Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Pirkanmaa Tour: II

...so I woke to the second day of our trip. The Sea To Summit Mosquito Net worked really well. I slept fairly well. The wooden surface of the lean-to was hard even with my sleeping pad, so it would have been better and softer on the ground.



Good morning coffee in the making:



We decided to not eat breakfast so that we could start riding. On the move:



Nice trails continued. At this point I had problem with the rear fender. Most of the screws were loosened, but I quickly fixed it with my mini tool and Leatherman.



A quick stop for water at the Tampere College:



We continued on small roads, where views were beautiful:



We found a nice spot for the lunch break on the shore of a lake near Toikko:







There was also a little surprise on the dock, a nest with two hatching eggs:



Hendrik eating:



My lunch:



And a cup of tea with honey and a chocolate bar for a dessert:



Continuing on the small roads. These roads were a lot of fun. They went up and down all the time, with lots of twists and turns:







We had a break in Kyrölahti, and after that we continued on asphalt roads to Tampere, where Hendrik would head back home with a train. In Tampere we ate small dinner and ice cream, and Peter's bike was fixed in a bike shop.

Next I headed with Peter to the trails south of Tampere, near Hervanta:



The beginning looked good:









But then the trail conditions changed to much tougher, and soon we had this in front of us:



Welcome hellbiking and bushwhacking! And the hungry mosquitoes were biting us. What a contrast! Just an hour earlier we were eating ice cream and saying goodbye to Hendrik, and then this. But it was still kind of fun. There is always something extreme, and this time it was the mosquitoes.

On a bright note, there were a couple of soft spots where my 9:Zero:7 shined.

We turned around and tried the other side of Hervantajärvi:





But it was the same thing there too:



And the trails were really technical, with rocks and roots all over the place:



We turned back again, and decided to camp at a high place above the lake. The evening view was great down the lake:



Peter made water for us. And the mosquitoes were biting...



We set up our shelters quickly, and soon Peter was inside of his Tarptent:



I was hungry again and made a meal.

After that it was sleeping time. If only those mosquitoes would not find their way to my shelter:



To be continued...