Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! We just came back from perfect winter conditions in Särna, Dalarna in Sweden where we celebrated New Year with our friends Bo and Susan, Kennel Ulvedalen. Erik got his first-ever sled dog trip with an 8-dog team and Bo as the musher (= sled dog driver). It was minus 10 degrees and sunshine, and the dogs were super eager to get started. They pulled the sled with Bo and Erik, two ‘big’ men. without problems. There was barely enough snow on the trail and Erik said it was bumpy, but still the landscape was beautiful dressed in snow. After this exercise, we had warm chocolate in Bo and Susan’s shelter. Luckily, all the non-sled dogs got along. These are Bo and Susan’s young Stabij houn, Halley and our two old (one very grumpy) Smooth Collies – mainly thanks to Halley’s Happy go Lucky attitude to the world. During the night it snowed even more and we were worried about traffic conditions, but no problems on the roads except for the amount cars. From Sälen and south it was one long row of cars all the way down to Gothenburg.
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Thanks to Bo and Susan for housing us and providing such excellent and plenty of food. I know no-one who can cook as good as Bo. It’s always a joy to taste his dishes, and I love his home-made tebirkes (kind of Danish pastry). Here follows Bo’s New Year menu (in Danish):
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Forret: Kogt torsk på bund af smørstegt æble med sennepscreme, kapers og bacon.
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Hovedret: Rødvinsmarineret dyreryg, rullet i peber, viklet med bacon og pandestegt. Hertil mashed kartoffel-selleri og æggetimbale med spinat og svampe. Honningstegt gulerod på toppen.
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Dessert: Vanilleparfait rørt med kirsebærsauce.
Photo: Erik Sturkell. Susan getting ready for the main dish: venisonPhoto: Erik Sturkell. Gabrielle tasting the dessert: ice cream with cheery sauce.Photo: Gabrielle. Bo and Susan’s house in Särna.Photo: Gabrielle. Bo and Susan’s Siberian Huskies. Each dog has its own cage in the car.Photo: Erik Sturkell. We drove up to Mette and Tom’s house in Särna, where the snow scooter trails start. There was not enough snow to start from Bo and Susan’s house. Photo: Erik Sturkell. Lining up the 8 dogs on the stake out.Photo: Gabrielle. Musher Bo and his passenger Erik.Photo: Erik Sturkell. Preparing the team for start and putting harnesses on the dogs.Photo: Erik Sturkell. Gabrielle putting harness on Kling (or was it Klang?). These two black-white brothers are descending from my Jarvik Siberians and look very similar to my old black & white brothers Triton and Torne. Update: Susan says it’s Klang 🙂Photo: Lars Teken Christensen. This is a historical photo taken 20 years’ ago of me and Jarvik’s Czardas, one of Kling and Klang’s ancestors. Same look and expression 🙂Photo: Erik Sturkell. Out on the trail with a 8 dog team.Photo: Erik Sturkell. Can it get more beautiful than this?Photo: Erik Sturkell. Or this?Photo: Gabrielle. The scooter trails are well marked and easy to follow with these sign posts.Photo: Gabrielle. Bo and Erik are back from a succesful although bumpy sledding ride.Photo: Erik Sturkell. Sitting on the porch of Mette and Tom’s cozy little house. They are also sled dog friends from Denmark.Photo: Erik Sturkell. Eye contact with Smooth Collies thanks to treats.Photo: Gabrielle. Susan with Halley at the shelter back home.Photo: Gabrielle. Bo and Erik at the shelter drinking hot chocolate. Life can’t get better than this 🙂Photo: Susan selfie. A bit blurry, but here we all are at the shelter.Photo: Erik Sturkell. Halley is a hunting dog, a Stabijhoun as this picture so clearly shows 🙂
