Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Provinces: Lappland, Västerbotten, Ångermanland, Jämtland
Municipalities: Åsele, Bjurholm, Vännäs, Vindeln, Skellefteå, Norsjö, Malå, Lycksele, Dorotea, Strömsund, Sollefteå, Ragunda
Wednesday 30th of June
08.41 We've woken up in our room in the school building at Gafsele Lapland Hostel (https://www.gafselehostel.nl). We are in the village Väst-Gafsele south of Åsele. The newspapers ' chat pages are full of comments about yesterday's match Ukraine vs Sweden. Some believe that it was not at all red card for Swedish central defender Marcus Danielson. We'll take it easy and get ready for the upcoming trip from here.
09.25 After eating our breakfasts and filling up with hot water in our thermoses, we will now get ready to head on. It has been nice and quiet at this accommodation and we've almost been alone throughout the building. An added bonus has also been the large TV room where we were able to follow the football. In addition, it was really cheap to stay here.
10.14 Now that everything here has been immortalized in words and images, Christer will turn the ignition and we will start today´s trip.
10.25 We've stopped at the bridge across Ångermanälven and photographed the beautiful river with surroundings. It is really calm and beautiful here.
10.57 A short trip on route 90 took us to Åsele, then to route 92 and finally to a parking lot at ICA Nära supermarket in the centre. Åsele by Ångermanälven is far from the nearest town and has 1,678 inhabitants.
11.12 It's time for a bench break in Christinaparken. On the other side of road 92 is Åsele church. In 1648, Queen Kristina decided to build a church in Åsilla as it was then called. However, only the priest was allowed to live here. Previously there were some Finnish settlers in Gafsele in the area. In the 1670s, people started to live here in Åsele. In memory of Kristina there is a pergola, thus a leaf house or leaf hall. There is also a colourful sámi cap in concrete.
11.30 This is not good. The café Kronan we intended to visit for coffee is closed, not opened. This is despite the fact that the sign claims otherwise. At least there will be no coffee here in Åsele.
11.50 We bought bread, sausages and ice cream cones at COOP supermarket. Now we now sit by a fountain and eat our ice creams. Some kids on bikes ride by. The sausage and bread are purchased for an upcoming lunch along the way later today.
12.18 We travel east from Åsele. Road 92, the art road Seven rivers, passes under our vehicle. Just now it was an individual route to Orgnäs. We are looking for a suitable coffee place as a substitute for the closed café.
15.44 Shortly after we passed Vindelälven's meeting with Umeälven, we left the E12 and now go through the village of Spöland. Now we pass a vehicle with an LSV sign. LSV stands for low-speed vehicle.
19.18 The force of habit is strong. Uncertainty is clouding our minds. What about the supply, what about the restrictions in the common hotel kitchen? It becomes after all a pizza. We are at the small pizzeria Tre Kronor (http://trekronorvindeln.se). After all, it is better to get food quickly and efficiently than to shop your own and wait for the kitchen to be empty.
Thursday 1st of July
We are saying goodbye to Gafsele Lappland Hostel.
The beautiful wide Ångermanälven river flows through Gafsele.
Bilingual signs at Åsele town hall.
A beautiful fountain on Övre torget enlivens a quiet Åsele.
A pergola dedicated to Queen Kristina.
Road 92 and the monument "Samegubben" in Åsele.
Coffee stop east of Åsele.
A hot dog lunch near Bjurholm.
Vännäs railway station.
Older model locomotives are shown in Vännäs.
Oscars torg, Vännäs.
An exciting book makes it easier to ignore the insects.
Hotel Vindelngallerian.
Vindeln.
We walk towards the river.
Vindelälven.
Vindeln's church is beautifully situated near the river.
Peter takes notes on the side of the road.
07.01 A new month begins today. During the night we slept well in our hotel room here in Vindeln. Here it is calm and still. That is not the case everywhere. In the district Biskopsgården in Gothenburg, a police officer has died after he was shot during the night.
