(By James)
Today we were staying a second night in Skellefteå, and being a weekend, there was no need to rush this morning.
The main plan for Felix and I was to get out on our bikes. It's a bit of a packing challenge to get them out if we're only staying one night, as we don't take all the bags in, so we needed to make the most of the opportunity.
Good preparation had happened yesterday, when Felix had scouted the area, and I had sorted the puncture out on my front tyre. I think I must have picked it up at Bikepark Winterberg - it's amazing how such a small thorn can cause an issue.
Emily decided to walk down past the lake, to the river with Lowenna and Jowan, and we agreed to meet back at the cabin for lunch.
With Felix making his usual set of grumbles about all the problems with his bike, we set off to the wooded area behind the cabin. The first thing I noticed was that there are no brambles or thorny plants here! The terrain is really different to an English wood, with smooth rock to ride on as well as the familiar roots and loam, interspersed with sharper rocks which force you to choose your line carefully, and resort to trials skills occasionally to get up and over some sections. The ride was a success, with no mechanicals or accidents, and we didn't get lost! Unfortunately the only wildlife we encountered was the flying bitey type, although moose had also been in the area from the evidence left.
The return for lunch turned out to be a good plan, as it clouded over and rained for a while, so we took the opportunity to relax all afternoon. We planned the time we'll have at Rovaniemi, and Emily managed to do some more development on Navorama.
The bikes have now been packed away again, as we look forward to hopefully riding at our most northerly point.
Published on Saturday 16 June 2018
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