Trip - 2023 Sweden Norway — ThePhotoGuy.dk

My 2023 Trip to Sweden & Norway

7 Days solo, 7 Days with Anna & Martin, and 7 Days solo

After a successful “test drive”, this was my first real trip using the Tesla as a “mini-RV”.

I decided to anthropomorphize the car, which I don’t normally do, would help me appreciate it more. So I decided it’s name is Mai Kaar and she uses pronouns she and her. I’ve found that I do enjoy this.

My friends Anna & Martin joined for a third of the trip, right in the middle. I initially expected to be gone at least 3 weeks, although potentially much longer. Three ended up being a good number. I ended up driving nearly as far as on my trip to Namibia. So this was a good confirmation that the concept works.

I also continued to learn about my limits. While I have energy to hike for a week or two, after that, I start to become overwhelmed and need downtime. On this trip, that turned out to take the form of driving from one charger to the next. I hope I can find better solutions in the future.

My route

Day 0 - Sunday, June 25, 2023

Copenhagen 13.50

I’ve been packing and bringing things down to the car.

I had a bag of frozen strawberries in the freezer and decided to blend them all. That broke my blender, so I spent an hour or so repairing it. Basically, the rubber gear that turns the cutters got stripped. I’ve been noticing that it was getting worn. Luckily, I had bought a bunch of replacement gears last time this happened. Or, perhaps, not just luck, thanks to my preparedness.

It was a struggle to release the old one, though. I eventually had to disassemble the entire blender to manage it. But I did manage it, so now I’m drinking a strawberry freeze on my porch as I write.

Just before deciding on blending the strawberries, I filled the 15L and then the 5L water cubes. Both had leaks, which is disappointing.

So I have five 2L bottles, but they are no longer “emergency” water, they are all my water.

Perhaps I can buy better quality cubes in Sweden.

16.54

OK, I’m pretty much done packing the car. It’s a little tighter than I had expected. It’s definitely good that I met with Martin and Anna “pre-trip” to see their bags. At the moment, I think we would struggle to get everything in and “hidden” while we are hiking, although when we all pull out our backpacks, that will help.

The main difference, I think, is that I’ve filled the Tesmat bag with stuff that’s less compressible than the extra comforter that I tested with.

As I see it, I will have eaten some of my food, so I can move that from the frunk to the sub trunk when I meet up with them. I was planning on buying a lot more food before meeting them, but I’ll have to think carefully about that.

Is there anything I should _not_ bring? Hmmm.

I haven’t packed my SketchBoardPro yet, and I’m wavering on that. It’s bulky, and I have discovered that the bed support already limits the mattress and bedding as it is. I wasn’t able to lay the meditation kit flat and, instead, stood it between the Tesmat bag and the back seat.

It’s a struggle, though, because I like using the SketchBoardPro when drawing. So am I likely to draw? Where will I stow it?

My g’morning/g’night kit is also not in the car yet and it will also take up space.

17.15

I’m thinking I can take the SketchBoardPro down now to see whether it will fit under a seat, though I doubt that it will.

17.24

OK, there are at least two places where I can easily stow the SketchBoardPro, so I’ll bring it.

I feel reasonably confident that we’ll be able to work things out with Martin and Anna’s stuff.

20.20

I’ve gone for my daily 30 minute walk so everything is done for the day.

Martin asked yesterday if I’m “feeling ready” for the trip. I told him yes, and that I’m looking forward to it.

I am feeling ready and I feel a bit obligated to say I’m looking forward to it, and, technically speaking, I suppose I am looking forward to it.

I’m not sure that I’m “excited” about it or even looking forward to it with pleasant anticipation.

I’m more looking forward to it with a bit of anxiety regarding whether I have failed to foresee anything.

I have my plan for the first week and a half. I can see that I have more in the car than I expected to have. I have enough space for me, but precious little for Anna and Martin.

My anxiety is mostly around what problems might come up that I haven’t planned for. Such as:

1. Having a break in as a result of having to leave things in the cabin while we’re hiking.

2. Getting an injury.

3. Getting bit by a tick and getting sick.

4. Being mostly just bored with the whole thing.

5. Having lots of rain that’s difficult to deal with in the car.

I’m not quite sure how I’ll make space for their stuff. We can put it in the passenger’s seat while we drive, so that’s OK as a worst case scenario. My backpack will come out of the frunk while we hike, and Martin’s duffel will deflate as well. Anna’s big backpack fit in the trunk best, but I have more in it now. I might be able to put bedding beside rather than in front of her backpack, and that should help.

We’ll figure it out, I’m sure.

But, you can see, I’m not actually thinking much about beautiful scenery or pleasant hikes.

I’m mostly thinking about potential problems and whether I’ll be able to solve them (potentially with help from Anna and Martin, of course).

I’m currently trying to decide if I want to bring the very thick novel I am reading. Martin pointed out that when he brought a book to read on vacation, he never actually read it.

Day 1 - Monday, June 26, 2023

Very short, aborted hike

Kungälv 16.46

I’ll well on my way.

I stopped along the way to buy some protein bars. I bought two 5L jugs and a single spout.

I then went to the camping store, which was definitely an “old folks” trap, but bought a lot of cheap knock offs even so.

As I approached Göteborg, I considered avoiding the city and it’s tolls, but that would have taken me more than an hour out of my way, so I decided to pay for it. Then I took an accidental exit and added probably an hour to my trip anyway, plus paid lots of unnecessary tolls. That was annoying.

I finally drove to the start of the hike, with rain threatening. It took me a while to find the parking lot, as it was down a dirt road, but I did and there were no cars there at all. I decided to shorten the walk and did less than half (a little less than 2km). The rain has waited, however, until now (though I drove away from the coast, so it’s difficult to say when it would have started had I continued walking).

I think I have only about an hour’s drive to the “camp” location. I forgot to bring the paperback novel I’ve been reading, so that decision is made.

Ljungskile 19.38

Ouch. I’ve had a headache most of the day, which, I think, started from not sleeping so well last night. I forgot to turn on my monitor, so I don’t have a sleep quality number to look at, but I really struggled to fall asleep because it was quite hot.

I’ve just finished drawing a Calvin panel, which took 65 minutes. That’s a little longer than normal, but it was a stairway panel, and those are typically difficult.

I’m sitting at my camp site. I was the first here, but two other cars have arrived. It’s an OK spot, although there aren’t any toilets here. They are at a close by rest stop, so I would need to drive to use them.

I’m considering my next steps. I could…

Drive to the rest stop, use the toilets, get out an umbrella (which I stupidly left in my frunk), then come back.
Just get the umbrella out here, although I don’t even have a rain coat easily accessible.
Get the rain kit out of the trunk (which requires some work, if I want to do it from inside the car). Put on the rain coat to get the umbrella. Use the umbrella to light the stove and boil some water.

OK, so that really comes down to how I get the umbrella, assuming that I will boil water outside.

If I boil water I can make a meal.

I could admit defeat and buy a meal at the rest stop.

OK, another list of possibilities:

Skip my meal.
Buy a meal at the rest stop.
Stick with my plan and boil water, despite the rain.

I’m going to discard #1 out of hand. Although I don’t feel hungry, I want to have a good night’s sleep, and I only ate a protein bar for lunch.

So, it’s really between sticking to my plan or buying something unhealthy, plus having to leave for a bit before coming back.

There are definitely parts that want to get the rest stop meal.

Reasons:

Avoid messing up the car.
Learn to use the jetboil in better conditions.
Accept that I’m not at the top of my game.
Get to use a toilet.

Reasons to stick to my plan:

Adventure!
I need to decide if this is really feasible.
I’ll just be disappointed with myself for giving up so easily.

OK, I can have adventure other nights.

I have more nights to figure out if this is feasible.

I am good at accepting disappointment.

21.24

Whew!

OK, I gave up and went to the rest stop, used the toilet, and bought a mozzarella, tomato, and pesto sandwich, nicely heated, then I drove back. But first, under the covered gas pumps, I took out my umbrella and rain jacket. I figured out that getting into the sub trunk is almost impossible.

