This sign is roughly ½ way between Stockholm and Helsingborg and is, of course, for the E4 motorway which according to Google it will take 5 hours and 43 minutes to do the 556 kilometres. By bike it took 4 ½ days and 352 kilometres to reach this sign plus I’ve another 300 to go so let’s call it a 9 day journey hauling 50 kilos of gear, food and electronics. Speaking of which…..
Bicycle touring has changed significantly in the last 15 years. While the bicycles are for the most part the same except for the addition of disc brakes and some other minor increments. That is of course ignoring e-bikes for the moment. The biggest change has been in electronics. I carry very little paper, let alone a kilos worth of maps and the Tourist Information Centres have almost gone extinct in terms of where to stay etc. On this trip I have my Garmin 1030 for navigation, my iPhone, my iPad, a digital Camera. All of which need to be kept charged up. Which means the hub Dynamo, Solar Panels and Power Bank plus assorted cables, wall charger etc. The up side is that I can plan my routes, days and stops so much better and know what to see and do along the way. The down side is that some of the spontaneity is lost but the bigger downside is what happens when some thing doesn’t work?
A museum Piece to the past days of motoring
Normally when I reach a campsite I use the solar panel to recharge the various items. Today it decided not to do that. Suddenly all the electronics we now depend on may not be working tomorrow and I may have to resort to the old fashion way of touring, finding maps, asking people for directions. Speaking of days gone by. This was a lovely little “museum” piece of motoring history near where I’m camping tonight.
Apart from that it’s been an easy day (well relatively) as the wind had taken a rest and the route was good.