Day Four - Jönköping to Växjö (85mi)
This was as near to a perfect route as possible today. There was pavement, gravel, jeep trails, and a little bit of bushwhacking on the 85 mile ride. This doesn’t even mention all the lakes and wildlife we saw along the way. It was a really good follow up from a challenging day yesterday.
We climbed out of Jönköping and were promptly treated to a jeep trail. When in a foreign country, going off the pavement is always a mystery. This was no exception. We were treated to a beautiful bog and massive heaps of moss everywhere.
There was a gate with an indecipherable sign, and these are mostly to keep power vehicles out. We traversed through and ended up at a small community of lake homes with friendly people and less friendly dogs. Before long we turned onto the pavement again and were treated to a massive patch of lupine flowers. These would be everywhere all day long!
The gravel sections were very rideable and gorgeous, taking us through lakes and cabins in the heart of Sweden.
I feel really good about my choice of Teravail Rampart 700x42 Durable tires for this trip. They are handling everything super well, while rolling fast.
This area is also home to many farms, all with their own character and functional design. I just love these places. This one was my favorite.
We saw wild hare, a triplet of huge birds that appeared to be some kind of turkey, and a handful of deer along the way. A pack of excited cows chased us along the fence line. I thought the bull was going to jump over, he was so excited or angry.
After a longer section of gravel we came across this amazing lake with a dock and swimming platform. Just amazing. The lakes remind me of northern Minnesota.
Before entering the Växjö municipality we found this amazing old church with a cemetery. It was full of Johansson’s and Peterson’s. It was beautiful in the evening light.
Wrapping up the ride, there was a beautiful country road, lined with trees, as we strolled into town. It was an absolutely lovely day in the countryside of Sweden. There is much to love about this place.