I drove back to the camp and ate the sandwich, which gave me enough energy to start working.

I took everything out of the trunk from the back seats (including the liner) and crawled into the trunk (as good as I could, with just my arms and torso), and opened the sub trunk. That was difficult, but I managed it. I took out the 2L bottles of water, and brought the 5L jugs forward.

Then I let myself think for a bit.

Then I unpacked all of my Engelsons purchases and packed the underwear, fleece, and buff’s in the empty narrow cube. I put the mosquito repelling device in the plastic roller, then moved Anne’s kitchen gear into the sub trunk.

I was alone when I got there, but two vans showed up. A camper has just arrived as well and I thought I heard another car, but I can’t see them through my cameras. A couple of girls just came by on bikes. I have my privacy shield up, though, and it feels nice.

After Anne’s gear, I put three of the 2L bottles back in the sub trunk as “emergency water”. I’ll fill the 5L jugs tomorrow.

The rain has pretty much stopped, so I could boil some water if I wanted, but it’s late enough now that I expect to try to sleep and I don’t want to eat any more. I haven’t brushed my teeth yet, though.

Then I set up the bed. I used the meditation kit on the seat that I will sleep on. We’ll see how that feels. If I don’t like it, I can switch it to the other side. The pump worked fine, though I haven’t tried to lay in the bed yet. It looks good though.

Then I was able to move the passenger seat back into place using the remote, which is as useful as I had hoped.

Day 1 - Day, Month D, YYYY

Ljungskile 08.02

I slept well last night, over 90%. I woke a few times and plugged in my watch at 5am. I had a dream with a song in it. Sort of the background song for a pixar film, about loving someone.

I woke at 7:15 or so and Bodil was happy to get up, so I’ve already packed the bed away.

I’m thinking that I will boil a half liter water and put it in the insulated thermos, then I can use it to make breakfast and coffee.

Someone just walked by with their dog. The cameras really help! I could hear him on the gravel, but the cameras show that he wasn’t coming to my car.

View from my lunch break

Tverrbekken 18.22

Well well!

I am sitting in my passenger seat, just having poured the hot water into dinner, as the rain pours down hard on my car. I didn’t realize it was going to rain. I was just lucky. I decided to boil the water a good 30 minutes before I wanted to eat (at the news), so that I could pack up everything into the car and go eat on a picnic table.

Just as I was finishing packing up, however, a few light drops fell on the car.

Hmmm, let’s check Yr… It claimed sun in the table, but the location page said hard rain now. The map showed rain on the way. OK, I moved into the passenger seat and, sure enough, within 10-15 minutes, it’s raining hard… and I had my boiling water in my thermal water bottle, ready to pour 10 minutes before the news starts.

I tested putting boiling water into the insulated water bottle for lunch and it worked well. So, even though I “cheated” last night, I realized that filling the water bottle with boiling water early is a good idea, even if rain isn’t expected, but definitely when it is.

I’m getting good at this. :o)

I also have the spot I want. Eventually a mobile home parked beside me, but I don’t mind that. The car cameras are pointing to the rest of the parking lot, so I can watch what’s happening once I put up my privacy shield.

21.04

It’s 9pm and even lighter than at home. I just checked and the sun sets 30 minutes later.

I’m thinking I should put up my privacy shield and make my bed now, then I can write more when I’m done.

22.11

Whew!

OK, bed set up and teeth flossed and brushed. You can see by the time stamps that it took over an hour. I have the impression that it didn’t go as smoothly tonight, so I still don’t have my procedure optimized. I tried putting things on the other side this time, and for some reason, that didn’t work well.

I’ll go back to putting things behind the passenger seat again tomorrow.

After having dinner and watching the news, the weather cleared up, so I went for a short walk down to the water. There were some young boys playing in the water and listening to loud music, but there were a few shaded park benches that were reasonably dry, so I went back to the car to pick up my drawing materials and meditation kit, and sat at a table and drew several more Calvin panels. I’ve finished the first row of the page and two panels on the second row.

I have the sense that my drawing has changed a little. I’m a little slower, my lines feel less steady, but I think the drawing are as good or a little better. Of course, it’s harder to draw away from home.

After I had been drawing for quite some time, a Norwegian couple walked by and the woman realized I was drawing and came over. She was surprised to see that I was drawing a cartoon, but they were friendly. I struggle to understand Norwegian, but I spoke Danish back to them and we got by. The guy held back a little more than she did, as I would have in a similar situation, but commented as they were leaving that I must be retired.

It was a “normal” interaction that I’d just as soon avoid if I could. I just end up feeling a bit self conscious afterwards. I’m friendly enough as things happen. I just end up questioning whether it makes sense to draw as I am doing. Oh well. I won’t let it bother me.

I do end up feeling once again that I hope to avoid attracting attention as much as possible.

Day 3 - Wednesday, June 28, 2023

My first longer hike, worthy of a little editing

Portør 19.12

I didn’t sleep quite so well last night. I woke both because of noises, which I think turned out to be some dogs in the camper parked beside me, plus because I had a pretty bad headache. I also think I had some disturbing dreams, but they left my memory, thankfully.

I woke at about 5am or so and plugged in my watch and phone. The phone couldn’t connect to the car, which I spent a fair amount of energy trying to work out, but it turned out that the phone’s network connection is fairly unstable. I need to enter airplane mode and come out again to eventually get some data throughput. At least now I know that, and I was able, fitfully, to fall asleep again for an hour or so.

When I finally woke for real I was feeling better. I lay in bed for a bit. I had thought my headache might be because of bad air quality in the cabin, even though I have recycle off in camp mode, but I opened a window to see if that would help. It seemed like it did, although meant I could hear the sounds that scared me as well, plus at least one mosquito (but it never seemed to find its way through the privacy shield.

Still, I packed up the bed fairly quickly and went to use the toilets, which were locked. I then boiled some water and made my breakfast. I was going to eat on a stone by the car but I finally saw what was giving the smell of shit near the car. Not sure it if was from a dog or human, but I decided to move to a picnic table.

I spoke briefly to an older woman walking her cocker spaniel. I planned where to charge and found that I could do so very close to the hiking store I wanted to visit, so I headed off. The sun was hot today, even through Mai’s roof, and I eventually started wearing my white hat to protect myself, but before then, my scalp was really roasted.

I bought some more food, but not as much as I had planned on, as I’m afraid of how much space it requires. I decided that I will just buy more after Anna and Martin have left.

After making my purchases, I started preparing for my hike in the parking lot. I put on one of the four t-shirts I had bought and realized it was too small. It took a while, but eventually I decided to go in and exchange the other three. There was a girl behind the counter who seemed to be staring at me and I smiled at her, but that was probably just my imagination.

I drove to my hike and saw only 1 other car in the parking lot, but the guy driving it arrived from the trail and left as I was getting ready, then two more cars came while I was still in my prep phase. That was two older women, they left for the trail before I was ready.

Getting ready took a while.

I changed pants and socks, boiled water for lunch and then for coffee, put my phone on the backpack to video using my remote, and so on. Once I started walking, I reached the trailhead and studied the signs for a while. The Footpath instructions were difficult to figure out. Eventually I decided which way to head out (the first time it kept telling me the path was behind me because I went in reverse).

I only got a few 10s of meters before something seemed to bite my side. It was the hot water. I took the backpack off (more difficult than it sounds), and tightened the top. No problems after that.

It turned out to be a quite pretty hike along a dammed lake. I met the old ladies after moving through the “half way” point, so I stopped soon after to have lunch. My thermos continues to work very well for bringing hot water.

While drinking my coffee I started to review options for the rest of the day. The camping spot I had chosen didn’t really look all that good, and I really wanted to find water. I did some searching and chose a new spot for camping (a parking lot in a town called either Portør or Stubbestad).

I then found some water, after looking very closely in a location that Park4Night did not suggest, but I drove slowly and stubbornly until I found it. That saved me from driving to the location I had found and raised my confidence that I can find something similar in most Circle K locations.