07.59 In the breakfast room there were ready and wrapped breakfast trays, all because of the pandemic. The only thing that was not under plastic was the coffee. Now we have refilled our thermoses for today's long run. I think there might be a few coffee stops today. 08.26 So far things are running according to the time schedule. However, there is no jubilation and no joy from us. That's when it usually goes wrong. 08.34 At the petrol station Q-Star here in Vindeln we have been refuelled the car with 36 litres. Now we are prepared for many kilometres in sparsely populated areas and forests. 08.48 We travelled for a while north along route 363. Now we have left it and are on a smaller path with the same goal. 09.13 On the radio, Swedish singer Ulf Lundell sings about a man who kisses the sea. There's plenty of torn asphalt and sparsely with people on the road we drive on. The only time we met a car we also met a gentleman in yellow linen. Now we are in Ekträsk and the journey continues north. So far we have travelled parallel to the railway. 09.54 The lack of oncoming cars continued but our journey was slowed down here and there by road work. The car eventually took us to and through Bastuträsk and then out on Norsjövägen. 10.06 It's time for an early eleven o´clock coffee just outside Bastuträsk. It is mostly because the craving and that we found a suitable place with tables and benches. A day like this with early breakfast maybe it will be ten o´clock coffee instead of eleven o´clock coffee? Here we have learned from an information sign that the road here is called Rågmjölsvägen and that settlers in the area had to go to Skellefteå because of church duty and to bury their dead, a distance of 70 kilometres. 10.38 The village of Fraukälen and a beautiful lake was just passed. The lake has the strange name Nörd-Lidsträsket. 10.56 Norsjö suddenly appeared. It is a locality and a municipality centre with 2,024 inhabitants. Now we take a short bench break in front of the beautiful church from 1917. Here it will probably be mostly a short stop. We are constantly fighting with time on this day. There are many kilometres to cover and we have a check-in time tonight.
The road is straight. The traffic is sparse.
Morning coffee outside Bastuträsk.
We stop at Norsjö church.
Malå Church was inaugurated in 1852.
Malå will be the northernmost destination of this trip.
The Bible bus has parked in Malå.
11.11 Goodbye Norsjö! Thank you for the little we had time for, but we have to move on.
11.38 We are soon in Malå which will be this Sweden trip's northernmost destination. Here 1,998 inhabitants live and the entrance to the community is fantastically beautiful with wonderful views of the lake Malåträsket. Are we exactly 2,000 here now that the two of us have arrived? 12.06 Things are so far running according to plan. After having parked near a bunch of moped borne youth and looked at Malå church we are now at Malå Byblos Pizzeria (https://www.byblos.imala.se). I don't know if there were poor language skills among the staff or if it was my way of expressing myself but the man at the counter had to get help so that I could place my order for today's lunch. 12.38 After a good lunch we are now ready to fight on. Ulf Kristersson has given up the struggle to form a new government. The mission now goes back to Stefan Löfven. 13.11 We have left road 370 for road 363 towards, among others, Rusksele. Our journey west has now become a journey to the southeast. 13.36 A sudden and spontaneous stop has been made at Storforsen in Vindelälven. Glistening water roars through the beautiful nature. I sit on a bench and take in all the beautiful around me. In a shelter has someone scribbled on Thai and now two bikers stopped here. 13.50 We had barely started the car again as a female wood grouse with chicks crossed the road. Traffic is sparse here on route 363. 14.13 For the last time this year we have crossed Vindelälven. We are on route 365 and travel south towards Lycksele, 30 kilometres away. 14.45 Now the car is parked again. This time we are at ICA Supermarket in Lycksele. Umeälven flows calmly past the other side of the E12, also called the Blue Road. Careless viewing of the map made us drive a little wrong initially but we got it right. It has now become time to wander a little and look at this small town with 8 660 inhabitants. It's also gotten really hot. At the moment it is +26°C degrees in the shade.
The Tjamstan ski area can be seen behind ICA supermarket in Malå.
Christer takes a break at Vindel-Storforsen.
Storforsen in Vindelälven.
Christer in beautiful nature at Storforsen.
Barista Bar in Lycksele. Here it will be afternoon coffee.
