Northern Lights or Bust!

[Silver-Fox]

You would not believe the roadworks in Kiruna - all the roads dug up, hardly any signs - ended up being stuck in an industrial estate unable to find a way out for about 40 minutes

However, in the end I did find and fill up the gas - scruffy place but who cares - does the job. Now parked as per your recommendation pin a stellplatze just down the road by a lake - just squeezed into the last spot.

Clear sky but no aurora tonight. Tomorrow I will move to the other spot you PM'd me about

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Looks like the bloke in the photo can’t believe what a big boy you are

 

[The general]

Looks like the bloke in the photo can’t believe what a big boy you are

Ref roadworks , that because they are moving the roads away from the slipping ground that is collapsing into the open cast mining workings , hope you checked out wooden church they hope to move ? Pic , near norwe

 

[The general]

Norwegian border

 

[ceejayt]

So, bit of an issue today - I brought the electric bike with me and TWO batteries - and both batteries have failed - one last week and the other one today - three or four years old but wasn't prepared for that. I am parked in a great place and a few KM to town which I would normally cycle but trying too cycle an unpowered electric bike is like pushing water up hill.

Was going to stay here another day, cannot face trying to manooveur round the Kiruna roadworks again so may just head off. Need to find a bike shop and either get a new battery ir maybe a cheap standard bike which I can pass to the grandkids when I get home.

Exacerbated that I also like to walk but seem to have hurt a muscle in my leg -fine for cycling but limp like an old man when walking!

So, thinking cap on

 

[ceejayt]

OK

I have time - I am going to head off and take the E45 North a little way and have an explore up there - then probably head across and try to get into Norway and see if they will let me in.

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[The general]

You won’t be disappointed in the ride uptowards norway the scenery is ace plus lack of people

 

[Sunnyb]

So, bit of an issue today - I brought the electric bike with me and TWO batteries - and both batteries have failed - one last week and the other one today - three or four years old but wasn't prepared for that. I am parked in a great place and a few KM to town which I would normally cycle but trying too cycle an unpowered electric bike is like pushing water up hill.

Was going to stay here another day, cannot face trying to manooveur round the Kiruna roadworks again so may just head off. Need to find a bike shop and either get a new battery ir maybe a cheap standard bike which I can pass to the grandkids when I get home.

Exacerbated that I also like to walk but seem to have hurt a muscle in my leg -fine for cycling but limp like an old man when walking!

So, thinking cap on

Yes you are right about electric bikes - they are way heavier than non-ebikes! But great when they are working...

 

[Rachelc]

What a pain about the electric bikes, good luck with your onwards journey!

 

[ceejayt]

Not turning out to be my day after all - got to a great spot - all on my own and thought - great, will get out the drone. Took some amazing photos and none of them came out - drone camera seems to be b***ered!

Was working before I left - have spent a couple of hours trying to work out what is wrong to no avail. Going outside now for a good swear!!!!!

 

[mid4did]

I know nothing about drones,yet.Possibly the sd card ? Needs reseating or formatting ?

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[ceejayt]

I know nothing about drones,yet.Possibly the sd card ? Needs reseating or formatting ?

Tried everything, even updated the firmware. Definitely a repair job. I might be able to get some screenshots though. Won’t be as good but better than nothing. Will try in the morning.

just BBQing some sausages. That will cheer me up for sure

 

[Littlewheels]

just BBQing some sausages. That will cheer me up for sure

Hmm Sausages and a Bud that should do the trick

 

[ceejayt]

Hmm Sausages and a Bud that should do the trick

Guaranteed!

 

[ceejayt]

So, here's the day in a few photos

Restplatz by the lake is amazing - thanks for the recommendation Leftlegger ! All on my own. by the lake - what a spot. No drone photos I'm afraid.

Had a pizza on the way here just off the E45 and a lovely sunny drive to this spot. Finished the day off with a BBQ and will probably do myself some bacon in the morning down by the lake. Continuing North tomorrow.

Look carefully and you can just seem me through the trees - bit like where's Wally!!

 

[bobnick]

So, here's the day in a few photos

Restplatz by the lake is amazing - thanks for the recommendation Leftlegger ! All on my own. by the lake - what a spot. No drone photos I'm afraid.

Had a pizza on the way here just off the E45 and a lovely sunny drive to this spot. Finished the day off with a BBQ and will probably do myself some bacon in the morning down by the lake. Continuing North tomorrow.

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Look carefully and you can just seem me through the trees - bit like where's Wally!!

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You know how to rough eh. On the bike thing, hold tight i am bringing my Goldwing for you to use. Stick it in that garage of yours when you are done with it

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[ceejayt]

You know how to rough eh. On the bike thing, hold tight i am bringing my Goldwing for you to use. Stick it in that garage of yours when you are done with it

Made me laugh out loud!

 

[ceejayt]

Short drive today has brought men to Karesuando on the Swedish Finnish border and I have stopped at the camping. I walked over the bridge into Finland and couldn't see any border control - will try crossing tomorrow to get to Norway but did just read this on they Finnish website...

