There was no getting around it: I had to make a lot of miles (or kilometers) today. The Hoga Kusten is such a beautiful place to leave behind, but there was still a lot of space between me and the true North. So I headed back out on the E4 and off to Umea and Pitea.

400 km to go, which maybe doesn't sound like a lot, but I wasn't that enthusiastic about it. There's a north wind coming in from the Gulf of Bothnia and it has been getting noticeably colder, we're down to 10 C now. Maybe it's to do with the change of season. Autumn has definitely taken hold, rain and high winds are becoming a nuisance.

Anyway, I'd put on my cold weather and rain gear, so the first 200 km to Umea were done in reasonable comfort, even though there were a few formidable rain showers. When I made it to Umea, I took an extended lunch break. Not that Umea is much to speak of. The Swedish towns on the coast seem to lose their sparkle north of Stockholm. They're practical towns mostly and not that nice to look at.

And off it was for the second part of the ride. The next 100 km's proved to be quite arduous, because of slow traffic (the highway has turned into a B-route now) and extensive roadworks. The roadworks were interesting. Instead of the diverting you to another part of the road or another road even, they just took the road away. That's right, 50+ km's of dirt and gravel in the cold rain. I was very glad I had switched to a BMW GS earlier this year. The GS handled the muddy gravel with relative ease and it performed perfectly. It might also have helped that I put on some decent tires before the trip. Got quite dirty though.

After that, it was plain sailing to Pitea, though a long haul. On these long rides, in between being pounded by wind, rain and heavy terrain, I like to keep myself busy by stacking up the 'mental jukebox'. I love music and there are always some songs playing in my mind. On those long rides these can amount to a complete songbook, road-themed and all. To illustrate, I have made a Spotify playlist of today's mental jukebox, check it out at your own peril at:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5fviLavYz8nIGc846xeMyn?si=hpHOyyXtTiuTzo5vMpij2g&utm_source=native-share-menu 

For now, after finally reaching Pitea, I've ended up at motel 'Big Bug'. Well, it's not really called that, but let's say I've got my suspicions. On trips like these, the budget is spread thin, so beggars can't be choosers. It's a long way from the idyllic vistas of the High Coast. Oh well, let's hope for the best. At least they have some form of breakfast, I've been told....