Touring - 'Spontaneous' Tour

About as spontaneous as my touring can get any way. When am I starting? Saturday! I'd have left earlier except a vet appointment for the dog today and my SIL visiting on Friday. Where am I going? No clue! I've picked a place my husband wants to check for fishing and he'll drop me off when he goes to look at it. After that, I'm just going to work my way back toward home via landmarks I want to see while avoiding busy roads. How long will I be gone? As long as I feel like. :p Hopefully at least 2 nights of camping out.

Due to a badly injured ankle and a sick dog that's needed care while my husband is away on business, I've been climbing the walls. The weather has been teasing me by being near perfect for touring. :twitchy: Mostly clear or flawless skies during the day, only getting into the low 40's at night and 65-70 during the long Swedish days that are getting only longer. The need to get onto the open roads has been itching under my skin like I rolled in nettles.

My husband has been a saint to put up with my grouchy cabin-fever, but finally he drove out into the countryside last Saturday to kick me and my ride out with a stern warning not to call him for at least 2 hours. It was an awesome day! Clumps of storm clouds and Swedish countryside florishing with the colors of green as I pedaled around a lake made for breath-taking scenery. Since my ankle held up okay to my short walks around the 14th century churches to look for rune stones, I decided before the end of that ride I'd leave for a tour in the next week.

So, I've been pampering the ankle while looking at maps and packing list this week. I'll start packing my Burley trailer today. I'm giddy with excitement as I've been looking forward to touring this year since last year. Wish me luck that some other disaster doesn't come along and stop me!

Interesting experience, tell us about it when you get back home.

I'm jealous. Cycled Stromstad-Varberg as part of a larger tour in 2010. Liked Sweden a lot.

I've also visited Orsa twice; I'd love to go north from there by bike someday.

Sweet way to ride! :thumb:

I have done 2-3 day rambles where I headed out with gear and a quarter...you flip the quarter when you come to a cross roads. Heads you go right, tails you go left. :D

I have done a similar thing hiking too, my ex was from a small town in the Appalachian mountains where the Appalachian Trail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Trail) ran down main street. When we would go to visit I would have her drop me where the trail crossed the road about 15 miles out of town, hike in to the first campsite then hike into town the next day.

Aaron :)

Sounds great!!

Many of our weekend rides are similar to this ... :)

Post some photos where you're done. I'd love to see what the roads in Sweden are like.

I like the idea of a spontaneous tour, but that would work much better in some locales than others. Around here (NC), state parks and other suitable camping locations are often far apart and many small towns do not have lodging -- so overnight accommodations could be tricky without some planning.

What a great trip you are planning (or not planning). My co-workers would say that they are jelly [jealous]. Last fall I took a two week tour of Quebec and I only had the vaugest idea of where I wanted to go. As it turned out I had adventure at every turn and I met some of the most wonderful people. Happy trails and let us know how it turned out when you get back. John

Post some photos where you're done. I'd love to see what the roads in Sweden are like.

I like the idea of a spontaneous tour, but that would work much better in some locales than others. Around here (NC), state parks and other suitable camping locations are often far apart and many small towns do not have lodging -- so overnight accommodations could be tricky without some planning.

I look for pine groves :innocent:

I agree that NC is pretty populated and finding a "legal" place to stay can be difficult. I am fortunate to have 2-3 state parks within a reasonable day's ride.

Aaron :)

I love Sweden for the ease of finding places to stay. You have the usual B&Bs and campgrounds of course, but if you're out of reach of any of those and tired, as long as you're not in a farmer's crop or barn, or a stone's toss from someone's yard you can pitch a tent. Just leave the place as you found it. My first tour I camped just 20 feet from the cycle path I'd been following betweeen two small residental areas and listened to foxes yapping all night. My 2nd tour, I camped in a smooth grassy spot next to a runestone between a barn and field.

Sounds like an awesome way to 'see the sights'!

How I wish things like that were possible in this day and age West of the Atlantic... :(

Sounds like an awesome way to 'see the sights'!

How I wish things like that were possible in this day and age West of the Atlantic... :(

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You can still head out and do a spontaneous tour in Canada.

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You can still head out and do a spontaneous tour in Canada.

He is in the US... and property laws and law enforcement can be ornery. I was on a long day ride a while back and pulled over under an abandoned country store overhang due to the weather (rain and hail) the storm had barely cleared when I was told by the local law enforcer that I needed to move along before I got arrested for trespassing and loitering, needless to say it is a place that I will never visit again.

Aaron :)

Sounds like so much fun! Like others have said, please post some pictures when you are done.