I charged the car and filled my water bottles from one of the 5L jugs I had filled, that works well.

Then I drove to the camp I had chosen. That turned out to be a very good choice. The drive itself was beautiful, secluded, and exactly the kind of drive I like. The parking lot is basic, with no toilet, but at the time I arrived, only a couple of “normal” cars. Since I’ve parked, two more cars have arrived. One appears “normal” and the other, which parked directly beside me for no apparent reason, is definitely a pair of Park4Night’ers, in more of a van than a camper. They set up a table and are sitting outside, pretty much spitting distance from my window.

I figure that they just assume I’ll be leaving soon. I’m not in a rush. I’ll add my privacy screen when I’m ready to set up my bed.

I’m trying to decide if I want to eat a real meal or just a couple of protein bars. I don’t feel like boiling water and I’m not super hungry, having eaten pretty close to 15:30.

I still want to watch the news and put together the hike video. I could also draw for a while.

Day 4 - Thursday, June 29, 2023

Just the view in the middle of a short morning walk

Lillesand 13.57

I slept better last night and left two windows open, so I think my air quality theory has some value.

Tonight, however, it is raining. I’m not sure if leaving a window open will result in rain coming in. I’m considering driving further, but I’ve decided to drive to the spot I’m thinking of and then doing some research when I’m there. That will also give me a sense of what I’m comparing.

I’m at the Circle K.

I could probably find water here, but it’s raining pretty hard, so I don’t want to bother. I still have a full 5L jug and probably at least a liter or two in the one that I’ve started using, so I can wait.

I ate a protein bar for lunch while driving.

The scenery was perfect for the most of my drive up to now. Lots of small roads with no cars winding through forests and close to lakes or inlets with stony islands and cute houses. Just the kind of driving I love to do. Now I’m back into highway land and lots of cars, but I was worried that all of Southern Norway would be highways, so this morning has been a treat.

I did a little walking around Portør this morning. Only about 20 minutes, but that was fine. I wished the young couple a continued nice trip as I closed my car door to drive off, despite only having said “Good morning” to them and “hello” as they walked up to their car and I was planning my drive.

No reason not to be polite.

Farestad 19.25

When I got up it was cloudy, a bit windy, but still relatively pleasant. I went for my walk in just my t-shirt and G1000 pants. I had seen, however, that rain was promised for this afternoon, especially in the direction that I was driving, so I decided to make this a “scenic” day, as I had actually already planned, and drive on backroads, and not take any hikes.

That’s the plan I have followed and I’ve been sitting in my car for quite a while now.

I drew two panels after doing some other work and taking a short walk to find the local toilet. I’ve now watched the news and seen a couple of TED Talks.

Dinner tonight was Chili con Carne, but the water I boiled this morning had fallen to luke warm, so the meal was inappropriately chunky, which I suspect is the rice that didn’t get properly boiled, although it’s not actually easy to see. This also happened with the lunch I had the other day, although it was not quite so obvious and I just thought it was the meal I chose.

So, lesson today… either boiling exactly the right amount of water will cause the temperature to drop, or my thermos is just not strong enough to keep the water hot for many hours.

The chili (which I had tested) tasted as good as the first time I tried it, the texture was just off.

Boiling water would have been difficult with the rain, so I’m wondering if I boil a full thermos, even if I only need 200 or 300ml, if that would hold it’s heat better. I can test that tomorrow.

I’ve also tested opening the windows a bit when it’s raining and rain does come in, so I’ll have to think about that tonight. The rain is supposed to stop at about 23:00, so perhaps I can open the windows while I sleep despite the rain.

There was one other van in the parking lot (which is at a church) when I arrived, but they left after a while. Now another van has come, but while it has parked 3-4 spaces away from me, it did so with it’s side door facing me, so I feel a little on display again today. I sat, originally, in my driver’s seat, then moved to the passenger seat when I started drawing, and after dinner, moved into the back seat, which I realized gives me the opportunity to stretch out my legs while sitting up.

I’m going to try taking my bed extension out in a moment when I start drawing again, to see if that works better than the front seat.

Day 5 - Friday, June 30, 2023

Farestad 09.19

I found a cozy picnic table for breakfast. I just found a tiny spider on me (probably an aphid) which made it less cozy, but I’m trying to ignore that.

Lots of rain last night, but it stopped early enough for me to be able to vent the windows before going to sleep (and I closed them again before actually sleeping).

I woke up feeling the car was on a tilt and that I was at risk of rolling off a hill. I wondered if my tires had lost air pressure, though that seemed unlikely. It seemed a bit amazing that I had felt the car was level when I parked and set up the bed, but it was so obviously not level.

I slept well regardless. Once I packed the bed away, I checked the tire pressure (OK) and the level and the car was perfectly level. So, instead, it seemed that my bed had become slanted somehow, perhaps over the course of the night with my weight.

I will think about perhaps putting the meditation kit under my shoulders to guard against this in the future.

There were (and are) a steady stream of cars driving by the parking spot, but not enough to bother me. Maybe one every 5 minutes or so.

I’m further along in my route than I had planned, which is not a problem. I’m just not sure where I want to go next.

Should I drive all the way up to Stavanger tonight? Then I could explore where we will be when Anna and Martin arrive.

Or perhaps just get closer by stay in tiny areas like today, since Stavanger is likely to be quite crowded.

I’m not really sure.

I have tonight and tomorrow night. My plan had been to stay overnight in or close to Stavanger and then take it easy, perhaps take a shower before they arrive. They are arriving in the evening, though.

So I have plenty of time during the day to explore if I want to.

I think I will just overnight closer, then use Saturday to explore a bit.

Lyngdal 10.57

OK, now I’m charging the car at the closest charging station. There appears to be a location nearby where I can fill my water. The spots where I am parked might have such a thing too, but I can’t find it on the map.

Hellvik 14.35

OK, now I’m parked at the “camp”.

The toilet (I was warned) is just an outhouse, but although the pipe leading down is quite disgusting, otherwise it’s fairly clean. I was able to refresh my water supply, so I’m in good shape for making food. There is a train tracks nearby, but the trains that have gone by are quite quiet.

There was one camper when I arrived, and another pulled in, but now he just left again, which is a good thing, and I can see the person in the other getting his bike out (or perhaps returning it). I’m a little hungry so I’ll make food soon and then go on the hike that passes right through this spot.

It was a very pretty drive here, so I don’t regret my choice, the location is just a bit lackluster.

14.39

Actually, the guy with the bike seems to be packing it away, so he might be leaving soon. Though I hear another car arriving. Just a regular car, though…

I think they are going to go for a hike.

17.40

OK, I went for a hike. I was aiming for about 8km, but Footpath claims that I walked 7,86km. My total for today, however, is over 9km, so I’m happy.

I’m actually pretty pleased with my camp as well, now that I’m here in the evening. All the other cars have left and I’ve moved to a spot where the cameras will show anyone else who decides to park for the night as well.

The car inner temp climbed to 32C while I was walking, even though it was only 16C outside and not all that sunny. I tried venting the windows remotely, but that didn’t seem to have much impact (although, honestly, I didn’t give it much time to).

When I got back to the car I was a bit sweaty, so I changed t-shirts and took out my camp chair (first time!). I opened all the windows in the car and sat down. The windows then all shut automatically!

LOL.

I opened a door, opened the windows again, and sat back down. Then I got a warning that some of the doors were left open. Ah well, Mai is trying to help.

I’m considering subscribing to a month of premium connectivity so that I will have access to the security cameras from my phone. This could be nice when I’m out hiking as well as when I’m laying in bed. It cost 99 kr. per month, and I can just cancel again later.

I’ve also found another app that cost $4.99 a month and has a watch app that might be useful.

20.46

Yay! I finished a Calvin page. Normally, this would only take 2 days, and this week it took 5 days, but given that I’m also traveling, I’m pleased. I can see that the quality of the drawings is lower, which isn’t completely surprising. I’m also experimenting with drawing without the SketchBoardPro, even though I decided to bring it along.

