Rally Sweden 2015

[Krister K]

http://youtu.be/0AB4mpq0t9c?t=5m8s

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HEJ,HEJ KRISTER K,

IF ANYBODY IS WONDERING,IT WAS KRISTER'S VERY FIRST POST ON THIS THREAD,THAT STARTED THE PLANNING OF THIS VERY TRIP

THE FERRY CROSSING FROM 'HORTEN TO MOSS' OSLO FJORD,ROTATES BETWEEN 3 FERRIES,RUNNING CONTINUOSLY,SO THE WAIT IS NEVER MORE THAN HALF AN HOUR.
NO NEED TO BOOK(NOT AT THIS TIME OF YEAR)AND FERRY CROSSING WAS 129 NOK.,TAKING JUST 30 MINS

THIS LINK SHOWS,THE JOURNEY FROM THE AIRPORT IN NORWAY,CROSSING THE BORDER INTO SWEDEN..... HEADING EAST ON E18 TOWARDS KARLSTAD,THEN NORTH TO 'KIL' (PRONOUNCCED 'SHILL' IN ENGLISH... KILOMETERE,IS ALSO 'SHILLO-METERE' )

THE ROAD IS LARGELY A SINGLE CARRIAGEWAY AFFAIR,WHICH JUST SHORT SECTIONS OF DUAL CARRIAGEWAY,USUALLY AS YOU ENTER ONE OF MANY TUNNELS THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS...

SPEED LIMITS ARE AROUND 80KMH,SOMETIMES 110 KMH ON SHORTER SECTIONS.....

IT IS WORTH REMEMBERING,THAT EVEN THOUGH THE JOURNEY WAS AROUND 150 MILES,AT THESE SPEEDS,IT TAKES VERY MUCH LONGER TO GET THERE.....




https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Sande ... 59.5036802

THE ROADS THEMSLEVES WERE LARGELY CLEAR OF SNOW,IT WAS A BLESSING TO NEAR THE BORDER AT ORJE,AS TOLL ROADS ARE PREVALENT IN NORWAY......ONLY SMALL AMOUNTS OF NORWEGIAN KRONE,WHICH ARE AUTOMATICALLY ADDED TO THE 'HIRE CAR' TALLY,AS YOU PASS THE VARIOUS BEACONS.....(CONSEQUENTLY WE OWED 110 NOK ON RETURNING THE HIRE CAR,FOR ROAD TOLLS)




REGARDS THE YOUTUBE LINK,SOME OF THESE CARS WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE....WAS THIS FOOTAGE FROM S11 FREDRIKSBERG..?

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CROSSING THE BORDER BETWEEN NORWAY AND SWEDEN WAS A VERY INFORMAL AFFAIR,IN FACT 'CUSTOMS' BUILDINGS HAD JUST A FEW SIGNS OF LIFE.......WE HAD TO SLOW FOR A FEW 'SPEED HUMPS' BUT THAT WAS IT.

AT THIS POINT,I WANTED TO STOP AT THE FIRST AVAILALBLE SWEDISH 'GARAGE/SHOP'...TO STOCK UP ON SOME CHOCOLATE,CRISPS AND DRINKS,SHOULD WE BECOME STRANDED ANYWHERE,AS WE PROGRESSED EAST?.....THE SNOW WAS BECOMING DEEPER AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD,AS WE DROVE ON THE E18....

TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA,ANYTHING IN NORWAY,WOULD SEEM TO BE 3 TIMES THE PRICE IT IS IN SWEDEN(SAVE ALCOHOL AND FUEL!)

NOT A FAN OF ANYTHING ELECTRICAL,ON A MOTOR VEHICLE,(AS I SEEM TO SPEND MOST OF MY WORKING LIFE FIXING IT !!!) ON THIS OCCASION THE 'SAT NAV' (GPS) WAS INVALUABLE TO LOCATE A 'GAS' STATION,IN A SMALL VILLAGE WE WERE PASSING....

