There i was, trying to sleep in this dirt field on the edge of Arvika and at around 3am i started to hear the drops of a light sprinkle of rain. I laid there for a few minutes trying to decide what to do about it. Should i try to sleep longer and risk the rain getting heavier? Or, should i give up some sleep and pack up before the entire field turns to mud. I had already gotten my brand new white shoes pretty dirty just from walking cross the dirt, i didn't want to make them any worse trying to deal with mud.
So i got up, i packed up my sleeping stuff and headed to the road. My goal for the day was to get near Katrineholm. I wasn't going to make it all the way there, but i wanted to make some good miles towards it. Over the first 20-25 miles the rain got harder. The road i was on was hilly and the rain made everything worse. It was the most miserable thing i think i've dealt with (even worse than old men snoring in an echo chamber of a building all night long). Riding in the rain doesn't have to be horrible. But at 4am with all that gear and over annoying hills on a roughly paved road with cars and trucks passing every couple minutes it's completely miserable.
So after 20 miles or so i came to a sheltered bus stop and figured i'd wait out the rain. There was a bus schedule posted and it said (i think) that there was a bus coming at 10:45 that goes to Karlstad, the next big city. I made a deal with myself, if the rain stopped and the sun came out before the bus got there i would get back on the bike. If not, i'd take the bus to Karlstad and decide what to do from there. That was at 6am. I had FIVE hours to wait in the rain. Luckily the bus shelter was facing with the closed side towards the wind and rain so i laid down and repacked my bags that i hurriedly packed in the morning. I took some video of the rain falling and the wind blowing. I listened to some podcasts. The 5 hours went surprisingly fast. At around 10:30, when the rain showed no signs of stopping, i changed my clothes and got everything ready for the bus. I think i mentioned my fear of buses before. I hate them. I never know which one to take, or what the rules are, or how to pay for them, or when to get off. I was afraid this one wouldn't let me take my bicycle on it.
At 10:43 i saw a little van-bus thing, marked like the sign with the right number on it and it said "Karlstad". It drove right past. I waved at it and the driver waved back. What the heck.The next bus was scheduled for 2pm or something and i sure wasn't going to waste another three hours for a bus that was just going to ignore me. I sat back down and looked at the time. It wasn't quite 10:45 yet. Maybe that wasn't the right bus. I still wasn't ready to ride in the rain so i sat back down and gave it a few more minutes.
Then i saw it. The big green and yellow bus. He flashed his lights at me and i waved back at him. He flashed his lights again and i got up. He wasn't slowing down. I waved frantically and i saw the driver make a "why'd you wait so long to flag me down" look. He had passed the bus stop but jammed on the brakes and was able to stop before the merge lane. I apologized to him for not doing whatever i was supposed to do to signal him and i guess he forgave me. I was able to put the bike in a compartment under the bus and relaxed in a seat the rest of the way to Karlstad. So there's 25 miles i didn't bicycle.
When i arrived in the city the roads were still wet but it seemed to have stopped raining. I got my bearings and started walking east. Eventually i found a McDonald's and figured i'd use the free wifi to figure out what to do, at least download some new maps. The rain had stopped but it was already after noon so I decided i would ride to Kristinehamm, about 30 miles away, and stay in a hostel for the night. My body was not doing great and i thought a night in a bed and a shower would be helpful. The beginning of the ride was annoying. Bike paths in a city again. So frustrating. Eventually i found my way out of town and past Skattkarr, finally onto open roads. Wonderful open roads. Flat roads. The scenery was so beautiful my spirits were rising. The sun was back out and i felt like i was riding fast. Until i had to head south. (https://goo.gl/maps/IbM31)
All day long the wind had been blowing in from the south. That's where all the rain came from. When i had to head south, into the wind my spirits dropped again. It was only ten more miles to the city but they were such a pain. And when i got near the town i had to use bike paths again. I made it to the hostel (http://www.lusaskens.com/) at 4:15, but the reception people weren't going to get there until 5:00. If there was a bench in sight i would have just sat there and relaxed until they showed up, but there wasn't. I figured i'd use the time to walk around town and look for a grocery store or something to get dinner. I walked a good mile and a half but never saw anything but houses.
I walked back to the hostel and checked in. The guy was pretty weird, his answers were very vague. Like when i asked where my room was he just pointed down the hall. And the bathroom, just pointed down the hall. Didn't explain anything about what was where. I found a grocery store online and headed back out, apparently i didn't walk far enough. Aside from the pleasant riding through farm land this grocery store was probably the best thing to happen all trip. Even better than seeing a moose, and better than those orange ice pops. They had chicken. Warm roasted chicken. I got a package of 8 or 9 chicken wings for around 3$. Not 8 or 9 individual wing pieces like in the states. Whole wings. I ate the heck out of those right outside the store. I walked back to the hostel and thought about what to do the next day.
I think i mentioned earlier that my body wasn't doing well. My ass was hurt from chaffing, my hands were getting blisters, both big toes were numb, and there was a pain in my left knee. I checked the weather for the next day and it said clear, but 20mph winds. I made the decision that i was going to quit riding and just take a train to Stockholm. The only thing that would get me to change my mind was if nothing hurt when i woke up, and the winds had stopped.
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