A couple more vans have driven into this parking lot as I’ve been sitting here, but they generally park for a short time then leave. I think it’s the state of the toilet that they don’t like, and I don’t really blame them. I wasn’t all that keen on the spot when I arrived, but given that people keep leaving, it’s growing on me. I much prefer solitude over “beauty”.

Actually, though, given where I’ve positioned the car, I find the scenario fairly pleasing.

It’s supposed to rain tomorrow morning, and I think I can use the toilet as an overhang to boil water for my breakfast and coffee.

I’m going to go pee now, while it’s still light out, then I’ll put up my privacy shield and make the bed.

Day 6 - Saturday, July 1, 2023

Hellvik 09.12

OK, another interesting and educational evening/night last night.

I set up the bed with a sense that my head was a little lower than my feet, but using the mediation kit under my shoulders definitely helped.

I fell asleep relatively quickly, and then was woken as a light rain started. I had the windows cracked at that time, so I used the app to close them. Rain then started coming down in earnest, so I was happy to have done so.

Then, the volume and intensity of the rain increased, and I was doubly glad that I had closed my windows.

Then the volume and intensity increased again. And again. And again.

It was really interesting!

It was like, at first it was at level 1. Then level 2. Then level 10. Then level 100. Then level 1000.

I noticed that there was a part of me that was interpreting the rain as being angry, and I found myself getting anxious. I couldn’t say what I was worried about. It was just that the rain was getting a bit scary. I considered any chance that the rain could hurt me or the car, and that seemed very unlikely, but my anxiety continued.

I then started to notice my head being lower then my feet more, so I inflated my pillow support with a couple breaths. Then decided to open the deflate valve of my bed support for a few seconds, which definitely seemed to help.

Then, suddenly and completely, the rain stopped.

I actually laughed out loud. It was like the rain was mirroring my anxiety, and as soon as I had done something to help my bed my anxiety decreased and the rain reflected that.

I was able to fall asleep again and slept until about 5am, set my devices to charge, then fell asleep again until about 7am, then lay in bed for a good 30 minutes, just relaxing.

A car arrived around that time and I could hear someone get out. It turned out to be a woman with 3 dogs.

Last night I signed up for Premium Connectivity, but I had forgotten that I can’t actually use it to view the cameras when I’m in the car, so that is not as useful as I would like.

I’ll drive up to Stavanger now.

Sandnes 14.27

Whew, I’m sleepy today.

I drove up to Stavanger and charged the car, then drove a few hundred meter to a shopping mall, hoping to find someplace to sit at a table. The mall, however, did not have an “eating court”, just restaurants, and I didn’t want to buy a meal, so I sat on a bench for a while, but left before very long. I did manage to make some progress on my budget, though.

Finally I drove to the spot I had planned to sleep tonight, but I didn’t like it, so I left to try to find an alternative. I parked in a small parking lot that had “camping forbidden” signs and did a little more “research”.

I chose locations without toilets and saw a street that someone had claimed had lots of opportunities, so I drove there. I didn’t see anything, but continued for a while and eventually saw a sign for a parking lot, which is down a little dirt road. I’m parked there now.

There were a number of cars when I first came, but they’ve all left now. There is a symbol for a “badeplass” (bathing place?) a little ways away, so I’ll take a walk down there in a minute. It has been raining, but it’s not at the moment.

I’ve been sitting in the car for a bit with my eyes closed, drinking coffee and listening to Waybound.

I had some pretty significant dreams last night.

Another car arriving in the parking lot and rain starting again. I had opened the windows, but I may need to close them again.

There was a dream where I was with a group of people outdoors, doing something as a group that wasn’t entirely clear. There were several guys, all trying to “lead”, and I was trying to just let them. At one point, however, we needed to use cross country skis and I couldn’t be bothered to “wait” for the others, so I herringboned away from them and was on my own for a while.

After a bit, I came across two other women, not part of our group, who were lost or needed help or something. I tried to give some assistance and made reference to my other group, of which two or three had now caught up. A girl and a guy. For some reason, the girl said, “You are our group” and I felt touched. I said “awww” and put my head on her shoulder, but another part of me was watching and attempting to interpret what was going on.

Were the two strangers somehow in competition with this other girl?

Why was I reacting to her by putting my head on her shoulders, when I had been trying to move away from the group before?

I was semi awake at this point so I was just trying to understand the dream and my motivations.

I could see the parallel between my sense that I can’t really lead or even really feel that I’m a part of a group, and yet, my feelings of guilt about that ambivalence and surprise at being seen as part of the group nonetheless.

I have this sense of the girl who made the claim about me being the group… there is so much tied into her. Like she likes me, but she’s disappointed in me, and disappointed in herself because she thinks that I don’t like her, and she doesn’t like the guys in the group that would rather that I just leave the group, and she’s upset that I’m nice to these other women, and confused about her own feelings.

My own feelings about her and the group are really confused as well. Like the group is holding me back and doesn’t really want me around anyway, and I’m happier just being off doing my own thing, which I can do better when I’m alone, and yet… it feels nice to hear that this girl wanted me to be a part of the group that she’s in and doesn’t want to be stuck with these guys either.

And, somehow, I feel like this is saying something about my “real” life, when I prefer to be alone and feel like most people are just fine with that, but there seem to be a few that are sad about it, but I’m not sure I want to stay around just because of them.

And, I don’t know how I feel about myself for wanting to be off on my own, even though I know I can do it, and I know I can enjoy it.

This seems to be something that I’m working on a lot.

Being off driving around like this is nice and I enjoy it, even though there is a part of me that feels like that version of me in a dream, feeling a little guilty about leaving my original group behind, and feels a bit ambivalent about meeting new people.

20.10

I went for a short walk earlier. It was raining, just slightly, and I managed to walk for 24 minutes. I tried to finish a full 30 after dinner, just by walking to the toilet, but I only got to 27. So I need 3 minutes more and it’s raining harder now. I’m not sure if I’ll close that circle today. We’ll see.

I did set up a full Calvin page with text.

20.20

My food expenditure is going pretty well so far. I’m averaging just a little over 100 kr. per day for meals. I think charging is about the same.

I’m wondering if I need to set up my privacy shield tonight. There is one car left in this lot, but there are no vans or campers. The road down is a little tricky for campers, I think. I think I’ll set the bed up late and decide then.

I’ve felt a bit melancholy today. Not really lonely, but sad that I want to be alone. Soon enough (tomorrow evening), I’ll have the start of a week of company. I suspect that, after that, I’ll be happy to be alone again.

I’m a little worried about where we will sleep tomorrow night, given the rain and the fact that this is a relatively crowded area, also the hike that we’re thinking of doing on Monday is also popular, so there are likely many people who want to park and camp, so there are probably lots of land owners who act to discourage this. I don’t blame them.

No sense worrying to much about it now, though.

It’s colder today. I’ve taken my small thermometer out of the g’night/g’morning kit and put it in the back of the driver’s seat. I’m learning that I can’t trust what the app tells me that the cabin temperature is.

I currently have the A/C turned off, the temp set at 20C, and I can see that my thermometer claims it’s about 19C or so. It may be the first night that I choose to turn the heat on.

Day 7 - Sunday, July 2, 2023

Sandnes 08.45

I wonder if I’m going to miss being able to take my time in the morning. :o)

I’ve used over an hour this morning to pack up the car and prepare breakfast (which is now waiting for me). I did, however, also stow away my dirty laundry and moved other stuff from my bedding bag to the bed support, so the trunk has more space.

I’ll have to think about how to empty the frunk too…

09.34

I’ve had breakfast and started my “reorg”, but then the rain started, so I’m back in the back seat with the doors closed.

I decided to log my battery stats and I’ve used a lot of battery. I can see that, basically, having the car in camp mode, A/C or not, is what seems to use a lot of battery, because I had A/C off for most of this stop.

I’m in a bit of a strange mood today.

