Ostersund

I have to say good-bye to Tommy tomorrow.  He has decided to go home. He did such a fantastic job and I will miss him. He was out front of me the whole way. So a big congratulations  to you Tommy! So, I will peddle  on early tomorrow and hopefully  finish this journey. There has been so many times I just want to throw  in the towel and go home to my family.  Then I think of any struggles I may encounter  during  my ride are small compared to those children and the  family struggling  with this disease every single day. So, onto Hoting and the artic circle!

Arrived in Svenstavik

We left Sveg at 07:00 this morning  and was quite  chilly. It turned  out to be a beautiful  day. Good biking weather. Tommy was up late last night reading so he lacked his usual  energy. So, at one point when he wanted to eat waffles, I decided  we would meet up in Svenstavik.  I stopped in this one little town and had tunn bread with reindeer  meet. Delicious!  When I arrived  here, while waiting for Tommy, I met one of the most interesting characters I've ever met. He was 74 years old and the stories he told me were so interesting.  We chatted for an hour and could of went on. He rang me later just to make sure we had a place to stay. Anyway,  you'll see his pic.
            We found a little hotel here and just finished a big pizza. That's the great thing of riding all day. You don't have to worry  about gaining weight. Anyway,  very tired now,  more tomorrow. Also, the one picture  is of an American  I met at the store here and his girlfriend. They were trying  there best to help us find a place

Arrived in Sveg

We left Orsa  this morning  and it was definitely  on the chilly side. Luckily for us we had that extra day of Rest because it was pretty brutal the first 5 hours. The hills were relentless  as was the headwind.  I told Erik, I kept seeing the scene from Rocky, when Apollo  knocks him down  and Micky is telling him 'stay down stay down" but Rocky justs wants to finish the fight  and he gets up. That was me today.
            Then when we finally had smooth sailing,  my pedal snaps off. I'm 25 kilometres  from Sveg  and it's the weekend.  Trips done! I call Erik in Orsa, he makes a couple of calls and tells me that this guy who has a bicycle  shop in Sveg was in Orsa today competing  in a around the lake event and would be back in Sveg about the time I get there. I managed to pedal the last 25 and met him just as he pulled in. All fixed and ready for tomorrow.  A true miracle! So, thank you so much to you Erik  and Christine, Roger in Sveg, who by the way would not except a kronor from me. For without them my journey would be over. So in my pics will be a picture of Erik and his beautiful family and Roger. And Roger, if you are ever in Gothenburg,  please give me a ring, I would like to return the favor. 0761905107 
           So, anyway overall a very exciting  day. We will try to make it as close to Ostersund  as possible  but it's 186 kilometres.  140 would be nice.

On to Sveg tomorrow

It was a very nice rest day in Orsa. Thank you to Orsa camping for two great nights. Very much appreciated.  It will energize  us for our push forward  to Sveg. We didn't get to the show tonight, the line was to long.
              Yesterday, I got to talking to a lady here  whose husband is from New Jersey.  So, we met briefly  yesterday and winds up his hometown is pretty close to mine. Pretty small world! Also, Erik is a very avid biker  and luckily for me a bicycle  mechanic who actually  worked for the company Specilized, which makes my bike. He invited me to his house today,  which besides the brutal climb up the mountain to his home,was great. He did an awesome job cleaning  up my chain and gave the bike a complete check to make sure I will make Kiruna. Plus gave me a few spare parts, just in case. So a big thank you Erik it was a real pleasure to meet you and Christine. Hope to see you and your family  in Gothenburg.  Anytime!
               So, tomorrow  we head out early to Sveg,  which is 123 kilometers. Then onto Ostersund  or as close as we can get.  Update tomorrow  night.

Arrived in Orsa

We're here in Orsa Camping. Absolutely  beautiful!  It was a nice ride from Vansbro  today.  We stopped at a really nice restaurant by a lake and had an awesome buffet. Kind of regretted  it on some of the inclines. We went through  Mora and then onto Orsa. I've been having some problems with my pinky finger. It started tingling  a few days ago and has developed  a mind of its own. Can't really control it. So, I went to the doctor here and he is also a big bicyclist and he said just to try varying  my hand position.  He gave me the OK to push on. We are going to stay here at the campground  one more day. I think we really  need it to push   on. Orsa camping sponsored  us for another night because of  the barn cancer  fund.  Sofie in the office was as nice in person as she seemed in her emails. So a big thank you to her. 
      Tomorrow,  Jerry Williams is playing here with some other artists, so I think I'll check it out. Just going to relax, do some swimming  and get  ready for Saturday. Next update tomorrow

Arrived in Vansbro

Really great ride today barring two mistakes.  Tommy forgot not only do I have his wallet, I also have the GPS. So, Tommy, as usual was out ahead and out of sight when I saw we should make a right to Lesofors.  I decided  to wait and flag down the next car, which didn't come for 30 minutes. I asked them when they say a guy with  a green vest ahead, to please come back. Finally,he slowly  peddled  up the long Hill and we went on. Only to see the route  we chose  was a unpaved Mt everest. After  one hour straight  up we began the decent  to Lesofors.  Then it was smooth  sailing all the way to Vansbro. 
         We arrived at a deserted  campground and call the number on the board. He then gave me a code for the box and out popped the key for a great cabin. The whole  place to ourselves. Just got back from having a really good pizza and now it's off to bed. Short day to Orsa tomorrow . We might check out the zoo there.  I have a cabin all set there so it will be a nice restaurant day.
          Gonna post some pics, one sign right from where my wife  is from