Speed Cycling, Part 2
Karhujärvi - Hossa ~ 160 km
What a day!!
First I restarted a normal day/night rhythm, I got up and started the trip at 10.30, with a challenge against myself: As for the first 86 km I just had to cycle along the same street no. 5, I bet me (ich wette mit mir selbst), if I could do it with an average of more than 20 (with a break for having lunch at km 60) (for telling the truth, it was just a little trick: Now, after traveling three weeks I know something more about me: when I start a day cycling relaxed, I won't go far, because of me beeing not in a mood for to restart serious cycling in the afternoon. When I start with a tense speed, I'll keep it until the afternoon. klingt komisch, ist aber so. (sounds strange, but it is like that). therefore the speed cycling challenge...)
And I did. Having lunch somewhere on the street I saw my first (and last) Multebeere (fin.: lakka, sw.: hjortron, eng.:???sorry) the famous berries that grow only in nordic lands like Sweden, Finland and Norway (as I could proof in a beautiful Foto...), whereof there is made the famous finnish Lapponia-Liqueur. I tried it, but it doesn't taste very good (the berry, not the Liqueur...;o). Maybe it wasn't mature at all, but if you know berries only of fotos, it's difficult...
Traffic was getting more while getting closer to Kuusamo (and therefore getting more southern). Time to leave it and take smaller street, which I did about 15 km behind Kuusamo. Unsurfaced roads restarted, and as everytime I like this very much... The next challenge for that day: can I go 160 km a day? I wanted to stay at Hossa, a camping in a national park...
I was pedaling and pedaling, and suddenly one damned mosquito got into my eyes (yeah, I'm missing my sunglasses... just for wearing them during dusk...). I couldn't get it out, so I had to stop. When I finally could see something, I realized, that i stopped right in a „blue berry plantage“! Wow! Thank you, you da... you mosquito!
As I'm not only keen on chocolate, as one can think, but also on blueberries, I just HAD to get off my bike, even if it was quite late (i think it was about 6.30 pm) and I had a little way to go (35 km), but I just had to collect at least some of them. As I do a little cooking also on camping (how someone learned at northcape) and one can never have enough jam (as I learned at northcape) I decided to make myself some blueberry jam for tomorrow breakfast... I don't know, how long I was collecting blueberries, mosquitoes started eating me, and the blue color of the berries I didn't have only on my fingers and on my tounge, but also in the face beause of wiping them away...
Enthusiastic as I was in that moment, those last 35 km passed like flying, even without Condor. I was happy smiling, screaming because of joy, I just felt soooo good. (with a little help of some endorphines? ;o)
I arrived at the camping only at 9.30, I think. But at all, I have done 160 km with an average of 18. Yes, there were nearly no stops to look at the map today, and this I can notice every day, also on the average...
The camping seemed more to be a spa resort than a camping. The sauna was right next to the shower, and as it was so late, there was nobody. Because of having cold for the first time for about 14 years I really got into the sauna, a thing that I refuse every weekend at home.... I wasn't in quite long, but those relaxing 5 minutes were fine.
After that I just cooked dinner. while eating I was writing my tripdiary, and just after that I prepared my jam (a second cooking pot would have been useful, but not even in the kitchen I could find one), starting at midnight...
Once more during that trip I felt really alive, with the satisfying feeling, that I have enough power and energy to reach the aims I put myself, and do additional some jam... but after all, bed was sooo fine...
Everyone who could have read the thoughts going through my mind on that day, would take his bicycle and start a trip like that on the next day.
Click: One more beautiful view of one more beautiful lake... must be boring...
Having lunch right next to Street No. 5. Doesn't look like that, right?
My one and only "lakka" I found...
silent lake
I called them "Flockenblume". They were indicator for wet ground...
City-Squirrel
A wooden house - not red ;o)
Click: Believe it or not: those are all mosquitos...
Blueberries! Guys, there ARE blueberries 35 km to Hossa!
There was a foto quite similar to that, wasn't it?
I guess they were thinking something like: "Is she crazy?"
still life at night
How to make some blueberry jam...
Bring blueberry with a little water to boil, mash it partially, add enough sugar, cook for 5-10 mins, that's it! Buon appetito!