There seem to be lots of contributing factors.

in “waiting” mode, when I don’t really want to do much, because I need to be at the airport tonight.
aware of my inner conflicts between wanting to be alone and knowing that this is socially unacceptable to some.
just read about “emotionally unavailable” people…
in some ways, see myself in the description

10.33

Whew. OK, the rain stopped so I continued reorganizing the car. I was able to fit all the food into the plastic roller and the bag that used to be the rain kit. I put the rain pants and fleece into the backpack, and put the water tank spout cover on as well.

I think the trunk will now fit Anna’s backpack, and the frunk will fit Martin’s big duffle when I take my backpack out. I’ve moved my boots to the cabin, as well as Martin’s jet fuel.

I brushed my teeth for the first time outside the car, and shaved as well (the battery on the OneBlade died, which suggests that while the charger works, it doesn’t give a full charge).

OK, I think I am going to just walk out to the little lake and set up my camp chair and sit there for the day. It’s partly sunny and pleasant out. No rain forecast.

I don’t particularly want to go hiking or driving. I just need to charge the car before picking them up at the airport. I can draw, eat lunch, etc.

I just need to decide what to bring with me…

Coffee, lunch, jetboil, water, iPad, chair…

I could use my tote bag or just a plastic bag.

11.10

OK, I’ve moved to the lake.

11.56

I’ve actually been here for a while now, as the time stamp reflects. I don’t have a good way to secure the sun umbrella, but I found that I can just let it rest in the chair and lean against my arm, which works well.

I hear two people coming near me, but otherwise I’ve had the space to myself.

There were a fair amount of bugs at first, but I looked up what the Thermacell repels and turned it on. I must admit, it does seem to be working.

Stavanger 15.30

I’m at a Circle K now, which should have free drinking water somewhere. I’m inside because they also have free wifi and a place to sit. I’m considering vacuuming the car as well, although that’s not really necessary. Still, would be good to start the trip with a clean car for Anna and Martin.

Day 8 - Monday, July 3, 2023

Agder 08.35

OK, basically 90 minutes to start getting up to done with breakfast and having enjoyed enough of my coffee to be ready to take out my iPad.

I think about 45 minutes before the car was in sufficiently good shape for me to go out for a pee.

Anna and Martin are still in their tent. There is basically no internet access here, so I can’t write them, but I would not want to rush them anyway.

I do like having time to myself in the mornings.

I suppose I should give an update. I picked them up at about 18:35 last night at the airport. We drove a short distance, then parked to plan. We decided to drop the priest rock and go directly to the next hike, which is the one that Anna was most excited about.

That was fine with me. I was a bit worried about finding a place to camp on that side anyway.

We drove for a couple of hours then struggled to find the charging station, probably due to my entering the details wrong in the navigation, but we did find it and ate dinner for the 30 minutes while the car charged.

Then we continued on. We passed a sign mentioning the destination we wanted to go to, but followed the GPS, which got me increasingly worried. My instincts were right. The GPS took us eventually to an old dirt road before reconnecting with the paved road that we really wanted, but luckily it did not require anything detrimental to the car.

After a relatively short drive, we saw a few cars parked beside a lake with tents. Martin had been pointing at various spots saying we could park there, but this was definitely the best we had seen.

I had it in my head that we would get closer to the trailhead, but the hike is only 9km and 3 hours, so we don’t really need to be there early. We drove past the nice spot, but after a few hundred meters, decided to turn back.

The road down to where the other cars were parked had deep ruts, so I did not think the Tesla would manage it, given its very low clearance, so I just pulled to the side of the road and they walked down to pitch their tent.

Martin came back when I had finished setting up the bed and was sitting with just a t-shirt on. He needed water.

I found that the automatic trunk opening buttons don’t work, but remembered that there is a button on the inside of the trunk itself that opens the trunk, so I stretched under to find it. Then suggested that he just take the 5L jug that was only partially full.

Luckily, I had enough water in my drinking bottles to make my breakfast and coffee without resorting to the second 5L jug.

Day 9 - Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Jump… hold it!

Oh, it’s video…

Jump more slowly

Day 10 - Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Vikedal 08.23

Long day yesterday, never got time to write.

We only took a short hike and then a long drive. We discussed a lot what to do, watching the weather, and decided against Toll Tunga today, hoping instead for either Friday or Saturday, because the forecast is better for those days.

It took a long time to find a place to park for the night, but eventually found a rest area with two campers already parked, and just enough green space for their tent. I slept OK, though not really great.

Enjoying a slow start, though, as always.

09.41

I’m glad that Anna and Martin are taking a slow start too. They are still in their tent and I’ve finished both my breakfast and my coffee. Just listening to podcasts and doing small tasks.

I’ve updated the battery log to give it rows for up until Sunday.

I’m still not sure about what I’ll be doing after Anna and Martin return to Denmark, but I think I’ll be happy to have some down time, then I’ll decide then.

Quite a waterfall

BTSS (Behind the Selfie Scene)

Slow water

Nordrepollen Lake 22.26

Whew!

OK, bed set up and I’m sitting in the passenger’s front seat, because I let Anna in to see how the bed works.

She’s back in her tent now, and they are so close the door almost hits their tent when I open it, and I can vaguely hear their voices, but not what they are saying. It’s raining, as forecast, but we managed to get set up before it really started.

We’ve driven up a very secluded road based on a Park4Night recommendation, and though the drive up the road was scary, it was safe enough and well worth it.

We took a short hike today and I was quite tired and irritable. As we hiked, Anna and Martin stopped to pick blueberries and I just went ahead on my own. They were either insightful enough to leave me alone, or perhaps just needed time to themselves as well.

We’re all happy, however, to have found this spot, since finding a spot last night was really terrible.

Day 11 - Thursday, July 6, 2023

Nordrepollen lower 20.32

We had a more relaxing day today with a hike that was not very taxing but quite pretty.

We’re parked quite early and planning on getting up to be ready to leave at 7am tomorrow morning, so that we can get to the parking lot quite early for the long hike at Troll Tunga.

I’m going to set up the car now and hope to sleep quickly.

Day 12 - Friday, July 7, 2023

Day 13 - Saturday, July 8, 2023

Steinstøberget 21.37

Whew, I’m tired and glad that my week with Anna and Martin will end tomorrow. We’ve had a good time, and I’m glad that we arranged this, though it is tiring to be together all day every day. They are both easy to get along with, and both are good at taking some of the “practical” activities, like filling the water jugs. It’s mostly tiring just to have fairly little time when I can just be alone with my thoughts.

I’m curious to see what I will do when they leave. I have to do laundry. I’m out of clean socks and getting to the end of my clean underwear. Otherwise, I haven’t planned what comes next.

Day 1 - Day, Month D, YYYY

Arna 17.09

Whew…

OK, Anna and Martin are in Bergen airport and I’ve charged the car and found an area to explore for my place to park tonight.

It’s a hot day!

We spent most of the day at a beach, where they swam but I didn’t want to. I’m a little worried about having sat out in the sun all day. I’m afraid I might have burned, but we’ll see.

I need to stay in this area so that I can do laundry tomorrow morning. At the moment, I’ve just moved the car out of the sun at the Tesla charger to a shaded spot in front of a closed supermarket.

I’m feeling tired. Perhaps because I skipped my afternoon coffee, perhaps just because of the stress of ending their trip.

I intended to go to another charger, but I missed an exit and decided to just redirect to the charger in the north rather than the one in the south. Now I’m trying to figure out where I can park for the night. Based on my experiences with them, I’m thinking of just driving down some very small roads to see if I can find a spot that looks reasonable.

Anna’s video compilation video

Milde 19.14

OK, I gave up on the small roads and stopped for a bit to reconsider. Eventually, I chose a small harbor. I’ve parked and watched the news. I ate some nuts “for dinner”. I only have two meals left (Thai Chicken and Tikke Masala). I could make either of them, but I decided against it. I will buy more tomorrow.

It’ll be a rainy day tomorrow.

I need to do laundry and shop for more food. Plus I need to decide where to go next.

20.55

I’m a bit melancholy now that I’m alone again. That was sort of expected. It’s natural when I’m not sure what to do next.

