no parking place/rest place, rather a large gravel pitch. Sure there were other options before this but it was poorly signposted so we did not see the parking place until we had passed.
We are saying goodbye to Fulufjällsgården in Mörkret.
The start of Vasaloppet ski race in Berga village outside of Sälen.
Peter is reading a book in the forests in Dalarna.
Christer is preparing lunch outside Evertsberg.
Evertsberg is a village known from the Vasaloppet ski race.
We are traveling through Älvdalen.
12.29 The coffee was finished and we brought the chairs closer to the marsh here nearby. Out on the marsh there are a couple of cranes that trample around. Now we will let time pass, enjoy nature and read on in our books. There are some insects here but not at the level and amount that we experienced in Norrbotten.
13.36 Enough with the reading for now. It's time for today's lunch. It will be lunch of the same kind as so many times before. 14.01 It was once again good with sausage in soft bread. Maybe we would try to have something other than ketchup as an accessory but what would it be? Soon we will travel further east. 14.15 After reaching Evertsberg village we are now heading towards Älvdalen. We have here and there glimpsed the Vasaloppet track that runs parallel to the road we have driven on. Wondering if there will be any Vasaloppet next winter? The Corona virus seems to stop most things right now. 14.37 On road 70 we just crossed the Österdalälven River. Now we follow road 70 downstream parallel to the river. 14.56 I opened the car's map book and looked at Åland island in Finland. Not so useful right now. It turned into scrolling further. A stop has been made along road 70, Kopparleden, Copper Road. Previously we were on Silvervägen, Silver Road and Guldkornsvägen, Gold grain Road. which will be the next element? Now we know where to turn in the future. Coffee time. Coffee, by the way, is not a chemical element. 15.46 Road 70 is left for Älvdalsvägen, a shortcut that will take us through the forest to Våmhus. 15.57 In Våmhus we have driven on some narrow streets and then swung into the road towards Orsa. We are closing in. Now, with the help of Google Maps, we will navigate to the upcoming accommodation.
Warning for hedgehogs!
Among the birch trees in central Orsa.
Orsa church.
The town hall in Orsa.
A rainbow appeared.
An island in Orsasjön (Orsa Lake).
16.17 There has been a slight misunderstanding between Google Maps Ruth and us. She gave us various strange advice and commands while travelling through Orsa and we ended up completely wrong. Now we have parked outside restaurant Akropolis. Are we staying here in Orsa or are we looking for the accommodation that we first thought?
16.25 We chose to leave the car where it stood to look around in Orsa here and now. A short distance from me is Ebba Hedqvist's small statue "Bro-Bro Breja" 16.38 Now we are in the centre near Orsa Church, in a small park and on yet another bench. New coordinates will be taken out. On the way here we passed the Moraeus Park which got its name from the local celebrity, the musician Calle Moraeus. 17.03 I have sat down at a, what I think is called, bollard. It's one of those where you tie boat tamps. We're down by another lake. This time it is, unsurprisingly, Lake Orsa, because we are in Orsa. It's wonderful summer weather right now. The sun is shining and it is a perfectly suitable temperature. 18.12 After a while by the lake we returned to the centre. We went into COOP and I thought I had a carry bag with me, I didn't. Now we have been inside the Akropolis Restaurant & Pizzeria (http://akropolisorsa.se) and turned back. We assumed that we should order in there. We shouldn't. Time to make our choice from the menus we got here on the outdoor terrace. 18.47 Christer's mobile rang just as we finished the meal. It was from our upcoming accommodation here in Orsa. He, a man with English accent, wanted us to confirm the arrival time. 19.41 We have now arrived, checked in and accommodated. The car is smoothly parked on a gravel area outside. We have also had a short hike in the surrounding area. We stay at the Christian Trunna hostel & conference (https://www.trunna.se). Here we have been allocated room 36 in Trunnagården. We have a shared kitchen and balcony with the room next door.
Peter is writing in his journal at Orsasjön.
Strawberries for sale in Orsa.
We have entered room 36.
We are staying here one night.
Trunna Vandrarhem & Konferens, Orsa.
Trunna church.
20.24 In the next room, our unknown neighbour has spoken on the phone on something we think is Italian. He has been heard a lot but has not yet been seen.
21.07 After another rich day, we take it easy here in our room. In the surroundings there is a small red church (Trunna church) and a villa area, not so much to see. Orsa city centre is a bit away from here and we have seen most of it earlier today. We read in our books and think a little about tomorrow. 22.04 It's time to act and get started. Evening beer is on its way and also more planning about what to do and catch up with tomorrow. 23.31 Tomorrow has acquired some structure, at least in verbal and paper form. Now it should only work in reality with. The journey will continue along the shores of Lake Siljan to begin with. Then it is more uncertain what we have time for and not.
You can see 87 photos from July 7 in this photoalbum.
You can see 73 photos from July 8 in this photoalbum.
You can see 42 photos from July 9 in this photoalbum.