NOT VISIBLE FROM THE ROAD,WE WOULD HAVE PASSED OBLIVIOUS OTHERWISE...?



INSIDE THE GARAGE 'SHOP',CONSISTED OF CHAINSAWS,AXE AND GENERAL WOODCUTTING STUFF,WITH A SMALL FRIDGE,WITH BEETROOT,SALAMI,SALAD AND BRIE,FRESH SANDWICHES......GENERAL DE-ICING SPRAYS,AND ESSENTIAL CAR PARTS...

STOCKED UP WITH SOME FOOD....THE NEXT TASK WAS TO RE-FILL THE WASHER BOTTLE ON THE PEUGEOT(ALWAYS TINY ON FRENCH CARS!!! )...ALAS THE HOSE,WOULD NOT REACH THE CAR...?

I REALLY MUST DISPEL THE MYTH HERE,THAT ALL SWEDES SPEAK ENGLISH,IF YOU READ THE 'GUIDE' BOOKS......CERTAINLY,WE HAVE FOUND THE FURTHER NORTH YOU GO,AND THE ELDER THE GENERATION,THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE...?

AN ELDERLY SWEDISH GENTLEMAN,WAS AROUND THE REAR OF THE GARAGE, TRYING TO FIT A BATTERY,TO AN OLD VOLVO 240....

IN MY IGNORANCE,NOT KNOWING WHAT THE WORD FOR 'PLASTIC CONTAINER' WAS IN SWEDISH,I GESTICULATED THE INTERNATIONAL 'WINDSCREEN WIPERS' HAND MOVEMENT BLURTING OUT 'VATTEN'.....AND POINTING TO THE WASHER BOTTLE ON THE PEUGEOT...

HE UNDERSTOOD,BUT EITHER REFUSED,OR COULD NOT UNDERSTAND A WORD OF MY CRUMBLING NATIVE SWEDISH....AND TOOK ME INTO THE AGED WORKSHOP,WHERE I FOUND AN EMPTY ICE CREAM TUB,AND WE FILLED IT WITH HOT WATER FROM HIS SINK....

SEVERAL BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS,TRIPS TO THE SINK...AND ALL IS WELL....
I THANK THE GENEROSITY OF OUR PENSIONABLE NATIVE 'TACK SA MYCKET'...ASKING HIM IF I MAY TAKE A PHOTO....?

HE MUTTERS SOMETHING,AND RETURNS TO TRYING TO FIT HIS VOLVO BATTERY,IN THE NOW EVEN DARKER EVENING LIGHT...

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WE RE-JOINED THE E18 TOWARD ARJANG,AND HAD BEEN MAKING CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS.....

MY CONCERN,WAS TO TRY AND MAKE IT TO THE 'RUM&FRUKOST',BEFORE DARKNESS,AS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN SNOW- LADEN COUNTIRES DICTATES,A SHARP DROP IN TEMPERATURE AS THE SUN DROPS BELOW THE HORIZON...

IT WAS 0 DEG C AS,SEVERAL 'SHILL-O-METERES' OUTSIDE OF 'ARJANG'.....THAT THE VIGOROUS HEADLAMP FLASHING STARTED,COMING TOWARDS US.....

A LITTLE FURTHER ON,THE TRAFFIC HAD STOPPED DEAD.....WE SAT FOR 20 MINS,NOT MOVING IN THE QUEUE,BEFORE DECIDING,TO TURN AROUND,AND TAKE A 'DETOUR'...

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@59.45946 ... 366086,11z

TRAVELLING BACK ON OURSELVES FOR A GOOD FEW 'SHILL -OMETERES',WE FOUND A SMALL GRAVEL ROAD,TO THE LEFT.....ABANDONING THE SAT-NAV(GPS) AT THIS POINT !!