Day 15 - Monday, July 10, 2023

Bergen 10.13

I keep missing my turn off in Bergen, so although I planned to go to XXL first and get breakfast there, I missed my stop and drove directly to the laundry mat.

I’ve put clothing into two separate machines and walked around the corner (in pouring rain) to a cafe. They have WiFi, so I had to run back to the car for my iPad, but now both it and the iPhone are backing up.

It’s raining hard today, as forecast. It looks as though this will be the weather for the next few days. That doesn’t really bother me, as I’m glad to have an excuse to avoid hiking for a few days.

I need to figure out, even so, what I’m going to do.

This morning I took a long time organizing the car, changing my sheets, collecting laundry, and listening to podcasts.

11.03

Laundry is drying. Still not sure where I want to go next. Even XXL… there are two I can choose between.

Perhaps I’ll go to the one I had thought of first…

12.22

OK, now I’m in Joe & the Juice in the mall I attempted to visit initially. I’m tired.

I’ve used the toilet and parked in the garage, but my laundered clothing is in the backseat, stuffed in the two pillow cases.

Luckily, the music here is subdued.

12.33

Now done eating, just the coffee left.

I look forward to getting out of the city.

Oppheim 21.33

OK, I’m out of the city. Actually, I’ve already set up my bed and I’ve been parked for at least an hour.

I’m feeling better.

I found a public swimming pool and used the shower, sauna, and pool for a short time. Probably less than 30 minutes, but it was very good.

I tried to find a place to park in that city (Voss), but gave up after a while and chose a location I found in Park4Night.

It’s raining hard and I haven’t walked my 30 minutes today, but I’m happy nevertheless.

I’ve set up a Sunday page. I’ve listened to all my downloaded podcasts. I’ve finished a book and listened to a couple more. I took a picture of a couple setting up their roof tent. I saw this as an option when I was planning my trip in Namibia. I can see the value for some, but still prefer sleeping in my car.

Day 16 - Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Lærdal 12.09

I’m feeling a little tired, even though it’s only noon.

According to my sleep app, I did not get very high quality sleep last night, though I felt like I slept OK.

Perhaps it was all the noisy cars driving by.

I’m considering taking a “scenic route” (actually listed as such) today. That means more driving than walking, which is OK with me at the moment. I am picturing something like the first night with Anna and Martin, over the top of the hills, rather than down in the valley.

I still want to find somewhere to shave, but there are a lot of cars no matter where I drive, so I’m not sure that I’ll find privacy anywhere.

I’m probably not going to close my stand circle today either. I have only earned a single hour, though perhaps I can stand a bit before driving again.

The forecast is promising rain this afternoon. Perhaps I’ll stop sometime and just draw with a nice view.

My scenic stop (before I attracted other cars)

Fv243 15.18

I’m on the “scenic route”. I stopped a ways up at a spot where there were no other cars parked. That didn’t last. My car seemed to attract other cars, and I soon had a swarm around me. I ignored them and worked on my budget until I finished it.

Mind you, it was a pretty view. I ate a protein bar and made coffee as I was leaving, which I am still drinking now.

I’ve parked fairly close to that spot, but now I’m on the “top” and it’s reasonably flat. I’ve found a spot actually “off” the road (which is to say, about 40 meters off the road, but that’s enough to make the cars pretty quiet as they wizz by). And, happily, their are neither many of them nor have any decided to stop where I am.

It started to rain around the time that I decided to stop, and it’s cozy to sit here and draw while listening to the rain.

I may stay here all night. I haven’t decided.

According to the forecast, the rain should continue until about 7pm, then stop for the night. Well, it will start again in the middle of the night, but that’s OK.

My hope is just that the spot stays empty come evening, but it wouldn’t really be a problem if someone showed up. The only real negative is the lack of a toilet, but if it’s not raining I should be able to pee without any problems.

17.21

It’s raining hard again and I’ve just finished all the text for my Sunday page.

I tried to see if I could figure out which uses less battery power… keeping the climate controls on, “dog mode”, or “camp mode”. No one really says for sure, although dog mode claimed to use 2-3% per hour and camp mode 10-15% for a night.

I finished listening to the Cradle series (not just the book, it turns out that it is explicitly the last in the series).

Now I’ve started book nine of the “kills monsters” series and a William Shatner memoir. He’s apparently 91 years old (or was when he wrote it). He still sounds the same. I would expect people to sound older when they get older, but this apparently doesn’t happen.

I’ve got another car parked behind me now, and another stopped a little up the road. My screen has turned off, however, so I can’t use the camera to watch them. They seem to be taking selfies, although this area is not all that interesting.

Shatner writes that he liked to spend his life learning.

I have made such claims myself as well, though I have not been feeling the sort of self-satisfaction he seems to be projecting as I read the book.

The car seems to be leaving now. It was filled with at least 3 guys, I think. It is interesting how men feel more intimidating to have around than women, even when they are most likely just enjoying themselves like women often seem to be.

Day 17 - Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Mai seems to like ferries

Just one big waterfall

Eidsdal 20.04

I’m parked (hopefully) for the night. Not a great spot tonight, I must admit. Just along the side of a relatively small road outside of Eidsdal. I didn’t realize until almost upon it that Mai had planned on me taking a ferry across a fjord twice today. I gave up when we approached the first and just took it. I didn’t want to take the second, though. At least not until tomorrow.

I followed Martin’s advice and drove to Geiranger today. I did drive on another scenic route or two, and they were both very pretty, but also much more crowded than the one I tried last night and this morning.

Oh well.

Today, however, I’m starting to feel that I’m falling into the behavior that I was a bit afraid of. That is, just driving. Planning where to charge and where to stay. Doing my best to avoid getting out of the car. Not planning on any hikes.

Of course, it has been raining most of the day. The rain has been chasing me. I’d get ahead of it. Stop to take a picture and it would start raining before I made it back into the car. It’s sunny right now, but there are still rain drops on the car from the last shower, which came as I had just managed to boil water for dinner.

The problem with all these people around is that I don’t like myself. When I’m mostly alone, I like myself fine. But when there are lots of other people around, I find them annoying and then I consider myself grumpy.

Sigh.

Of course, when traveling with Mai, I need roads. Someone has to have made the roads. They generally don’t make roads unless they expect multiple people to drive on them. So it’s not really likely that I’ll have any given road all to myself.

Having Martin and Anna with me did give me other things to do, but it was also tiring. The last day I was pretty out of it. I let myself sit on the beach and burn.

The hikes were not something I would have done on my own. I don’t really have a feeling of accomplishment, however. They were just something that I had to try to complete.

I’m drawing some again. It’s a bit difficult in the car, but it gives me something to do.

Day 18 - Thursday, July 13, 2023

Eidsdal 10.01

I woke up (after 100% sleep quality) a bit grumpy this morning.

I had had a dream about being back in a college apartment after having been away for a long time. My postbox was crammed with letters and junk. I had an old bike that I was bringing in. As I was filling my arms with mail, someone official told me that I could not bring the bike inside. I brought it outside and tried to decide where to park it, feeling confident that it would be stolen and I wasn’t even sure if I still had the key to the lock. I examined the bike and did not recognize it.

I woke to rain, which did not negatively effect my mood. I was just feeling grumpy for some reason.

I left camp after breakfast and drove to the ferry and drove directly on board. Not the last car but there was no one behind me as I drove on and I just drove in after the last car driving on. A very different experience than taking the ferry to Bornholm.

I’m not sure how long this ferry trip will be, but the last one was so fast that I thought we had not yet left when we were pulling into to the dock.

I’m assuming that I am paying through my SkyttelPASS, as no one has asked for payment. It’s very efficient.

I’m still not sure where I’ll be heading today, but the rain continues, so I don’t have any desire to hike.

My lovely camp site

Dalholen 14.37

After driving for a charge, I pulled off the road at a random spot by a small river/large stream. I had noticed that such places existed and started to consider them a good spot for “camp”, even though it’s really too early for camp. But it’s raining fairly hard and will continue to do so for the rest of the day, so I figured, “why not?”. I can stay here and draw.

