Distance: 148km
Elevation: 1.150m
Another long day in the office. Today I had some major motivation issues. Partially, that was because I had not slept well. As it was midsummer, everyone started partying at midnight – when I wanted to sleep. Hence I woke up late i.e. around 7am which led to a slow start. But I did not to miss out on my daily swim in a lake … so I was on the road around 8:30am.
It was not quite as warm as yesterday but I figured that I needed to make close to 150km to make it the next campground. And a next thunderstorm in the afternoon was also announced.
Over lunch I met a Dutch couple who had retired in Sweden and is now operating a maze-like garden as a local attraction where people can wander around. We started chatting since I really needed some human interaction. Revenues had dropped by 95% since last summer. Because of that he had taken a job as a freelance consultant again to be able to pay the bills. That meant traveling to Poland, long days. “But that was the life I retired from” he said.
In the afternoon, I passed to Örebro and found a Pizza Hut with free refills. Yeah! I needed carbs, meat and garlic and a lot of ice-cold Coke.
By then, the thunderstorm was already developing and Komoot, my GPS, in its wisdom led me some 10km up a mountain to show me a beautiful lake – in a thunderstorm. I got soak and wet but it was very refreshing, too. It was super scary but I just wanted to get over the hill. Trees where laying across the road – but the lake was really pretty.
I arrived tired, wet and happy at the beautiful campsite directly next to a lake – which was closed. So I had to sneak in, get someone to open the shower for me and set up the tent. I will pay tomorrow then.
So, a somehow bad start but the rain brought the energy back again. Now I am sitting on a porch looking at the lake and the thunderstorm.