GOING OFF THE MAPS,WE HAD TAKEN WIH US ......WE HEADED SOUTH-EAST,BETWEEN TOCKSFORS-ARJANG...ON A LOOP,THAT SHOULD RE-JOIN US BACK ON THE E18 FURTHER ALONG...?

IT WAS NOW LATE AFTERNOON,TEMPERATURES AND DAYLIGHT FALLING AWAY......THIS WAS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE FOR MANY YEARS,BACK ON COMPACTED SNOW AND ICE,UNDULATING FOREST ROADS,FANTASTIC SCENERY AND MOSTLY THIRD GEAR...

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AND NO,YOU CANNOT LEFT-FOOT BRAKE IN MOST MODERN CARS,AS THE 'ENGINE MANAGEMENT AND ABS' CANNOT WORK OUT,WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON.....REVERTING TO LIMP-HOME MODE...

WE DID HOWEVER HAVE A 'MANUAL'(NOT ELECTRIC) HANDBRAKE

BACK ON TARMAC,NEARING THE E18....PHOTO STOP!

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SO, IT WAS NOW GOING DARK AND WE WERE NEARING 'GRUMS' ON THE E18,WHEREUPON IT WAS TIME TO TURN OFF,ONTO THE 45....JUST 30 ODD MINUTES NOW TO OUR 'RUM&FRUKOST'.....


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Grums ... 59.5036802

WE HAD BEEN UP AT 04.45 THAT MORNING,FLOWN TO NORWAY AND DRIVEN ACROSS SWEDEN'S EASTERN ROAD...

WE STOPPED AT AN 'ICA' SUPERMARKET,TO STOCK UP ON SOME FRUIT&SUPPLIES FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY IN THE FOREST....

THEN FOUND A Q8 FUEL STATION,AS THEY HAD THE STOCKS OF THE OFFICIAL 'RALLY SWEDEN' GUIDE BOOK...

WHILST I FILLED UP WITH DIESEL,MY LAD WAS IN THE SHOP PRACTICING HIS SWEDISH,CLUTCHING A COPY OF THE 'RALLY SWEDEN' MAGAZINE

''HUR MYCKET KOSTAR DA?'' FROM MY LAD,WAS ALL I HEARD AS I APPROACHED THE SALES COUNTER.......AS I WAS HAVING SOME DIFFICULTY WITH PAYING FOR DIESEL WITH THE AUTOMATED 'KREDITKORT' PUMP.....

A TORRID REPLY IN SWEDISH CAME FROM THE ENSUED COLLECTIVE BUNCH OF NATIVE RALLY FANS,DRESSED IN APPROPRIATE SPECTATOR GEAR ,WHICH RATHER STARTLED MY LAD....AND HE WAS LOST FOR WORDS....

I JUST SMILED..........''ENGELSKA''

''ARR,ARR.....YOU COME FROM ENGLAND TO WATCH THE RALLY?''

''JAR'' I REPLIED

''COLIN MCRAE.....HE WAS OUR FAVOURITE'' CAME THE REPLY IN BROKEN ENGLISH.....

AND WE LEFT,SPIRITS LIFTED,WITH JUST A LITTLE MORE EXCITEMENT,LOOKING FORWARD TO SATURDAYS EARLY MORNING EVENT....

ARRIVING IN DARKNESS AT THE 'RUM&FRUKOST',SLITHERING ABOUT ON SNOW LADEN ROADS,TOMORROW WOULD BE ANOTHER 04.45 START IN THE MORNING.....

SO WE HEADED JUST A FEW KILOMETERES BACK INTO 'KIL' TOWN CENTRE,FOUND A PIZZERIA....THEN DROVE BACK,TO GET SOME MUCH NEEDED SLEEP.....

INDEED,THE FIRST OF SOME VERY LONG DAYS TO COME..
IN THE MORNING,WE WOULD HEAD AN HOUR AND A HALF DRIVE, DUE NORTH,TO 'HAGFORS' AND BEYOND....