I have access to internet in both the car and my iPhone, so I can watch the news, check weather, perhaps do some research regarding what to do next. I hear an occasional car drive by, but it’s not disturbing.

I might struggle to boil water, but I’ve managed to use the umbrella effectively in the past.

This morning I managed to boil water during a pause in the rain that was ending. I got the hot water and stove into the car and poured it into my thermos. I had been remiss in really securing the top of the boiler, however, and poured a fair amount onto my leg. That got a verbal response!

Luckily I had, for once, decided not to boil it completely, so I didn’t burn myself. More of a shock really.

I still had enough water to make my breakfast and coffee, though, so no big deal.

After the ferry, I told Mai to drive to the furthest town in the direction I wanted to go in that she was drive, then continued on that road, which I’m beginning to learn is usually a good road even if she refuses to drive on it. It turned out to be a quite famous road, so lots of cars again, but I’m glad I saw it. I didn’t take any pictures and didn’t get out of the car. It was just for me.

I did take a short video in the car of a waterfall, but having just looked at it, I’m less impressed.

I haven’t shaved since just before I picked up Anna and Martin, and even then I didn’t shave my chin and upper lip. My beard does not seem to have the same gaps it always had before. At least, they are not quite so obvious if I do have them.

I’ll let it go for a while.

19.48

The rain stopped just in time for me to boil water for dinner. I was getting hungry!

It’s also stopped now and may hold off for a little while. I hope to pee before it starts again, but I don’t need to now.

I finished drawing my Sunday page… Oh, yea, I need to put it into Pages. I’ll do that, back in a minute.

20.12

OK, I put in my drawing.

I’m glad to be on my own again, although I definitely enjoyed having Anna and Martin along, plus I learned a lot that I would not have known on my own. I definitely saved by having them along, since they will help pay some of the charging and toll cost which is really the same whether they were in the car or not, plus I learned how to save a lot of money on food.

I need to decide what I want to do next, though.

I’m considering driving over to Sweden, although it doesn’t seem quite so exciting as Norway.

It’s true that Norway has much more impressive scenery. But if Sweden has fewer people, that is definitely attractive.

Listening to books often suggests various things that I want to do. Mostly, however, in terms of how I want to think about myself. Listening to Will Shatner is a bit like listening to Uncle Bob. He has the same twinkle in his eye and treats himself compassionately. Listening to Kills Monsters reminds me of how that author has put his main character in a position where he can continually exercise power, either in a good way or in a way that he comes to regret, although mostly he’s written to be admirable.

So, in both cases, I find myself tempted to write my own story (not necessarily as a book, just as I’m talking to myself in my own mind) to make myself look good.

Why not do that?

I’m afraid that doing it will lead me to blind spots.

Day 19 - Friday, July 14, 2023

Alvdal 11.36

I slept well, though woke feeling physically beat… I’m guessing because I’m spending most of my days now either sitting or laying down.

I started out thinking that I would go for a hike, but when I got to the spot where I had been thinking of hiking, I decided against it. Instead, I planned my trip to the charger after the next charger, and saw there is a slower route that looked more interesting.

I’m now at the start of that route, and I’m intimidated. It looks like a dirt road and I’m not sure that Mai can do it. Mai, however, for once, does show a route through it, so she’s more willing than me for once. I think I should try it, but I drove back out to the big road to think about it.

OK, what the hell. I’ll give it a shot.

Elverum 16.21

OK, I survived. I took the scary dirt road and survived.

Actually, it turned out to be not all that scary. Just a little scary. I passed a car or two parked along the side of the road, presumably camping. I passed several couples hiking. The first, thankfully, included an older gentleman who took of his hat in greeting. The others looked less impressed, but I felt like he was acknowledging my daring do.

The dirt road was otherwise free of vehicles, which I was happy about, because it wasn’t very wide and it was very steep. Since then I’ve attempted to avoid the larger roads when I could.

I’m in a town called Elverum now and I’ve bought a couple more meals. I now have 3 breakfasts and 4 dinners, plus about 6 protein bars. I’m also finally in a town with partly cloudy weather and sun rather than rain.

I’m sitting at a picnic table above the main street where I parked and found the sport store.

I’m considering returning to the sports store to use the facilities that were in the same building which I hadn’t thought I needed but I discovered I was wrong as soon as I sat down.

Mai still has 57% battery, so I could drive on, but I don’t have a plan for where to drive to. I’m thinking that perhaps I’ll find a more comfortable picnic table (this one slants a bit). I could try to find somewhere to sleep close to this town, which has 3 Tesla chargers nearby, then charge in the morning.

I’ve been listening to Will Shatner’s book. He claimed to never have an inner dialog, to the point of not really knowing what this means. He reminds me a little of my dad. He admits to having killed a bear for a TV hunting show, and now seeing it as the most disgraceful thing that he’s done. I have the sense that he was a difficult person to be around because of his lack of internal dialog and understanding of what damage he might be doing to the people around him. Still, he’s entertaining to listen to.

16.56

OK, mission accomplished. I used the toilet and got a fleece, then came back to the picnic table.

That may sound easy, but using the toilet required a code. I had to have the wits to go back to the store where I had bought the Turmat and muster the courage to ask for the code. The shop girl answered in English, so my Danish wasn’t fooling her.

Now I’ve split the next Calvin page and drawn the panel borders. Next step is to create the Ps docs and text guides.

The challenge I face, having achieved financial security (of a sort) and decided not to work any more (which many would envy, although many also say they would never do because they love their work so much), is to figure out what I want to do.

I’ve now succeeded in setting up Mai so that I can manage to just drive around aimlessly, park someplace and sleep comfortably for the night, and drive around some more.

It is what I set out to do and it had it’s challenges. I’m very pleased with the solutions I’ve come up with. I’m just not sure it is what I really want to do.

I can sense that I feel people are watching. I feel some pressure to pull myself out of depression, if that’s what I’m suffering.

My instinct now is just to head back home. I can do it slowly. Drive a few hours each day. Find someplace to park. Draw, write, listen to audiobooks. Watch the news and make dinner. That’s similar to what I do when I’m home. The only real difference is that I don’t have piano to practice here.

One hope I had, in setting out, was that I would be more likely to take longer walks each day.

One fear I had, before setting out, was that I might just spend my days driving from charger to charger.

That’s mostly what I’ve been doing since Martin and Anna left. The rain has played a big part in that, though it’s sunny and pleasant now.

I’m still in the same position as before, though. I don’t have much reason to go for a hike. I don’t particularly feel motivated to do so.

Will also pointed out that boredom is something that people have to deal with. He mentioned that a comedian put this idea in a standup routine, saying that when your 5 and your bored, you lose control of your muscles and you lie on the ground. When you’re an adult, you’re able to stay standing even when you’re bored.

Skogbygda 19.11

My first choice for an area to search for a place to park for tonight was actually a military ground for testing artillery. I decided not to go ahead with that plan, even though the roads were actually open.

Instead, I drove further south, then took a risk driving up a dirt road off a smaller than normal paved road.

I eventually came across a woman walking her dog, and shortly after decided that driving further would likely lead to scratches on the doors. I was able to turn around, and parked in a relatively open area… quite close to the tracks that could hardly be called a road. I checked the weather and rain is only promised at about 10am tomorrow, so I expect to be able to exit before things start getting muddy tomorrow.

I’ve had my dinner and watched the news. I finished reading one book.

There are a lot of bugs outside, so I’m sitting indoors. I could, however, find my bug repellant and sit outside. It’s nice. I’m going to try that.

19.24

OK, I’m sitting outside. I have the bug repellent on and underneath me. I am sitting on my camp chair with my hiking chair acting as a foot rest. Probably still limited how healthy this is, but at least it is different than sitting in the car.

There is a mosquito sitting on the car, so I’m not sure how effective the repellant is, but at least it’s not on me.