It is a clear sky in Lycksele.
14.53 A short stop has been made at a bench on the square that is unimaginably called The Square. Here are, for example the stores KappAhl, Team Sportia and the Asian restaurant Great Eastern. It is also available in Sundsvall, Umeå and Boden.
15.05 It is time for a coffee break at Barista Bar which according to Google Maps is called Lilla Bakeriet. Has there been a name change recently? 15.28 We pass Västerbotten resorts at a brisk pace this day and yet we are not finished. Lycksele certainly has a lot more to show off, not least a zoo, but we must move on. 15.37 It is 85 kilometres left to Åsele here on route 365. Soon we'll be back where yesterday began. We just passed Lycksele Zoo. 16.11 We have breathed some fresh air. It feels good to sense air in motion. Sometimes it can get stuffed in the car. 16.43 We've come to a full circle. Now we are back on road 92. 16.59 After leaving Åsele again and driving for a while on freshly laid asphalt we now take a break by a lake. 17.14 Radio Västerbotten plays an entertaining song about "We who was part of class 9B". Here on route 92 it is paving work with a pilot car that helps traffic. Christer and three other vehicles are currently driving left-hand traffic behind the piloting vehicle. We all go on hot freshly laid asphalt. 17.41 Road 92 ended and now we travel on E45 the last bit before Dorotea. Now we start to get on home stretch, final part on this day's long journey.
Storgatan, Lycksele.
The square in Lycksele.
The old primary school in Lycksele.
We have moved into our apartment at Doro Camp.
Doro Camp Lapland, Dorotea.
We have parked in front of the apartments at Doro Camp.
17.57 It's nice to finally arrive in Dorotea, Doro Camp Lapland (https://doro.camp) and Örnrummet, the Eagle room. The Golf is parked right outside. Check-in at the reception building went smoothly. Also this accommodation has Dutch owners. Here you can rent a small apartment but also camp. We are just outside Dorotea community.
18.27 After a lot of searching we managed to locate the utensils here in our small apartment. Now we know what we can buy and cook. It's time to go shopping inside Dorotea. This is yet another town named after King Gustav IV Adolf's German Queen. The other resorts on the same theme are Vilhelmina and Fredrika. It all started here with the village Bergvattnet. Then it grew into a locality with the name of the Queen. Today it has a population of 1,320 inhabitants. Dorotea calls herself the "gateway to Lapland". For us, however, it will be rather the way out of Lapland tomorrow morning. 19.51 On the way into the centre we heard a lady talking loudly to herself across the street. Her message was that "if you eat poisonous berries, then you wake up no more". I'm sure she's absolutely right about that. At the supermarket ICA Nära Dorohallen we have got nice yellow plastic bags and have bought tonight's dinner, tomorrow's breakfast and travel food for the trip tomorrow. Now it will be nice to have a shower. 20.39 Showered and satisfied we watch Diamond League in athletics from Bislet Stadium, Oslo. Once again we have such luxury that we have a TV in our room. Such cannot always be expected in hostels and campsites. 21.54 After enjoying a homemade dinner consisting of pasta and meatballs, we saw Norwegian runner Karsten Warholm at 400 meters hurdles beat Norwegian, Nordic, European and World record with the time 46,70. In addition, Alison Dos Santos beat Brazilian and South American records when he ran at 47.38. 23.23 As we consumed our evening beer/evening cider, I have desperately tried to guess the year of origin of the music that Christer plays on his mobile. He has there playlists from all years between 1930 and present. Now it's time for sleep after an intense day when we have driven over 400 kilometres.
Dorotea.
Hot food in a warm room.
Friday 2nd of July
08.10 We start to wake up after a quiet night in the small apartment at Doro Camp in Dorotea. Slowly we prepare for another day when so much will be passed.
