Gökotta at Saxåsen

Real early on Ascension Day May 24, 2001 seven members of the Trulsås
Family Society met for a walk up to Saxåsen to celebrate Gökotta -  "Early Bird".
The walk up there took about 45 minutes and the weather was beautiful. We can
inform you  that summer is here -mosquitoes and all. You don't really care though
when you have a magnificent view and total tranquility. We could see Skallsjö
church, Nääs Castle and even some of lake Mjörn

The cuckoo bird  -bad boy-  played a trick on us and didn't call even once the
entire time we  spent up on Saxåsen! So, if we do this next year we plan to
get some technical aid - we don't tell which though!

A big THANK YOU to our excursion guide Kjell Johansson!!

The walk to the old homesteads Långås/Brännås took place on April 29,
2001. Trulsås people came from north and south to start out from Långås
Lya. They were two courageous little groups starting out in the rain and
they never even saw each other... Due to minor misunderstandings the
two groups of people went different ways, not far from each other at all,
but far enough not to meet. In spite of this fact the whole outing was very
pleasant.

Those who went with Dan Strandelius reached both of the homesteads
and got a nice lecture up at Långås from Dan's mother Inger Strandelius.

On the way back, via Trulsås, Dan showed a new route which gives you
a nice round of walks between several of our old homesteads.

Those of us who missed Dan took off towards Långås/Brännås on an
excursion of our own. It was not entirely easy with a map that didn't
show any of those homesteads. But shame on those that give up!
With a little common sense and some fantasy you can get far. We
thought we had reached both Långås and Brännås, but  it turned out
that whatever we thought was Brännås in fact was some other ruins.
We did reach Långås though and it was a terrific experience! The land
and the ruins up there really stirred your imagination and you could
sense ancient times and history. We are certain that the animals of the
forest were not the only ones lurking in the glades, watching us.

On our way back from Långås we "discovered" two other old homesteads
partly hidden in the forest. It turned out to be "Paradiset" and "Hägnads-
hallar".

We have some plans on doing this walk to Långås, Brännås and Trulsås
again at a later occasion and hope more of you will be able to join then!
 

Trulsås - What a day!

The first of the fall excursions  went to Trulsås on Sunday
September 17, 2000 and was a total hit!  Everyone was really pleased!

A long caravan  of cars and motorcycles went from Floda up to
Trulsås.  57 people and one dog enjoyed  the bright sunshine
and the crisp Indian summer air. We  had a nice 20 minute walk up
to the actual homestead. On the way we all learnt what "cultivation
stone mounds" look like, but maybe it was only me who didn't know
already :-)   Once at Trulsås our tour guide Dan Strandelius from
Tvärsjödal told us how one lived up there in the olden days and
what furniture and utensils were used. All according to an old
inventory from 1826,  after Carin Svensdotter.

There were some interesting discussions and thoughts as to which
buildings were actually situated on the remaining foundations. It is
nice to see that there are still some fruit trees up there. We agreed
that we need to do something about the vegetation closest to the
homestead and on the edge of the hill with its fine view. We need to
check with the county forestry board if it is OK and after that we can
set up a "clearance Sunday" we hope.

The trip to Trulsås came to an end up at the hill with its magnificent
view all the way to the flight control tower at Landvetter Airport.
Everyone sat down on tufts and rocks, eagerly chatting while
enjoying their picnic baskets. We decided that we want to do a
similar trip to the homesteads of Brännås and Långås, but that we
have to be cautious not to collide with the annual moose hunt which
takes place in October. Dan who promised to guide us once more
will set a date later on. Check in later for dates and details!

We wish to thank Dan Strandelius for his excellent guiding!