It’s a calm, fairly warm evening. 17C. There are puffy white clouds, sun behind enough evergreens that none of it is touching me. It’s very quiet, although the sound of some noisy motorcycles (I’m assuming) has only recently faded away. I can hear cars if I listen carefully.

I’ve moved the repellant to the right of my lap, just to give it as much chance to work as possible. There is only the slightest of breezes.

This is actually fairly nice, I must admit. Even if the last few days have left me wondering whether I am going to figure this out as a way to spend time. I’m still not sure. I’m still not hiking.

I’m going to continue working on the Calvin page setup.

Day 20 - Saturday, July 15, 2023

Skogbygda 07.10

I’m up early today.

I woke between 5 and 6am feeling not quite ready to get up, but not needing to sleep. I listened to a podcast and then got up.

I realized that having a place that I know has no other people around really helps!

I tore down the privacy shield earlier in my process than normally, and switched the suction cups and clamps so that setting it up shiny side in will fit better, after my experiment last night with setting it up shiny side out showed that that direction worked better. In bed, I realized that I could screw off the suction cups.

I’m trying to decide if I should shave at all, since this is finally a spot when I could. I’m thinking, however, that maybe I won’t bother. Let’s see what my beard looks like if I just let it grow for a while. Same with the hair on the back of my head.

I have been reflecting on how being around lots of people makes me feel under threat. That seems to come both from the fear that the people will “attack” in some way, and that I feel that I’m somehow deficient by feeling threatened.

08.31

OK, so I’ve had my breakfast and done my budget for last week. Now I’m starting to think about where to drive next. I’ve been heading south, and I want to avoid populated areas. I chose a logical charger and I can see that it’s in Sweden.

Hmmmm.

OK, so how about driving into Sweden and trying to take relatively unpopulated routes, hopefully that will mean being able to find isolated locations to sleep. I might not find nice hiking routes, but I haven’t really been seeking them anyway. I can cut loses and head home whenever I like.

I’m actually still quite far north. At the moment, I’m further north than Stockholm and would still be after driving to the next charger. It will be raining, but that’s OK.

The advantage is that I’ll gain more experience with Sweden too. Perhaps I’ll like carmping in Sweden more than in Norway.

I’m going to give that a shot.

Ironically, I’ve already mentioned this possibility to Martin, but I still feel like I am just deciding to do this now.

Töcksmark 12.21

OK, here I am again. I can see that I’m just south of Oslo and about as far north as Stockholm, but I could be home by 6:30pm if I just drive direct. The weather is grey and a little rainy.

I’m parked in a shopping center after just having charged the car.

Do I follow my plan and find a place to “camp” for the night, or just drive home?

Let’s do a normal pros and cons list.

Pros to driving home:

Home is comfortable
I don’t feel particularly excited about staying out any longer

Cons to driving home:

I’ll feel embarrassed about “cutting my trip short”
I won’t actually use the opportunity to try carmping in Sweden.

OK, I’m thinking of heading home.

12.52

Well, I started driving, but then realized I was driving first north and then east. After considering, I realized that it was going to route me through Goteburg, and I’ve already been there and would rather avoid it.

So I’ve pulled off the road and decided to drive more directly east, then south to Jönköping, where my great grandmother apparently came from. I’ve plotted a couple of midpoints, just to make sure I take reasonable roads, and I can decide where to charge (several options and plenty of battery).

If I decide to spend the night somewhere, fine.

Mantorp 17.26

I’m further along, but still haven’t decided what to do. I’m getting tired from driving, but still considering going straight home.

On the other hand, I’m charging to 90% now, so I can also stop along the way, sleep, and drive home tomorrow.

I honestly don’t know which I’ll choose.

It looks like, if I drive home now, I won’t be there until about 10pm.

That’s not a disaster, just not sure I want to push myself that much.

17.35

OK, I checked and it’s at least a 4 hour drive home, plus I’ll need another charge, which I don’t want to do, so I’ve successfully ensured that I need to overnight here in Sweden.

I’m thinking that, on my next trip, I could try driving up through Sweden fairly high north before moving across to Norway. Assuming I want to do that.

Otherwise, I can still consider whether this type of trip is really for me and consider selling the car. We’ll see.

Outside Hisinge 21.03

Whew. OK, I’m parked in my camp for the night. I haven’t set up my privacy shield, but I have finished dinner.

I drove to a 5 star Park4Night location, but it was on a golf course and I couldn’t see anywhere that I could actually park. It had sounded like a picnic spot. Luckily, I had seen a location very close, about 12km before turning off the main road to the Park4Night location, and that itself was only about 1km away from the golf course, so it didn’t take too long to get back to my alternative.

Thanks to my experience last night, I trusted myself to drive down a dirt road, even though it was quite overgrown. I passed at least one private road off the main path, but eventually came to a clearing that is clearly wide enough for me to park out of the way of anyone else driving and appears to have left over fire coals from at least one other camper.

Lots of bugs, but I managed to boil my water and escape with only one bug in the cabin. Actually, there were two, but I got the biggest out immediately, and I’ve already killed the smaller one.

Hmmm, I think I can hear one more mosquito, although I can’t say if it’s inside or outside. I’ll have to hunt for it later.

I currently have 52% battery and Mai suggests stopping in Helsingborg to charge up. I doubt I’ll be able to make it that far after spending the night here, but the closest charger should only require about 10% charge to get to, so I feel safe.

So tomorrow I will be home again. I’ve cut my trip short by nearly a week, but I still consider it a success.

I look forward to doing a retrospective when I’ve had time to recover and get reacclimatized to being home.

Day 21 - Sunday, July 16, 2023

Outside Hisinge 08.45

I’ve woken up in a surprisingly good mood.

It started raining, as promised last night and woke me a few times, but I was able to sleep again.

The rain is promised to continue here until noon, so I devised a way to hold my umbrella while both peeing (keep in mind I need two hands to buckle up) and boiling water for my breakfast and coffee.

Now I’m in the car and about to eat. Feeling happy to be on my way home today.

Wasn’t that one of my goals? To appreciate being home more?

Markaryd 10.20

I’m at the first charger. I’m not sure if I’ll use a second charger or not.

The sun is out where I am now, which is nice.

I am about 2 hours from home, plus I have 30 minutes left to charge. I’m guessing 2 hours driving will leave me with close to 50% battery, so I probably won’t charge again. Instead, I’ll take a scenic route to avoid highways that I’ve already driven on.

Copenhagen 15.10

I’m happily home on a single charge (car battery at 50% I believe… yes, 50% and 233 km). I’ve only started to unpack, but I’m laying on the sofa now, having eaten lunch (J&J) and drunk my own coffee (Toto Two). I feel like I could use a nap, but also wanted to write a bit.

It’s windy here, and fairly hot as the sun has been shining, but at least it’s not raining.

I have unpacked the SketchBoardPro carrying case and upgrade kit, but I’ll work on it later.

Right now, I think I’m ready for that nap.

16.06

The nap was indeed very nice. I was forced up by a slamming coming from my bedroom. Given the wind, it seemed like it must be the door that I had opened to cool off the apartment, but I thought I had closed it. Nope. I have now.

Now I’m back on the sofa and feeling very tired again.

I am thinking about how I don’t know what I want to do with my life, but how I don’t want to tell anyone, because I’m afraid that they will suggest something. I don’t know what to do, but I don’t want anyone else to decide for me.

I’m feeling so tired now.

19.54

I’ve been out shopping, made a simple dinner, watched the news, and just watched the last set of the Wimbledon final. It reminded me a bit of reading Kills Monsters, because that is the sort of world that these sports elites live in, I imagine.

My feet and legs are quite tired, despite the fact that I haven’t actually walked much today.

I find myself wondering, once again, what can ignite a passion for me again.

I’ll have to do a “retrospective” for the trip. Or, rather, I do want to. I’m quite pleased with my ability to sleep in the car, and by the end, my ability to locate sites that suit me best. What I’m not so happy about is that I don’t feel so motivated to hike, and I end up just driving from spot to spot eventually, which then just encourages me to head home.

Maybe that’s not so bad, I suppose, since I’m happy to be home.