09.06 There will be breakfast at the same small table as we had dinner at dinner last night. The disadvantage of staying in hostels and camping places is the cleaning that must be taken care of by us. We lose a lot of time in the morning before check-out. The advantage is that we become more efficient and faster with each time we do it. 10.06 Örnrummet is now cleaned and left. The sun-warmed Golf is ready for departure. Now all that remain is that Christer enters the huge tent and leaves the key. The reception and restaurant here at Doro Camp are located in this large tent. 10.24 It is not far from Dorotea to the county border into the county of Jämtland. We are in the part located in Ångermanland province, but still in Strömsund municipality in Jämtland County. In Hoting we have switched from E45 to Road 346, also called Bävervägen (Beaver Road). 10.37 We have made a small stop at a parking spot. Below us goes the railway Inlandsbanan. I can't believe that as soon as we stop, the insects are coming for us. Now we have some simple future plans for the coming kilometres. 10.57 In Rossön we ended up behind a tractor/road machine. It isn't going fast. 11.22 We have stopped at the beautiful Fjällsjö church in Backe. Here a funeral has just ended. A tractor with silage aggregates that polywraped the freshly cut on the field next to the church. What can we do here? At least we'll let the funeral society carry out the coffin from the church before we´ll do anything more. We are in the small town/village Backe with 498 inhabitants but the parish here is called Fjällsjö. The church here is built of wood and has just celebrated its 200 year anniversary. 11.33 We have left Backe. There is some kind of road work going on, on road 331, probably a paving work. The question is how intense and delaying it is. We'll have to wait and see. 11.46 A stop has been made at a parking spot to examine Google Maps and possibly find an alternative route past the roadwork. 12.15 Unless we had driven on small remote forest roads there were no alternatives so we drove on. A car with information about the road works drew past us but the work has fortunately not started yet. We reached the border with Västernorrland County and Sollefteå municipality. Then all traces of road work ended and we found a suitable place for today's sausage lunch out in nature.
The bags are packed. It's time to leave Dorotea.
A short break along the Inlandsbanan railway south of Hoting.
There were both funerals and agricultural work at Fjällsjö church.
Fjällsjö church in Backe.
Peter prepares today's lunch.
We have reached Ramsele.
12.22 The place for our lunch is just north of Ramsele. We don't have to eat alone. We are joined by horse flies that do their best to destroy every hot summer day in the Swedish forests.
12.41 It's hot in the car! What make the insects to plunge against the windows when we stop? Well, we'll be on our way soon. 12.56 Today's first bench break is on the square in front of the civic office in Ramsele. It's another really hot summer day. Right now it is +27°C in the shade. 13.08 We sit in a pine grove behind Ramsele church. All that is heard is a rooster and a motorcycle. The pines shade and smell good. Ramsele, located on the Faxälven River, is a small urban area with 808 inhabitants. Already in the 1200s the resort is mentioned but then it was called Rafnasil. The old church is also from that period. However, we have only seen the new one. 13.32 We are again back in the hot car. Soon more kilometres will be added which since the start has already passed 1000. 13.39 There will be no eleven o´clock coffee but instead river coffee today. We sit at a bench on a barbecue area by Faxälven below Edsele church. In and at the church there are various carpentry works that are made by Christer's ancestors. The churchwarden Olof Andersson Lundstedt has built an organ and a hymn board in the church. He also planned the restoration of the church in 1874. At the cemetery there is a wooden portal from 1877 which is also made by the same man. His son Jacob Lundstedt has also done works in the church. He has fixed a little of each at the altar among others. 14.44 It was nice to have a break by the river. During our coffee break, a woman showed up and cleaned her dogs. It was appreciated by the sun warm animals. 15.09 It was good that Christer found a parking in the shade at Edsele cemetery. It's not as hot in the car anymore. The 1996 murder in my home region, known as the Malin murder, has taken a new turn according to local news. Blood samples from the suspected offender have been found in Uppsala. It should reportedly match the DNA traces that were on Malin's body. The person was acquitted in the court of appeal in 1998 and has since refused a buccal swab. 15.21 There is continued sunshine on us on route 87. Soon we leave Ångermanland for this time. 15.46 For SEK 614 we have refuelled 38 litres of petrol at Q-Star pumping station in Bispgården. We are now in Jämtland province and Ragunda municipality. 16.02 Due to tonight's European Championship football, it will be an early dinner today. Pappagallo Pizzeria will serve us an opera singer and a state; the ordered pizzas are thus called Caruso and Hawaii. In the news feed, we read that a 17-year-old has now been arrested on suspicion of the police murder in Gothenburg.