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SATURDAY MORNING,THE VERY REASON WE HAD MADE THE TRIP ...

A HEARTY VERY EARLY BREAKFAST,THEN LOAD UP THE CAR....HERE WAS THE FIRST SURPRISE,AS THE OUTDOOR AMBIENT TEMPERATURE WAS -3 DEG C...? YET THERE WAS NO ICE/FROST ON THE CAR AT ALL...?

IT WOULD SEEM THE AIR,IS SO MUCH DRIER ....UP THIS FAR.....?

THE ROAD NORTH 62 WAS RELATIVLEY CLEAR OF SNOW,SAVE A FEW FLURRIES WE DROVE THROUGH....

'HAGFORS' WAS VERY BUSY,THE LATER STAGE IN THE DAY WAS AT THE 'ARENA' THERE...PEOPLE WERE GETTING THERE VERY EARLY INDEED...

WE CARRIED ON EAST, TO 'RAMMEN' BEFORE TURNING OFF ONTO THE FOREST TRACKS,PAY THE ENTRANCE FEE 350 SEK,WHICH ALLOWED US TO STAY IN THE STAGE ALL DAY.

THE SNOW WAS AROUND 12 INCHES DEEP HERE....THE STAGE ITSELF COMPACTED SNOW AND ICE...

THE WRC COMING THROUGH AT 08.37,HISTORICS WOULD FOLLOW AT AROUND 11.00,THEN THE WRC WOULD LOOP AROUND AGAIN IN THE AFTERNOON......

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KITTED OUT WITH SKI-PANTS,SNOW BOOTS AND WARM COATS/HATS/GLOVES.....AMBIENT TEMP,WAS NOW 1 DEG C,AT 07.50 IN THE MORNING....

THE WALK,WAS AROUND 2 KM UP INTO THE FOREST.....EVERYTHING HAS BIG,MASSIVE SPOTLIGHTS HERE....

AND SLEDGES FULL OF FIREWOOD,AND BEER WERE BEING DRAGGED BEHIND THE AVID SPECTATORS....

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PLENTY OF VOLVO'S ON THE WALK UP THE STAGE ACCESS TRACK.....WE WEREN'T THE ONLY ONE'S TO BRING A NORWEGIAN CAR OVER THE BORDER...

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AS WE GOT TO THE STAGE,THE AROMA OF WOOD BURNING FIRES AND KORV,GENTLY SIMMERING ON BBQ STOVES FILLED THE AIR....

IT WOULD ALSO APPEAR THAT SKI-DOO IS THE WAY TO TRAVEL...?

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IN FACT,THERE WAS VERY MUCH A CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE....AS EVERYBODY WAITED PATIENTLY,AS THE COURSE CAR CAME THROUGH

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'BIRDIEMANGO' GIVES IT THE THUMBS UP,IN SUITABLE 'CLARION BILSTEREO SAAB DEALER TEAM' HAT.......

ALLEGDLEY 'PER EKLUND' WAS DRIVING ONE THE COURSE CARS....?

THIS WOULD HAVE SOME BEARING,LATER ON DURING THE TRIP

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BUNGEE STRAPS,TO KEEP THE CLOTHES OFF THE SNOW

THE MUFFLED HOWL, OF THE WRC CARS APRROACHED....

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WRC STUFF WAS REALLY QUICK,GETTING TO INCREDIBLE ANGLES

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SOME MAD NORWEGIANS HAD DRIVEN THE MOTORHOMES UP THE TRACK,THE DAY BEFORE.....FOUND A CLEARING IN THE TREE'S....AND DUG IT ALL OUT,SO THEY COULD REVERSE THE WAGONS IN....

THEN BUILT AN OPEN ROOF IGLOO WITH ALL THE SNOW,AND SET UP CAMP....

SAFETY APPEARED TO BE PARAMOUNT....