Sweden bike trip, August 2024
I spontaneously decided that when each kid turns 10, 15 and 20 they get to decide the location of one of our family vacations. To my surprise Zooey chose Sweden "because I want to meet our relatives". My family is still in contact with my mom's second cousin Ingvar, who is a healthy robust 80 something year old. He has visited us in the US a couple times (I was a kid) and my Grandpa Mel visited him in Sweden years ago. So once I learned Ingvar lives in Halmstad on the West Coast of Sweden I set to work building an itinerary for the 5 of us (Z 11, O 6, F 2). Anyone who knows me, however, knows I'm not big on classic sight seeing and I always need to throw in some kind of physical adventure. I had been itching to get our family on a bike packing trip. It seemed like an easy way to see more sights, cover more ground without carrying a heavy pack (and heavy children, though frankly I kinda enjoy carrying the children) but still have the joy of physical exertion/challenge...