What a day!!
First I restarted a normal day/night rhythm, I got up and started the trip at 10.30, with a challenge against myself: As for the first 86 km I just had to cycle along the same street no. 5, I bet me (ich wette mit mir selbst), if I could do it with an average of more than 20 (with a break for having lunch at km 60) (for telling the truth, it was just a little trick: Now, after traveling three weeks I know something more about me: when I start a day cycling relaxed, I won't go far, because of me beeing not in a mood for to restart serious cycling in the afternoon. When I start with a tense speed, I'll keep it until the afternoon. klingt komisch, ist aber so. (sounds strange, but it is like that). therefore the speed cycling challenge...)
And I did. Having lunch somewhere on the street I saw my first (and last) Multebeere (fin.: lakka, sw.: hjortron, eng.:???sorry) the famous berries that grow only in nordic lands like Sweden, Finland and Norway (as I could proof in a beautiful Foto...), whereof there is made the famous finnish Lapponia-Liqueur. I tried it, but it doesn't taste very good (the berry, not the Liqueur...;o). Maybe it wasn't mature at all, but if you know berries only of fotos, it's difficult...
Traffic was getting more while getting closer to Kuusamo (and therefore getting more southern). Time to leave it and take smaller street, which I did about 15 km behind Kuusamo. Unsurfaced roads restarted, and as everytime I like this very much... The next challenge for that day: can I go 160 km a day? I wanted to stay at Hossa, a camping in a national park...
I was pedaling and pedaling, and suddenly one damned mosquito got into my eyes (yeah, I'm missing my sunglasses... just for wearing them during dusk...). I couldn't get it out, so I had to stop. When I finally could see something, I realized, that i stopped right in a „blue berry plantage“! Wow! Thank you, you da... you mosquito!
As I'm not only keen on chocolate, as one can think, but also on blueberries, I just HAD to get off my bike, even if it was quite late (i think it was about 6.30 pm) and I had a little way to go (35 km), but I just had to collect at least some of them. As I do a little cooking also on camping (how someone learned at northcape) and one can never have enough jam (as I learned at northcape) I decided to make myself some blueberry jam for tomorrow breakfast... I don't know, how long I was collecting blueberries, mosquitoes started eating me, and the blue color of the berries I didn't have only on my fingers and on my tounge, but also in the face beause of wiping them away...
Enthusiastic as I was in that moment, those last 35 km passed like flying, even without Condor. I was happy smiling, screaming because of joy, I just felt soooo good. (with a little help of some endorphines? ;o)
I arrived at the camping only at 9.30, I think. But at all, I have done 160 km with an average of 18. Yes, there were nearly no stops to look at the map today, and this I can notice every day, also on the average...
The camping seemed more to be a spa resort than a camping. The sauna was right next to the shower, and as it was so late, there was nobody. Because of having cold for the first time for about 14 years I really got into the sauna, a thing that I refuse every weekend at home.... I wasn't in quite long, but those relaxing 5 minutes were fine.
After that I just cooked dinner. while eating I was writing my tripdiary, and just after that I prepared my jam (a second cooking pot would have been useful, but not even in the kitchen I could find one), starting at midnight...
Once more during that trip I felt really alive, with the satisfying feeling, that I have enough power and energy to reach the aims I put myself, and do additional some jam... but after all, bed was sooo fine...
Everyone who could have read the thoughts going through my mind on that day, would take his bicycle and start a trip like that on the next day.
Click: One more beautiful view of one more beautiful lake... must be boring...
Having lunch right next to Street No. 5. Doesn't look like that, right?
My one and only "lakka" I found...
silent lake
I called them "Flockenblume". They were indicator for wet ground...
City-Squirrel
A wooden house - not red ;o)
Click: Believe it or not: those are all mosquitos...
Blueberries! Guys, there ARE blueberries 35 km to Hossa!
There was a foto quite similar to that, wasn't it?
I guess they were thinking something like: "Is she crazy?"
still life at night
How to make some blueberry jam...
Bring blueberry with a little water to boil, mash it partially, add enough sugar, cook for 5-10 mins, that's it! Buon appetito!
koerndl - 6. Aug, 00:00