Those wishing to cross the internal border must use border crossing points where border control has been reinstated. Crossing the border in other places is not permitted without a border crossing permit.

Might have to feign ignorance If I'm stopped then it will be back down the E45 and try a direct Seden Norway border and failing that I guess it is home again home again jiggety jig!

There was a 20% chance of seeing the lights last night where I was camping so I was in and out of the motorhome camera in hand every half hour until about 11:30 but no luck. Further North again now so fingers crossed for tonight.

 

[125BEER]

Have you got time to isolate including the time you have been driving etc before entering Norway??If that is possible.

 

[ceejayt]

Have you got time to isolate including the time you have been driving etc before entering Norway??If that is possible.

So, I think I can say I have been away14 days with 7 of them in the yellow zone of Sweden. All I can do is try it and see

 

[ceejayt]

I can make Tromso in o e drive tomorrow if they let me go straight through Finland

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[mid4did]

We stopped and had a think about it just at that sign worth the drive for a selfie
All we saw was a single cone in the middle of the road on the finland side.When we pulled up the border control policewoman came of the hut on the right.Fingers crossed for you though.
Don,t be disheartened it,ll be worth the wait.We could still see them 300 miles south of you at kp4 on the way back.I,ll find the coordinates for

that for you.
It,s KP2 forecast for the next few days but you are in the area where all you need is kp2 to see the lights.What I did was to take a few shots of the sky at different angles from NE to NW, focus to infinity 5 secs at about iso 1600.The camera will pick them up for you.Not sure how low you can go but f 2.8 to f3.5 up the iso or seconds accordingly.
This is from the E45 the short drive to a lake facing North. I could park and turn there easily at 6.4 metres.
N 68.122498 E 21.752501

 

[mid4did]

Better forecast for the coming days,worth planning ahead for a clear sky location

,if possible.

 

[ceejayt]

Agreed - I am watching it too on the app. No chance tonight in Karasuendo - too much cloud.

 

[Wanderlust]

Really enjoying a voyuer trip to the northerly bits, thanks for posting, two ebike batteries so quickly? I presume inverter is not having a moment, seems awfully quick for two to go together like that.
Safe travels

 

[ceejayt]

Really enjoying a voyuer trip to the northerly bits, thanks for posting, two ebike batteries so quickly? I presume inverter is not having a moment, seems awfully quick for two to go together like that.
Safe travels

3kw inverter is running everything fine, microwave, coffee machine, laptop etc. I think a combination of age, cold and ‘strain’. Cycling on the flat is OK but sustained gradient and it switches off. Web search suggests battery is knackered but it could be the bike itself.

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[Silver-Fox]

Great trip

Can I ask those that know about the Northern Lights.

Do you get to see all the swirling greens etc with the naked eye.

When we were in Iceland we went on a lights excursion and was told where they were.
All I saw was some whisppy cloud that didn’t look green to me

 

[mid4did]

Great trip

Can I ask those that know about the Northern Lights.

Do you get to see all the swirling greens etc with the naked eye.

When we were in Iceland we went on a lights excursion and was told where they were.
All I saw was some whisppy cloud that didn’t look green to me

Yes thats what we found at first,just clouds moving around quickly to start then brightening.
I think the darker the sky the more you can see the colours.Only what I think.We could see greens and reds in a dark sky site but when the full moon was up a week later they were faded.

 

[busby]

3kw inverter is running everything fine, microwave, coffee machine, laptop I think a combination of age, cold and ‘strain’. Cycling on the flat is OK but sustained gradient and it switches off. Web search suggests battery is knackered but it could be the bike itself.

I am the same, ok on the flat but struggle a bit on the hills ,bikes are new this year so it must be me.. BUSBY.

 

[ceejayt]

Set off today from Karesuando - the most Northerly town in Sweden, right on the Finnish border. Only one way to find out if they would let me in - drove across the bridge - no one stopped me and there I was in Finland!

Headed off towards Tromso, weather went from bad to worse - snow on the hills, slush on the road and temperatures just above freezing. A lorry driver kindly (!) knocked my passenger mirror with hi - not sure whether one or both of us was at fault - either way, cracked the casing but thankfully the mirror is fine and the electric still working on it. Would have been a blow to lose that mirror.

Came straight through from Finland to Norway and into Tromso (Got a text as I arrived in Norway saying I would probably have to isolate for 10 days and a link to get a test - ignoring that for sure.) - lightning and storm - no Northern lights tonight. Amazing wifi here at the site which is really well organised - was getting 132Mbps at one point.

Have spent the last couple of hours reworking the route home (see next post). Couple of bleak photos from todays travels...

Snow on them there hills!

 

[ceejayt]

So, new plan given the weather - still a chance I can see the lights in the next few days if the weather clears.

From Tromso heading to Narvik and then to the Lofoten islands. Ferry back across and then South through Oslo, Gothenburg, Denmark, Germany and home.

Provisional stopping spots as per the image.

This way I get to see some of Norway - even if I don't see the lights I have had a good recce of Scandinavia and know which places I would come back to next time.

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