Scuba Diving, Malta, 29-30th of May

Spent a long weekend on Malta and had time for 2 nice days of scuba diving.. On Thursday we first went to the Imperial Eagle, a scuttled wooden ferry at 40+ meters depht outside of Qawra point.. On the way back to the anchor line we also went past the huge Jesus statue.. Windy day with choppy seas, I was pretty seasick on the way back from the first dive.. Second dive on Thursday was on the Fortizza Reef outside of Sliema, a grassy canyon seascape with some nice swim-throughs.. On Friday we went to the Marsascala Reef and then to a tug boat called St Michael which was pretty cool although we didn't see much fish and I got pretty cold..

Kayaking, Svärdsfjärden, Sweden

Premiere for the kayak season! Later in the year than expected, but when going out solo I avoid too cold water together with windy conditions.. Half-day ride from Torö Stenstrand, heading north on Svärdsfjärden.. Sunny and calm seas, great early summer weather.. Saw plenty of bird-life, including dozens of swans, and an eagle.. Had a quick lunch on a little rock island before heading back south.. The "wavy" self-portrait is taken from under water, playing a bit with my adventure-safe camera..

Mtb, Lunsen, Uppsala

Half-day ride in Lunsen, Uppsala, with 4 people from the Happymtb.org forum.. Warm and sunny, maybe up towards 25 C the last hours.. This forrest area is amazing for cross-country mountainbiking, must be the best or one of the best in Sweden, at least if you appriciate fairly technical trails rather than fast ones..

Mtb, Järvafältet, Sweden

Saturday ride with about a dozen people from the Happymtb.org forum.. Nice and sunny spring weather, great trails with mixed challenges ranging from roots, rocks and mud to soaked grass and gravel roads.. A pretty perfect day except for a dramatic crash that called for trip with an ambulance for one of the participants, but he'll be ok soon hopefully..

Mtb, Hellas-Alby Friluftsgård, Saturday 19th

Started early on Saturday morning with my brother, biking down on Sörmlandsleden to Alby Friluftsgård and back.. Mostly dry but some very muddy sections as well.. A slow-motion fall over the handlebar that stopped between a rock and a tree resulted in some minor bruises..

Mtb, Ursvik, Solna

A short afternoon ride at Ursvik, some 5 kilometres north of my new residence in Solna.. This area seems pretty nice, with a mix of very easy and a little bit more technical trails.. Today it was wet and pretty slippery on the roots and rocks, and I had to focus most on avoiding to get lost so I wouldn't find my way back to the car..

Mtb, Fornstigen, Sweden

Saturday ride with my brother on Fornstigen on Lovön.. Hard to get tired of this very varied trail.. Cloudy skies but no rain, about 5 C, pretty muddy and slippery on some sections that required some extra effort.. Slow pace with a couple of stops along the way, lunch at the regular half-way rock.. Back at the cars at 1 pm..

Mtb, Öland, Sweden (March 23rd)

Third ride of three during Eastern 2008 when we stayed in Byxelkrok on Northern Öland.. We parked the car at Homrevet and followed the White Prick's Trail north bound past the end of the narrow rail and up along the east coast of the island.. Zig-zagging between the sea and further inland in the forrest, great mixed trails up to Trollskogen.. A rest break on the pebble and sand beach, and then we headed back south again, finishing some three hours after starting..

Mtb, Öland, Sweden, (March 22nd)

Second ride of three during Eastern 2008.. Went out solo this time, from Byxelkrok north bound along the west coast up to the light house Tall Eric and back again.. Quite windy and a few degrees below zero, pretty grim with the clothes I had on.. Grinded my way up against the wind with lowest gear possible on snow-covered pebble-beach.. At times I could barely keep my balance in the stronger gusts.. On the way back it was great fun to hammer along the sea in full speed with the wind pushing me forward, making it worth the effort of the first leg..

Mtb, Öland, Sweden (March 21st)

First Eastern Ride of three on Northern Öland, started with GF on Böda Sands Camping and we followed the White Prick's Trail north bound to Homrevet and back again.. One or two degrees above zero, the fresh snow gradually became heavier to ride on.. Fairly windy, so it was nice to stay in the shelter of the forrest up on a ridge most of the time..

Amphibious Mtb, Sickla, Sweden

Out on Sicklaskiftet again, might as well focus on the best area that is just around the corner from where I'll be living only for a few more weeks.. Joined by GF today who took some pictures when I tested the bike's amphibious abilities which was great fun but rather chilly for the feet afterwards, it was just above freezing point with some snow-stained rain at the end of the ride..

Mtb, Sicklaskiftet, Sweden (Sunday 9th)

Another 2-hour session on Sicklaskiftet, mostly on the central and northern side.. A lot wetter than yesterday so more slippery and a lot more mud, but still I had a better flow and fewer near-crashes.. Finished with grinding to the top of Hammarbybacken again..

Mtb, Sicklaskiftet, Sweden

Spent about 2 hours zig-zagging around on the numerous trails on Sicklaskiftet.. It was a mixed bag of surfaces ranging all the way from completely dry on sunny spots, to slippery stones and roots, deep mud holes, to ice-covered rocks and water puddles.. Despite (or because of?) a lazy pace I had a couple of proper skids that tested the spd exit reflexes.. Finished off with pedaling up to the top of Hammarbybacken to get some leg burn and heart rate going..