When you drive to Lillhärdal from Loos, you have to go north to Sveg first. I’ve often looked at the map and wondered if it would be possible to choose a more straight route, but that straight route means taking some awfully small roads. The proof is in the pudding… We tested it yesterday. After every crossroads the road got smaller until finally we were driving on a dirt road that would’ve been great fun in a 4×4. But as it was, I had to do scouting on foot to see if it was at all possible to proceed by car and with some skilled driving (not me) we got past the worst part. This route saves almost 20 km, but costs twice the time and I won’t be driving these roads again until I have a 4×4!
On the way back we chose a southern route which doesn’t save any mileage but the roads were better. We got to see a lot of new scenery and there was this one lake in particular which made an impression on me. A lot of small islands and an interesting shoreline with a lot of exciting features, it will be a photographer’s paradise on a calm summer evening! Actually, I think almost any ice-free season is fine, as long as it’s calm.
Another interesting thing yesterday was all the small tarns covered with ice, and some of the with a dusting of snow to boot. I kept telling myself that the light was wrong or this or that was wrong so I didn’t stop to photograph them. And then when the light was finally right, all the tarns were gone! If you had asked me to find a road without a lot of lakes lining it, I wouldn’t have been able to name one – until yesterday!
So this morning I was determined to get some icy pictures. Problem is that it wasn’t a very cold night, so the ice is melting. Some small consolation that the weather will inevitably turn colder soon… it’s just that this period of time when you can still see through the ice is quite short. When it gets cold enough for the ice, it gets cold enough for the snow to cover it, too.
And then I found another tarn today which turned out to be good. Just like the tarn I wrote about last week, this one also has a lot of small turf islands. It is situated in a ”bowl” which protects it from wind but probably also makes it difficult to photograph in sunlight because it will be shaded. I’ll be back there, another time another light.
And then finally, a weekend wouldn’t be complete without a bird! I had a feeling that the birds would tolerate me without any disguises at all. Quite right – the only bird I wasn’t fooling was a jay, but they weren’t fooled when I was wearing camo, either. As long as I’m quiet and don’t make any sudden moves, the small birds don’t mind me at all!
