We had a nice time this year, although slightly different than back in the old days when Easter would mean days of skiing in the mountains, a lovely panda face in the end and loads of Kvikk Lunsj, the staple diet of every Easter outing for generations here in Norway . With the recent increase in the family household, longer journeys were out of the question. I guess you could say that I have been through a transition from week-long trips, to weekend warrior, and now ultimately, to a day-trip trooper.
So day tripping is what I did. And I have eaten a lot of Kvikk Lunsj.
Since last Easter, two new toys have been aquired. A packraft and a Salsa Fargo. Both were put to use.
The packraft was brought along on a visit to my family and I could "sneak" off for a few hours, playing with the boat in windy conditions and down a slow-flowing river. The water level was really low, and my poor boat suffered a few scratches. I think I could see a few smiles on the faces of the locals, out for a sunday stroll, as they admired my elegant scootching down river...
Hardly epic by any standards, but at least I am getting out there :)
I also went for a quick overnighter with my Fargo. Mainly to try out my bikepackingbags, and get a feel for what goes where in the packing process. I was happy to see that the handling of the bike was not affected in any major way by the bags and their contents. I didn`t ride very far this time, just to a local forest where I planned on staying in a shelter. Quite a memorable night with a small bonfire, hot cocoa and finishing off a crime novel (compulsory during Easter, at least in Norway)
In fact I have been pouring over maps, and have found that there are lots of interesting places to ride in a 2 hour radius from my home. Once the kids have gone to bed, I can scoot off, ride for a few hours, camp outside in my tarp and come back home the next morning, refreshed and ready for a new day.
I will finish this post with a few images from previous winter trips. As our kids grow older we hope to instill the same love of the outdoors that we have, and I sincerely hope that they will join me and my wife on adventures to come.
Easter 2007, Narvik, Norway
Towards Skålatårnet, Stryn, Norway, 2008
Typical springtime skiing.. Bergsdalen, Norway, 2008