In front of Sollefteå municipality's citizen's office in Ramsele.
Christer in front of Ramsele church.
Completely windless by Faxälven in Edsele.
This wooden portal at Edsele Cemetery was built by Christer's great-great-great-grandfather in 1877.
Edsele church was built in 1799.
Warm but quiet in Bispgården.
16.55 At the pizzeria we had to wait a long time for the pizzas but eventually they were carried out. There was talk at a neighbouring table on various topics. Some quotes from the local gentlemen were that it does not matter how much you earn now that the house is already paid and that health is not so important now that you already done everything. At ICA Forsen supermarket we bought some snacks for tonight's football and drinks to restore the fluid balance. I also overheard a question over the phone, "how the hell do you get up the fuel cap on the damn car?" Now we drive the last miles towards the hotel and tonight's European Championship football.
17.21 Now the car has finished rolling for today. We stay in room 33 at Hotell Hammarstrand (https://hotellhammarstrand.se) in (not entirely unexpected) Hammarstrand. Once again we experience the strange feeling you get when you are in a room without windows. The outside world is shut out in a completely different way. Now let's cool off before kickoff at tonight's first quarter final. I'm thirsty. Hammarstrand, which is named after the community has been built on the shore below the village of Hammaren when the lake Ragundasjön was emptied, is the main town in Ragunda municipality. It has a population of 1,103. Interestingly, the resort locally is still called "Hammarn", a contemporary trail of the old village of Hammaren. 18.09 The first quarter finals of the European football championship have begun. Switzerland ends up at a disadvantage early when Spain scores 1-0. I have just showered but am still thirsty. It's a hot summer this year. 19.13 It is now the second half and there are chances in both directions. The thirst I have remains hard to quench. I have been careless with the ingestion of liquid during the day. 19.24 There came the equalizer. Switzerland equalized to 1-1 through Xherdan Shaqiri. 19.53 At full time there is still a draw. There will therefore be two more double quarters. 20.11 No goals are scored during the first quarter. How should this end? 20.30 Referee Michael Oliver blows his whistle to end the match. Once more penalties awaits for Switzerland. It went well last time. 20.43 Summary of the penalties. First penalty of Spain went in the post. Switzerland scores a goal, the second penalty of Spain goes to the goal. Switzerland's penalty is saved. Third penalty from Spain is saved, Switzerland penalty is also saved, continuing 1-1 in penalty shootout. Fourth Spanish penalty goes to the finish, Switzerland goes over the cross bar. In the fifth round, Spain scores and wins. Spain advances on to the semi-final.
Waiting for the pizzas at Pappagallo Pizzeria.
Football night in the room at Hotell Hammarstrand.
20.59 My plan to drink coffee in one of the room's disposable glasses didn't go that well. It began to soften and got a pointed bottom that did not stand stably. Now it's time for tonight's second quarterfinal, Belgium against Italy.
21.30 After trouble in the Belgian defence, Italy takes the lead with 1-0. Nicolò Barella is the scorer. 21.44 The pizzas carry on and make 2-0 on the waffles. The next Italian scorer is Lorenzo Insigne. 21.46 After a VAR-check Belgium get a penalty and Romelu Lukaku scores. Now it says 2-1. 22.20 The beer purchased in Bispgården is enjoyed and Belgium has a good chance to score again. 22.56 There were no more goals in this really entertaining football game. Italy goes to the semi-final and gets to meet Spain. During the evening, the news has reached us that several COOP stores had problems with the counters. It's probably safest to buy Saturday's food at ICA tomorrow morning. We stay two nights here in Hammarstrand. Tomorrow we're going to the woods on an excursion.
You can see 66 photos from June 30 in this photoalbum.
You can see 63 photos from July 1 in this photoalbum.
You can see 43 photos from July 2 in this photoalbum.